Search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com Redirect

What is search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com?

search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com is a fake search engine that supposedly provides faster searches, more accurate results, and so on. In fact, it is promoted using a browser hijacker, a potentially unwanted application (PUA) called Earth And Satellite Maps. Like most apps of this type, it modifies browser settings and gathers user-system information.

Most browser hijackers can be installed on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer browsers. Once installed, Earth And Satellite Maps appoints search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com as the new default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL.

People who have this browser hijacker installed on their systems are forced to visit search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com when they open a new browser window, tab, or search by entering a query into the URL bar. It is impossible to avoid this situation as long as Earth And Satellite Maps is installed.

When installed, it prevents users from undoing changes to the aforementioned settings. As mentioned, search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com is a fake search engine, provides no unique results, and is thus useless. If used to search, it simply opens search.yahoo.com and users are provided with results generated by Yahoo.

This fake search engine also causes redirects to searchencrypt.com, another untrustworthy and useless search engine. Another problem with the Earth And Satellite Maps browser hijacker is that it records IP addresses, URLs of visited websites, entered search queries, geolocations, and other data relating to users' browsing habits.

In some cases, PUAs also collect personal details. Developers share the data with other parties who misuse it to generate revenue. Some of these parties might be cyber criminals.

Threat Summary:

Name	Earth And Satellite Maps browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s)	Maps, Earth And Satellite Maps.
Supposed Functionality	Access to GPS functions.
Promoted URL	search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com (fake web search engine).
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine.
Detection Names (*-18913599.exe)	Avast (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), AVG (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), ESET-NOD32 (a variant of Win32/WinWrapper.V potentially unwanted), Kaspersky (not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.Win32.WebSearch.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Manipulated internet browser settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). Users are forced to visit the 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 browser 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.

Earth And Satellite Maps is a browser hijacker and one of many other apps of this type. Some examples are Terra Arcade, Movie Browsing and E-Books Club. None of these apps should be trusted. They are promoted as 'useful' and yet provide no real value. They are used only to generate revenue for the developers.

Furthermore, having them installed often leads to problems with privacy, browsing safety, and so on. Any installed browser hijackers should be removed immediately.

How did Earth And Satellite Maps install on my computer?

PUAs can be downloaded from their websites (this is the case with Earth And Satellite Maps), however, people generally download and install them unintentionally by clicking intrusive, deceptive advertisements or when software developers trick them with a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" -  this is used to trick users into installing/downloading unwanted apps together with regular software.

Bundled apps are usually placed (hidden) in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings/options of the software set-ups. Inadvertent installations usually happen when people download and install programs without checking setups and leave all included settings unchecked and unchanged.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent computer infiltration by unwanted apps, avoid using third party software downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks, and other such tools. Software should be downloaded using official websites and direct links only. Check download/installation setups and  dismiss/opt-out of additionally-included apps.

Avoid clicking intrusive ads, especially if they are displayed on dubious websites relating to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on. These ads cause redirects to potentially malicious pages or trigger download/installation of other unwanted applications.

If you experience random ads and redirects, check extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons installed on your browser and programs on your computer. Remove all unknown/unwanted entries immediately. If your computer is already infected with Earth And Satellite Maps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Website promoting Earth And Satellite Maps browser hijacker:

Appearance of search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com asking to show notifications:

IMPORTANT NOTE! This deceptive site asks to enable web browser notifications.

Therefore, before commencing, perform these steps:

Google Chrome (PC):

• Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Settings", scroll down to the bottom and click "Advanced"
• Scroll down to the "Privacy and security" section, select "Content settings" and then "Notifications"
• Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

Google Chrome (Android):

• Click on the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and click "Settings"
• Scroll down, click on "Site settings" and then "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and click on them one-by-one
• Select "Notifications" in the "Permissions" section and set the toggle button to "OFF"

Mozilla Firefox:

• Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Options" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen
• Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs, click the drop-down menu and select "Block"

Internet Explorer:

• Click the Gear button on the right upper corner of the IE window
• Select "Internet options"
• Select the "Privacy" tab and click "Settings" under "Pop-up Blocker" section
• Select suspicious URLs under and remove them one by one by clicking the "Remove" button

Microsoft Edge:

• Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window
• Scroll down, find and click "Settings"
• Scroll down again and click "View advanced settings"
• Click "Manage" under "Website permissions"
• Click the switch under each suspicious website

Safari (Mac):

• Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner of the screen and select "Preferences..."
• Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane
• Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option for each

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

Earth And Satellite Maps 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, "Earth And Satellite Maps"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Earth And Satellite Maps browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

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

Video showing how to remove Earth And Satellite Maps browser hijacker 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://search.hearthandsatellitemaps.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 "Earth And Satellite Maps".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the earth and satellite maps 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 "Earth And Satellite Maps" 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 "Earth And Satellite Maps" (or simply "Maps") look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.hearthandsatellitemaps.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 "search.hearthandsatellitemaps.com", 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 earth and satellite maps 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 "Earth And Satellite Maps" (or simply "Maps"), 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 "Earth And Satellite Maps" (or simply "Maps") remove hxxp://search.hearthandsatellitemaps.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: "moz-extension"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with earth and satellite maps 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 earth and satellite maps 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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