Search.hfastmapfinder.com virus - How to remove

It’s becoming hard to track how many browser hijackers Polarity Ltd has already released and seems like company is not slowing down at all. This time they target users who enjoy travelling with a browser hijacker called Fast Map Finder or search.hfastmapfinder.com This malicious search engine is an exact copy of Polarity’s other browser hijacker variants such as search.hfastrecipefinder.com or search.searchipdf2.com.

Search.hfastmapfinder.com malware was created to trick unaware, inexperienced internet users into thinking that it specifically can help finding maps fast, when actually it would be annoying you with ads, tracking your browsing activity, recording personal data and sharing it with third-parties, creating security issues that can lead to serious whole-system-affecting malware infections.

In reality running a search in a regular non-specialised search engine like Google, Bing or etc. you’d get better results than what Fast Map Finder can provide you with. Therefore there is no need why you should keep this browser hijacker any longer. If you want to know more about search.hfastmapfinder.com and how to remove it, keep reading this article.

What do you need to know about search.hfastmapfinder.com?

In the first place, it is important to understand that search.hfastmapfinder.com is NOT a real web browser/search engine, but just a hoax undercover which redirects users’ search requests to search.yahoo.com and presents Yahoo generated results on their ‘browser’s’ screen. Actually, apart from the name, Fast Map Finder doesn’t differ even the slightest from its ‘brother’ search.hfastrecipefinder.com, and despite minor distinct aesthetic details looks very similar to the rest of Polarity-made browser hijackers. Not to mention identical technical features search.hfastmapfinder.com shares with its forerunners.

Fast Map Finder gets installed as browser’s Add-on/Extension after the user downloads it with attachments, free bundles or torrents from unauthorised websites, after clicking infected ads and etc. Right after you without knowing install Fast Map Finder extension it goes to search.hfastrecipefinder.com and downloads the necessary scripts to escalate the infection to another level. Mind you, it does this without permission and any sign, but if this malware succeeds to finish ultimate installation next time you open the browser instead of your default homepage,search engine and new tab window you will see the plain-looking search.hfastrecipefinder.com.

The search.hfastmapfinder.com creators benefit mainly from advertisements and redirects to certain websites/search engines, so to earn their revenue they target victim’s browser, whether it’s Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet explorer and change the default settings to achieve the full control.

Any app that can make changes without user’s consent should raise a red flag, but if that is not enough to prove the secret agenda of Fast Map Finder virus, you should look at search.hfastmapfinder.com EULA which clearly states:

BY USING THE SERVICES, YOU ARE CONSENTING TO GRANT POLARITY PERMISSION TO COLLECT YOUR URLS AND SEARCH DATA, INCLUDING SEARCH QUERIES THAT MAY CONTAIN PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION, SHARE THEM WITH THIRD PARTIES, AND USE SEARCH-RELATED COOKIES.

All in all we can agree that search.hfastrecipefinder.com browser hijacker is not only a useless search engine, but also a dangerous app that collects your personal information and shares it with dangerous third-parties. In conclusion, if one day you see a search.hfastmapfinder.com pop up instead of your typical homepage, there is no reason to wait and keep Fast Map Finder, because it will keep bringing you troubles, unless you remove it.

How to delete Fast Map Finder?

Because search.hfastmapfinder.com works as an add-on/extension, you can easily try to remove it from the browser’s Settings, by going to Add-ons/Extensions page, depending on the type of your browser. If by any chance you can’t find or remove Fast Map Finder, or if your system is constantly crashing and works really slow, after deleting search.hfastmapfinder.com, you can either try system restore from the backups (yet this should be your last straw) or using automatic malware removal tools like Spyhunter

Anti-malware products are good because they detect not just one but most problem causing threats from directories that are not always manually easy to reach. Following anti-malware software directions on how to remove detected viruses and routine reminders to scan the system can also save a lot of time.

And yet, hate to say this but prevention is always the best cure,  so always practice safe web browsing techniques and invest into some trustworthy antivirus tool, which will at least save you from minor malware attacks like search.hfastmapfinder.com.

Automatic Malware removal tools