Defendsearch.com Redirect

What is defendsearch.com?

There are many fake search engines that are virtually identical to defendsearch.com, for example: resultsinquire.com, trackpackage.world and advisurf.com. It might look very similar to other well known search engines such as Google, Yahoo and so on.

However, this one is being promoted using rogue download and/or installation set-ups that are designed to modify browser's settings without user's consent. Besides, it also collects information related to its users browsing habits and causes redirects to questionable, untrustworthy web pages.

Typically, the aforementioned rogue set-ups target web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. They adjust browser's settings such as default search engine, homepage and new tab URL.

In this case all these options get changed to defendsearch.com, which means users of the hijacked web browser are forced to visit this fake search engine (its website) when a new browser tab, new window is opened, or a search query into the URL bar is entered.

It is impossible to undo these changes because rogue set-ups usually install so called "helper objects" (apps that are being installed into browsers) that are designed to reassign the appointed settings once an attempt to undo them is made. It can be done only when the aforementioned browser apps are uninstalled.

Besides, both defendsearch.com and "helper objects" are very likely to be designed to track (collect) data such as IP addresses, search queries, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites and other browsing-related information. It is also possible that some of the gathered data might include personal details as well.

Additionally, all the obtained data is constantly shared with third parties who use (misuse) it to generate revenue. That is why we do not recommend to use any fake search engine and to uninstall all the installed unwanted applications.

Threat Summary:

Name	Defendsearch.com 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.

Such search engines usually are being promoted as useful, capable of providing their users with things such as more accurate search results, faster searches and so on. Unfortunately, these promotions are simply attempts to give an impression of legitimacy and to trick people into using these search engines.

Quite often they do not deliver any of the promised functionalities and are designed only to generate revenue for their developers. Besides, using such fake search engines might result in various problems related to browsing safety, privacy, increased risk of having a computer infected with some virus and so on.

How did defendsearch.com install on my computer?

As we mentioned earlier, developers of the defendsearch.com fake search engine promote it using rogue downloaders and/or installers. By using them they often successfully trick people into allowing these set-ups to make changes in their browser's settings. To install various potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) developers use a so called "bundling" method.

It is a method used to trick users into installing these apps together with some other software. Information about such apps being bundled into installation or download set-ups is usually hidden in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings.

However, PUAs cannot be installed without giving them a permission for it. In other words, even if users install unwanted apps unintentionally, they do it by themselves.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent inadvertent installations (and changes in browser's settings) always download software from official and trustworthy websites or other sources. Avoid using third party software downloaders, installers, torrent clients and other peer-to-peer networks.

Do not forget to check "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the download or installation procedures and opt-out various potentially unwanted, bundles apps. Be careful when browsing the web, avoid clicking various intrusive advertisements.

These ads might look legitimate (their developers invest money in their design), however, they often cause redirects to various untrustworthy websites (such as gambling, adult dating, pornography and so on).

If you get redirected to suspicious websites often or are being served with lots of intrusive ads: check what are the installed extensions, add-ons or plug-ins on your web browser and programs on your computer. Remove all the unwanted/unknown or suspicious entries as soon as possible.

If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate it.

Website promoting defendsearch.com fake search engine:

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

defendsearch.com redirect 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 applications (which cause browser redirects to the defendsearch.com website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

defendsearch.com redirect removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects (Windows OS):

Video showing how to remove browser redirects to defendsearch.com using Combo Cleaner (MacOS):

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://defendsearch.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 "defendsearch.com".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the defendsearch.com 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.defendsearch.com) 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 "defendsearch.com" 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 defendsearch.com 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 plugins 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://defendsearch.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: "defendsearch.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with defendsearch.com 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 defendsearch.com 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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