MyNewsGuide Hijacker - How to remove

MyNewsGuide is a browser extension – a little piece of sr software that can modify how your browser behaves. It promises a sort of live news aggregator right in your new tab page and it also mentions web search. If you think that’s a little vague, there’s a reason for that – MyNewsGuide is kind of a browser hijacker, a mildly unfriendly browser add-on that is made with the intention of popularizing a specific search provider.

Browser hijacking

MyNewsGuide is very similar to MyQuickLotto, Screen Addict, Cinematic Fanatic, and other browser add-ons by the same developer. They’re all based on the same template and very little changes from one add-on to the next. While other browser extensions try to innovate and make the user experience as pleasant as possible, MyNewsGuide is barely changed from the toolbars that used to plague browsers over ten years ago.

MyNewsGuide takes over the new tab even though it doesn’t need to, just so it can place its own search bar on that page. Really, why would MyNewsGuide need to take over your new tab page when a pop-up window that appears after clicking the extension icon could be totally enough? Many people spend time and effort customizing their new tab page to be just how they want it, but this hijacker gets in and rudely replaces it.

MyNewsGuide is a browser hijacker that should be uninstalled when it’s discovered:

Type of threat	Adware Browser hijacker
MyNewsGuide hijacking symptoms	One or more browsers have a page that looks like hp.myway.com/MyNewsGuide/ttab02/index.html set as the new tab page MyWay.com and Ask.com return web search results
How MyNewsGuide spreads	Bundling Ads and redirects
Remove MyNewsGuide	Make sure there are no adware and malware infections Remove MyNewsGuide and related extensions

That’s not all – MyNewsGuide tries to install other extensions that are related, like the Ask extension, which does nothing but take over your search engine. This means that you might need to get rid of a few browser add-ons, not just MyNewsGuide.

On top of all that, MyNewsGuide fails to provide useful functionality. It seems to collect news from only a few outlets and then show them to you after you push a button on your new tab page. It’s clumsy and not customizable, there are no thumbnails, short excerpts, or the source of the news. Plus, some links that the add-on provides are very outdated, such as Google+. It seems like MyNewsGuide could easily be replaced by any decent RSS aggregator. The news could still be accessed quickly and offer more features while not taking over your browser like MyNewsGuide tries to.

No wonder that antivirus programs flag MyNewsGuide

MyNewsGuide Distribution

Such a low-quality extension still has thousands of users. Strangely, not all of them know that they have MyNewsGuide installed. Many people don’t even really know what a browser add-on is or how it works and they might be hesitant to mess with browser settings to fix the situation. MyNewsGuide does try to look like a regular new tab page, so not everyone might realize that an extension has modified their browser.

Ads, redirects, pop-ups online promote MyNewsGuide. This comes in a few forms:

• Unexpected redirects to sites that demand that you install the extension. Examples include the Flash SD App Required scam and Recommended Extension pages.
• Ads that look like download buttons on download sites – click them mistakenly and you might end up downloading the wrong software.
• Browser pop-ups that are caused by sites that send you ads as notifications, like Lifeimpressions.net.

Then there is the chance that MyNewsGuide was downloaded with and installed by a freeware bundler – an installer that presents one program, but offers additional ones during setup. They’re not usually disclosed very visibly and they’re installed by default. So, if you never heard of MyNewsGuide until you saw that your browser one day just had MyNewsGuide as its new home page, bundling might be to blame.

Dangers of using MyNewsGuide

The extension isn’t just a cosmetic change in your browser. MyNewsGuide can read your browsing history, search keywords, see which links and search results you click on when you use the MyWay and Ask search engines. These two websites belong to the same company as MyNewsGuide, so no surprise that the extension is being used by Mindspark to push those sites.

The private information collected from the browsers of MyNewsGuide’s users can then be used for targeted advertisements. This is useful because targeted ads have been shown to be more effective than blind ads. Search engine ads are also very effective and MyNewsGuide’s creators just happen to be pushing two search engines with ads in their results. So, the MyNewsGuide extension ends up being an adware virus that wastes your time and your bandwidth to monetize you searching the web. And while some other search providers attempt to offer unique and useful features, MyNewsGuide’s are low-quality.

Plus, some hijackers go further than just forcing you to use an unwanted search provider: they fill other sites with ads, too. Pop-ups, links injected in text, etc. Since a browser extension can have access to what websites you visit, it can also change what those sites look like to you. Your browser renders every website, so if a malicious add-on can interfere with that, it could make every single webpage into an ad-filled nightmare. MyNewsGuide doesn’t seem to have the power to do that, but some people do complain about Mindspark products showing them annoying pop-ups. And then there are also toolbars that perform fraudulent activity in the background.

Overall, MyNewsGuide is not illegal or strictly malicious. However, it’s not great for users.

How to uninstall MyNewsGuide

If you want a news aggregator, there are websites that do this, RSS aggregators, other browser add-ons. If you look up the service before using it to make sure that it’s safe, you will probably get better service than with MyNewsGuide.

And if the extension was installed without your consent, then it doesn’t matter what it does, it’s likely not wanted and can be removed without worry.

This can be done manually from your browser – the instructions are below. Except when that doesn’t work, which happens when some malicious setting or a piece of malware has infected your system and is keeping the add-on installed against your will. In this case, an anti-malware tool, like Combo Cleaner for MacOS or SpyHunter for Windows, could be useful: just scan your computer to find malware, delete it, reboot, and remove the extension.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove MyNewsGuide Hijacker using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like MyNewsGuide Hijacker install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to MyNewsGuide Hijacker . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make MyNewsGuide Hijacker easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove MyNewsGuide Hijacker from macOS

Delete MyNewsGuide Hijacker from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the MyNewsGuide Hijacker app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to MyNewsGuide Hijacker and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to MyNewsGuide Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving MyNewsGuide Hijacker from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to MyNewsGuide Hijacker. Click on the trash bin icon next to MyNewsGuide Hijacker or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to MyNewsGuide Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving MyNewsGuide Hijacker from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything MyNewsGuide Hijacker related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to MyNewsGuide Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove MyNewsGuide Hijacker from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to MyNewsGuide Hijacker. Click on the "Remove" icon next to MyNewsGuide Hijacker or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving MyNewsGuide Hijacker from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the MyNewsGuide Hijacker. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to MyNewsGuide Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.