Speedtestace.co Hijacker - How to remove

Speed Test Ace, distributed by speedtestace.co, is a browser extension which offers to give users the ability to check their internet speed any time on their new tab. Really, though, the speed test is a cover for the real product — a search hijacker. The description of the speedtestace.co extension claims:

This extension configures your New Tab with Speed Test Ace
Now, you can test your internet performance right from your New Tab.

This extension also gives you easy access to web search.

People who are installing the extension might expect to get a button somewhere in the new tab page to test their internet speed, and that is what you get with speedtestace.co. But what you might not have expected is to have your search engine replaced with Yahoo. What’s up with that?

An extension is not a one-time thing — it stays with your browser, even if you don’t use it. So it’s important to be careful with new, unknown add-ons, to your browser, to make sure that nothing shady is going on.

What does speedtestace.co do?

With Speed Test Ace, there’s now a button on the new tab page (speedtestace.co) that lets you measure your internet speed right there. This is very nice, though I have doubts about the accuracy. The results are quite different from all the other speed tests; sometimes (most of the time) inflated. This is understandable, as it’s not always easy to create the infrastructure needed for an accurate internet speed test.

Speedtestace.co also provides a search bar in the new tab page. The searches are not directed to whatever your previous search engine was, but to Yahoo. The new search engine (set by speedtestace.co in your browser settings) is just horrible with some queries, it frequently does not find any results at all. It does load ads, though. Maybe it’s broken — the developers of browser hijackers don’t always take care to update their products.

According to the information given by the Google Chrome browser, speedtestace.co can read your browser history and change all your data on all sites that you visit. This information is found by going to your browser settings and checking the details of the Speed Test Ace extension. Your browser history is needed for advertising. This is what the majority of browser hijackers do, and what Hyperconnect Media — the company behind the Privacy Policy of speedtestace.co — does: advertise to the users of their browser extensions and drive them to click on promoted websites. Of course, more data than just your browser history is collected: your IP, location, all the search terms, all your clicks…

Sometimes, depending on where you install Speed Test Ace, it acts as a bundler for another browser add-on — Search Secure. Search Secure changes your search settings and reads your browsing history, too. Too many products made by Hyperconnect Media raise the same privacy concerns: Dailyfileconverter.co, MySearchPlus.co, Daily Mail Tab.

How is speedtestace.co installed?

It’s possible that you found this site on your own, but very unlikely. speedtestace.co does not seem to be among the most popular speed tests.

Ads might have taken you to speedtestace.co. For example, Adcash, an ad-network with a shady reputation, and Propeller Ads display ads for speedtestace.co.

Speedtestace.co can also be included in free software bundles. Bundling is a way to promote applications by including them with a more desired product as an optional add-on. Unfortunately, some bundlers hide the promoted apps and make it difficult to notice them, possibly because they’re paid per installation (PPI).

Lastly, browser hijackers are promoted by adware. Programs that act as adware might open pop-up windows and new tabs for promoted products, such as speedtestace.co. If this happens without your input, it’s likely that you have adware installed on your machine. That’s a problem not only because excessive ads are annoying, but also because they are not held to high standards and thus can be dangerous — for example, they could lead to webpages distributing malware.

How to remove speedtestace.co

If you suspect that adware might have been responsible for recommending speedtestace.co to you, scan your computer with an antivirus program. Spyhunter, or another professional application that you trust to find not only viruses but also potentially unwanted programs. Speed Test Ace (and Search Secure) can be removed by accessing your browser settings.

Automatic Malware removal tools

TopHow To remove Speedtestace.co 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 Speedtestace.co 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 Speedtestace.co Hijacker from Firefox:Top

• 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 Speedtestace.co 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.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Speedtestace.co 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.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.