Alphashoppers.co Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is alphashoppers.co?
alphashoppers.co is a fake search engine supposedly offering an enhanced browsing experience and also saving time and money by providing various deals, offers, and coupons.
This may seem a legitimate and useful search engine, but it is promoted using the Alpha Shoppers app, which is categorized as browser hijacker that modifies settings without users' permission. Furthermore, alphashoppers.co and Alpha Shoppers are known to record data relating to users' browsing activity.
Alpha Shoppers targets the most popular browsers such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Once installed, it changes the new tab URL, search engine, and a homepage settings to alphashoppers.co.
This website is promoted using other rogue applications, such as MacOSDefender and other fake search engines including find.coinup.org and photorito.me. When Alpha Shoppers is installed, users are forced to visit alphashoppers.co and its associated search engine when they open browsers or new tabs.
If an attempt is made to modify these settings, the app immediately reverts them. These changes may not seem significant, but they can diminish the browsing experience.
Furthermore, as mentioned in the introduction, aplhashoppers.co and the Alpha Shoppers app record information such as IP addresses, keystrokes, URLs of visited websites, search queries, geo-locations, etc. This might include personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse private information to generate revenue.
This can lead to privacy and browsing safety issues, or even identity theft. Uninstall the Alpha Shoppers app (browser hijacker) immediately and avoid visiting alphashoppers.co.
Name | Alpha Shoppers 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. |
alphashoppers.co is very similar to other search engines of this type, such as my-search.com, srcbar.com, go.bonanzoro.com, etc. Generally, fake search engines are promoted as providing 'useful features' (in this case, coupons, deals, offers, and so on), however, most fake search engines and browser hijackers have the same purpose: to generate revenue for their developers.
They provide none of the features promised or any other functionality. Furthermore, having browser hijackers installed can lead to privacy/browsing safety issues, or even more serious problems.
How did Alpha Shoppers install on my computer?
Many browser hijackers can be downloaded from their official websites, however, users install often install them inadvertently due to lack of knowledge of these threats and careless behaviour. Developers promote potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) such as Alpha Shoppers using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling".
This technique is used to trick users into installing PUAs by hiding them in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar parts of the installation processes. Developers do not disclose information about the presence of bundled apps within set-ups. Furthermore, many users skip installation steps without checking the options/settings, often allowing PUAs to be installed. In some cases, clicking intrusive ads might also results in these installations.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Download software using official and trustworthy websites only, and not third party downloaders, torrents, and other similar channels. Check "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar settings when installing software (especially if it is free). Deselect offers to install any unwanted software/applications.
Avoid clicking advertisements, especially those displayed on untrustworthy/unofficial websites. These might redirect you to untrustworthy/potentially malicious websites (pornography, adult dating, gambling, etc). If you encounter these redirects, check your browser for unwanted applications (extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons) installed.
Also check the list of installed programs on your computer. Remove all unwanted/unknown applications and programs immediately. If your computer is already infected with Alpha Shoppers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Preview of redirects to alphashoppers.co caused by other browser hijackers:
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:
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Quick menu:
- What is alphashoppers.co?
- STEP 1. Uninstall Alpha Shoppers application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove alphashoppers.co redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove Alpha Shoppers browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove alphashoppers.co homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove alphashoppers.co redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Alpha Shoppers 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, "Alpha Shoppers"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the alphashoppers.co website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Alpha Shoppers browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove browser redirects (Windows OS):
Video showing how to remove Alpha Shoppers browser hijacker using Combo Cleaner:
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://alphashoppers.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 "Search".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the alpha shoppers 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 "Alpha Shoppers" and other 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 "Alpha Shoppers" browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.alphashoppers.co) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present, click on 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 "alphashoppers.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 alpha shoppers 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 "Alpha Shoppers", as well as all 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, disable "Alpha Shoppers", remove hxxp://alphashoppers.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: "alphashoppers.co"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with alpha shoppers 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 alpha shoppers 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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