Sports Addict Toolbar

What is search.mysearch.com?

Sports Addict is a rogue browser extension that supposedly provides the latest sport-related news. Initially, this functionality may appear legitimate and useful, however, Sports Addict often infiltrates systems without users’ permission. Furthermore, this app causes unwanted browser redirects and collects various user/system data.

For these reasons, Sports Addict is classed as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and a browser hijacker.

This browser hijacker targets Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, modifying the default search engine, new tab URL, and homepage settings by assigning them to search.mysearch.com. In addition, Sports Addict automatically reassigns settings when attempts are made to change them.

Therefore, users become unable to revert changes performed by Sports Addict and are continually redirected to search.mysearch.com without their consent, diminishing the web browsing experience.

Internet browsing activity is continually monitored, since Sports Addict records IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other browsing-related data that might be personally identifiable and shared with third parties (who misuse it to generate revenue).

This situation might cause serious privacy issues. For these reasons, you are strongly advised to eliminate Sports Addict from your computer immediately.

Sports Addict is identical to TvHero, Screen Addict, Muzik Trak, and a number of other deceptive browser plug-ins. Note that all offer different features, and yet, these add-ons have identical behavior. The only purpose of browser hijackers such as Sports Addict is to generate revenue for the developers.

Most provide no significant value for regular users. These rogue apps cause unwanted browser redirects, gather private data, and often deliver intrusive online advertisements.

Furthermore, browser hijackers often promote fake Internet search engines that generate results leading to malicious websites. Using these websites to search the Internet can result in high-risk adware or malware infections.

How did search.mysearch.com install on my computer?

Sports Addict is distributed via an official download website and using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" (stealth installation of potentially unwanted programs with regular [usually free] applications/software). Research shows that many users do not express enough caution during the download/installation processes.

Therefore, bundled programs are often hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" settings. Rushing and skipping this section often leads to inadvertent installation of rogue applications such as Sports Addict.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent system infiltration by potentially unwanted programs, be cautious during the download and installation processes. Analyze each step using the "Custom/Advanced" settings. In addition, cancel all additionally-included programs and decline all offers to download/install them.

Website promoting Sports Addict browser hijacker:

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Quick menu:

• What is search.mysearch.com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Sports Addict application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove search.mysearch.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Sports Addict browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search.mysearch.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove search.mysearch.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Sports Addict browser hijacker removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window: look for any recently-installed suspicious applications (for example, "Sports Addict"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the search.mysearch.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Sports Addict browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://search.mysearch.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer. You can also enter about: blank to open a blank page when you start Internet Explorer.

Change your default search engine:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". In the opened window, select "Search Providers", set "Google", "Bing", or any other preferred search engine as your default and then remove "OneSearch".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the sports addict browser hijacker, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "Sports Addict", and other recently-installed suspicious add-ons, select these entries and click the trash can icon.

Change your homepage:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, click "set pages", hover your mouse over hxxp://search.mysearch.com and click the x symbol. Now, you can add your preferred website as your homepage.

Change your default search engine:

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search" section, click "Manage Search Engines...", remove "MySearch" and add or select your preferred domain.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the sports addict browser hijacker, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions" and remove "Sports Addict", and other recently-installed browser plug-ins.

Change your homepage:

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://search.mysearch.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

In the URL address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
Click "I'll be careful, I promise!".
In the search filter at the top, type: "mysearch"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with sports addict browser hijacker removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...

In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.

In the preferences window select General tab and make sure that your homepage is set to a preferred URL, if its altered by a browser hijacker - change it.

In the preferences window select Search tab and make sure that your preferred Internet search engine is selected.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.

Change your homepage and new tab settings:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section look for the name of the browser hijacker and click "Disable".

Change your default Internet search engine:

To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Privacy and services", scroll to bottom of the page and select "Address bar". In the "Search engines used in address bar" section look for the name of the unwanted Internet search engine, when located click the "Disable" button near it. Alternatively you can click on "Manage search engines", in the opened menu look for unwanted Internet search engine. Click on the puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the sports addict browser hijacker, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

A browser hijacker is a type of adware infection that modifies Internet browser settings by assigning the homepage and default Internet search engine settings to some other (unwanted) website URL. Commonly, this type of adware infiltrates operating systems through free software downloads. If your download is managed by a download client, ensure that you decline offers to install advertised toolbars or applications that seek to change your homepage and default Internet search engine settings.

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