Searchmedia.online Redirect

What is searchmedia.online?

searchmedia.online is a fake search engine that is promoted useful and capable of providing fast searches, accurate results, and so on.

In fact, this site is promoted using a browser hijacker, a potentially unwanted application (PUA) called Movie Browsing. This app promotes a number of other URLS including movies.searchmedia.online and music.searchmedia.online. Note that PUAs usually gather browsing-related data and change browser settings.

Typically, browser hijackers can be installed on browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer. Once installed, they modify browser settings. In this case, Movie Browsing assigns searchmedia.online (or movies.searchmedia.online or music.searchmedia.online) as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL.

Therefore, users with Movie Browsing installed are forced to visit one of these sites when they open the hijacked browser, new tab, or search through the URL bar. These changes cannot be undone until Movie Browsing is uninstalled. Most PUAs prevent victims from changing the settings appointed by them.

Furthermore, search engines promoted by Movie Browsing are redundant, since they provide no unique results. When a search query is entered, users are simply redirected to search.yahoo.com (a legitimate search engine from Yahoo). Having this browser hijacker installed (and others) enables developers to gather information relating to users' browsing habits.

PUAs usually collect URLs of visited websites, entered search queries, geolocations, IP addresses, and other information. Personal details might also be recorded. Developers share the data with other parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. These actions can lead to problems relating to browsing safety, privacy, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Movie Browsing (Movie Searches).
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s)	Movie Browsing, Movie Searches.
Supposed Functionality	Allows users to easily access various movie trailers, TV series, and other similar content.
Promoted URL(s)	searchmedia.online, movies.searchmedia.online, music.searchmedia.online
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine.
Detection Names (searchmedia.online)	ESET-NOD32 (Malware), CLEAN MX (Suspicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (searchmedia.online)	96.45.82.193
Observed Subdomains (searchmedia.online)	movie.searchmedia.online, search.searchmedia.online, sport.searchmedia.online, sug.searchmedia.online
Symptoms	Manipulated internet browser(s) settings (homepage, default internet search engine, new tab settings). Users 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), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious 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.

searchmedia.online is a fake search engine that is virtually identical to many other engines of this type, such as feed.ebooks-club.com, feed.searchfrit.com, and mapsnow.co. Generally, developers promote them as search engines that deliver an enhanced browsing experience, various features, tools, and so on.

In fact, they are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and provide no real value.

How did Movie Browsing install on my computer?

Typically, people download and install browser hijackers such as Movie Browsing and other unwanted apps through clicked advertisements and when they are "bundled" with other software. Developers use the bundling method to trick people into unwanted downloads/installations during download or installation of other regular software.

They achieve this by hiding PUAs in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar sections of software download or installation set-ups. In this way, they make it difficult to notice that set-ups contain additionally-included apps. Furthermore, users who perform downloads and installations without checking settings often allow PUAs to infiltrate.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download all programs (software) from official pages and using direct links. Install software with care, check all "Custom" and "Advanced" settings/options, checkboxes ticked by default and dismiss any offers to download or install unwanted apps. Avoid visiting untrustworthy websites (such as gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on) and clicking ads displayed on them.

These usually redirect users to dubious, potentially malicious websites. Unwanted redirects and intrusive ads are usually caused by installed potentially unwanted apps. If this is a common problem, check installed apps on your browser (extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins) and remove all unwanted entries.

The same applies to unknown, suspicious programs installed on the operating system/computer. If your computer is already infected with Movie Browsing, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Website promoting Movie Browsing browser hijacker:

Another website promoting Movie Browsing browser hijacker:

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

Movie Browsing 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, "Movie Browsing"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Movie Browsing 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://searchmedia.online (hxxp://movies.searchmedia.online or hxxp://music.searchmedia.online) 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 hxxp://searchmedia.online (hxxp://movies.searchmedia.online or hxxp://music.searchmedia.online)

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the movie browsing 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 "Movie Browsing" 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, disable "Movie Browsing", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.searchmedia.online, hxxp://movies.searchmedia.online or hxxp://music.searchmedia.online) 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 "searchmedia.online", "movies.searchmedia.online" or "music.searchmedia.online", 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 movie browsing 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 "Movie Browsing" (or either "Movie Search"), 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), select "Options", in the opened window, disable "Movie Browsing", remove hxxp://searchmedia.online (hxxp://movies.searchmedia.online or hxxp://music.searchmedia.online) 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: "moz-extension".
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with movie browsing 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 movie browsing 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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