SecuryBrowse Search Hijacker - How to remove

SecuryBrowse (as well as TraqMeNot) is a browser extension that promises to improve the user’s online privacy and security. However, it behaves like a browser hijacker – it changes the user’s default search engine to Search.securybrowse.com. SecuryBrowse may also sometimes use deceptive ads that trick people to install them.

It’s not recommended to use SecuryBrowse. If you find that it’s installed on your browser, it’s recommended to remove it.

SecuryBrowse in short:

Threat type	Browser hijacker.
How SecuryBrowse/TraqMeNot changes the browser	It replaces the default search engine (this might also make your home page look different), it blocks some websites that it considers to be unwanted.
How it is installed	It’s advertised online, it might be bundled with other programs.
How to remove SecuryBrowse/TraqMeNot	Uninstall SecuryBrowse and other unwanted extensions, if needed, remove malware from your device (Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, etc.), restore your browser settings.

Problems with SecuryBrowse

SecuryBrowse is a browser extension, or rather, a collection of browser extensions, including “SecuryBrowse for Chrome”, “TraqMeNot”, and “My Family Protect by SecuryBrowse”.

SecuryBrowse extensions are promoted as tools that help users stay safe on the internet. But they have a bad reputation for hijacking searches, displaying unwanted ads, and being advertised in a misleading way. It has similar problems to WebSecurerr, Website Security Checker, and other dubious security extensions.

SecuryBrowse promises to block various adult video sites. It has a blacklist of such sites and, if you turn “Family protection” on (it’s off by default), it shows a warning. This is a feature that does work, but SecuryBrowse also changes how you can search the web. What’s the reason for that?

It replaces the default search engine

Once SecuryBrowse is installed, it changes your default search engine to Search.securybrowse.com. This site is not a real search engine – it just leads to Yahoo, which is where the search results appear.

SecuryBrowse promises to protect your internet search queries from being tracked by your ISP (internet service provider). This is supposed to explain why it changes your search settings.

The truth is, your ISP already cannot track your search terms. Any time you visit a website that has a little padlock next to its address, that means that the site is using encryption. Encryption prevents outsiders from knowing what you do on the sites that you visit.

SecuryBrowse says that “some search engines do not encrypt your queries”, but all the major ones do. This is just SecuryBrowse making itself look more useful than it really is. Advertising a mundane feature you’ve been using for years as something new and exciting.

SecuryBrowse also advertises that it doesn’t tie your search queries to your online profile. This is kind of true – it forces you to use a search engine, Yahoo, that doesn’t have a social network associated with it. This is hardly a feature. If you want Google or Bing to stop tracking you, you can just change your settings on those sites.

Deceptive installation

Some reviewers of the “My Family Protect by SecuryBrowse” extension warn that SecuryBrowse is advertised in a misleading way. It’s promoted as a  “Secured Search” extension, which is not its real name. The misleading ad also claims that users must click the “Continue to Store” button as part of a “standard security check”. Distracted readers might fail to notice that installing the advertised extension is not part of the check. They may believe that they must install SecuryBrowse.

Luckily, the misleading ads that I fund no longer work.

Another way that some browser extensions get installed is when they’re bundled with other programs or browser add-ons. Careless or distracted users might fail to notice an optional offer when one is included in the installer of a program.

Either way, unintentional installations could explain why SecuryBrowse and TraqMeNot have so few reviews while having tens of thousands of users. Maybe some of the users don’t even realize that they have these extensions installed?

How to remove SecuryBrowse

It’s not recommended to use SecuryBrowse. If you want to protect your web browsing with a security add-on, it’s good to use one made by a reputable company or one that has good community support.

Uninstall the SecuryBrowse, TraqMeNot extensions, and any related add-ons. Look at the search settings of your browser and choose a search engine that you’re comfortable using. All the major ones are safe enough. Even Yahoo, when it’s not being opened by a shady intermediate site.

Scan your device with an anti-malware program, such as Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner for macOS, and others. If they find dangerous, suspicious, or just unwanted items on your computer, consider removing those items. Even if a threat is very mild, such as a potentially unwanted program or a search-hijacking extension like SecuryBrowse, it’s better to remove them.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Restore browser settings

TopHow To remove SecuryBrowse Search Hijacker from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

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

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser 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.

How to remove SecuryBrowse Search Hijacker from Microsoft Edge:Top

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

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

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

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• 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.