Search25.co Redirect

What is search25.co?

search25.co is a search engine developed by a company that claims to be helping owners of websites and web networks to generate revenue.

The site is similar to other popular and well-known search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. It claims to be a legitimate search engine, however, most browser hijacker developers claim to be legitimate and offer search engines that supposedly provide more relevant and improved results.

This search engine has a very minimalistic design that contains only a logo and a search box. Once a search query is made, it provides results generated by the search25.co search engine. Most browser hijackers use their associated fake search engines to provide misleading or unwanted results (or redirects).

This might also be the case when using the search25.co search engine. This is how developers generate revenue - by encouraging users to click unwanted/misleading results.

Furthermore, visiting unwanted websites can lead to users being tricked into downloading  unwanted or potentially malicious software and their browsing experience can also be diminished in other ways. You may begin to see various pop-up ads or even have your computer infected.

Most fake search engines track users by collecting information regarding their browsing habits. Recorded information might include visited websites, search queries, IP addresses, etc. There are many cases whereby this collected data is shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). Therefore, you could experience privacy issues and other similar problems.

Threat Summary:

Name	search25.co browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Symptoms	Manipulated Internet browser(s) settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). User's are forced to visit hijacker's website and search the Internet using their search engines.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers.
Damage	Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Once your browser is hijacked by search25.co, the search engine, homepage, and new tabs settings are replaced with the search25.co URL. This is not the only fake search engine developed by the same company. Take search14.co, for example - it looks almost identical and serves the same purpose.

Other examples of similar fake search engines with the same purpose (to generate revenue by providing misleading/unwanted redirects/results) are: searchdims.network, sleepshadow.com, and smartsearch.pw

How did search25.co install on my computer?

In most cases, browsers are hijacked when installing other software. This is a well-known method called "bundling". In this way, developers hide potentially unwanted programs within the installation processes of other software.

Furthermore, many users install software without carefully checking all available options such as "Custom" or "Advanced" - this is how browser hijackers are installed. They are also installed through intrusive ads. When clicked, these ads usually redirect to malicious websites and execute scripts that stealthily download and install unwanted programs.

Browser hijackers are also installed when an attachment in an email from unknown sender is clicked, when you visit an infected website, download software from a file-sharing site, or via torrents. It can also happen when you click a "Download" (or similar) button when visiting an untrustworthy website or when using a third party software downloader/installer.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Check all available options such as "Custom" or "Advanced" of the software installation process, especially if the software you install is free or ad-supportive. If you notice that there is additional software or 'special features' offered, deselect it. Do not download software using torrents or from unofficial websites and use direct download links only.

Avoid using third party software downloaders or installers, since as a rule, they are monetized by promoting potentially unwanted software.

Avoid visiting untrustworthy websites and clicking ads (or "Download") buttons on them. Finally, keep your antivirus software enabled. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is search25.co?
• STEP 1. Uninstall search25.co application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove search25.co redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove search25.co browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search25.co homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove search25.co redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

search25.co 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, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the search25.co website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

search25.co 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://search25.co 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 "search25".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search25.co 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 "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and remove them.

Change your homepage:

Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search25.co) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present, click the three vertical dots icon and select “Remove”.

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 engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list, look for "search25.co", and when located, click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Remove from list".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search25.co 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 on "Extensions" and remove all 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://search25.co 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: "search25.co"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with search25.co 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 search25.co 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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