MyMapDirections Browser Hijacker

What is search.searchmmd.com?

MyMapDirections is promoted as an app that helps to find maps, directions and check traffic updates in real time. In fact, most people download and install MyMapDirections inadvertently. It is, therefore, categorized as a potentially unwanted application (PUA).

This is a browser hijacker that changes browser settings (thereby promoting the search.searchmmd.com fake search engine) and collects information relating to users' browsing activities. Other variants of MyMapDirections browser hijacker promote mymapdirections1tab.com fake search engine.

Apps of this type change browsers settings such as homepage, default search engine and new tab URL. In this particular case, MyMapDirections assigns them to search.searchmmd.com, a fake search engine that provides no unique search results.

When a search query is entered into search.searchmmd.com, it simply opens search.yahoo.com (a legitimate search engine by Yahoo) and displays results produced by this search engine.

Therefore, this search engine is useless, however, people who have MyMapDirections app installed are forced to visit or use it, since the search.searchmmd.com address is opened when a browser/new tab is opened or a search query is entered into the URL bar. That is how this browser hijacker promotes the fake search engine.

The aforementioned settings cannot be changed or undone until MyMapDirections is uninstalled. You should remove this app, since most apps of this type gather browsing-related information such as IP addresses, entered search queries, URLs of visited websites, geolocations, and other similar data that might include personal details.

Furthermore, people who develop browser hijackers often share gathered data with other parties (often, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. Using these apps might cause privacy, browsing safety issues or even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	MyMapDirections
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	My Map Directions, Maps
Supposed Functionality	GPS functionality.
Promoted URL	search.searchmmd.com
Serving IP Address (search.searchmmd.com)	52.2.224.126
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine
Detection Names (*-19667595.exe)	Avast (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), BitDefender (a variant of Win32/WinWrapper.V potentially unwanted), 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(s) 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 browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying 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.

MyMapDirections is promoted as a useful and legitimate app, however, it is still a browser hijacker that developers use to generate revenue. There are many other apps of this type online. Some examples are Fast Weather App, Easy Speed Test App, and Mega Media Start.

These software programs are categorized as PUAs. They provide none of the features/tools promised and only cause problems.

How did MyMapDirections install on my computer?

In some cases, potentially unwanted applications can be downloaded from supposedly official websites, however, most people download and install them by clicking intrusive advertisements or when software developers trick them by using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling".

They bundle (include) unwanted apps into set-ups of other software that people with to download/install intentionally. They hide PUAs in "Custom", "Advanced" and other options or settings of software set-ups and hope that users will not check them, thus allowing unwanted apps to be downloaded/installed, however, this only happens if setup settings are left unchanged.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Do not use Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrents, eMule, unofficial/dubious pages and other similar sources to download software. The safest way to achieve this is using official, trustworthy websites sources and direct download links.

The installation and download processes should be handled properly - check all available setup options ("Custom", "Advanced", "Manual" and so on) and deselect offers to download/install additional software before completing the setup.

Do not click intrusive ads, especially if they are displayed on untrustworthy website relating to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on. They often cause redirects to potentially malicious/deceptive web pages. If unwanted redirects and ads occur often, check for unknown, unwanted apps (extensions, plug-ins, add-ons) installed on the browser.

Remove unwanted entries immediately. This also applies to unwanted programs installed on the computer (operating system). If your computer is already infected with MyMapDirections, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

MyMapDirections browser hijacker installer set-up:

Website promoting MyMapDirections browser hijacker:

Website that is used to promote MyMapDirections app 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

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Quick menu:

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

MyMapDirections 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, "My Map Directions"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

MyMapDirections browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

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

Video showing how to remove MyMapDirections 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.searchmmd.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 "My Map Directions".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.searchmmd.com redirect, 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 "My Map Directions" 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 "My Map Directions", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.searchmmd.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.searchmmd.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 search.searchmmd.com redirect, 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 "MyMapDirections" (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 "MyMapDirections" or simply "Maps", remove hxxp://search.searchmmd.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 search.searchmmd.com redirect 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 search.searchmmd.com redirect, 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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