Prevent MyGuidetoIslam from hijacking your browser

What is hp.myway.com?

MyGuidetoIslam is yet another rogue application released by the Mindspark Interactive Network. It supposedly allows access to various Islam-related content with an additional web searcher. It is allegedly capable of providing Quran and Hadith translations, Salah times, local mosque addresses, and similar.

Note, however, that this app is classified as a browser hijacker due to the changes it makes to browser settings (to promote hp.myway.com, a fake search engine). It is also classed as a PUA (potentially unwanted application), since most users install this app inadvertently. MyGuidetoIslam also monitors users' browsing activity, thereby gathering their personal information.

Typical browser hijackers target Google Chrome, Mozilla, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and other popular browsers. Once successfully infiltrated, they assign their fake search engines as the browser homepage, new tab/window URL, and default search engine.

MyGuidetoIslam promotes hp.myway.com in this fashion. Therefore, each new tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to hp.myway.com. While these modifications may seem relatively easy to undo, without removing the hijacking application, recovering the affected browser is impossible.

With the browser hijacker still present, all changes users make are automatically reset (if access to the settings is even allowed). Note that this rogue app is often distributed together with the Ask Search browser extension. The data tracking abilities of MyGuidetoIslam are a threat to users' privacy.

It gathers browsing and search engine histories, IP addresses, geolocations, and personal details, and then shares this private information with third parties (possibly, cyber criminals). Therefore, data tracking can lead to severe privacy issues, financial loss, and even identity theft.

All suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be removed to ensure device and user safety.

Threat Summary:

Name	MyGuidetoIslam browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:UnwantedSig [PUP]), DrWeb (Adware.MyWebSearch.145), ESET-NOD32 (Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch.BA Potentially Unwanted), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:WebToolbar.Win32.Agent.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Browser Extension(s)	MyGuidetoIslam
Supposed Functionality	This browser hijacker claims to provide various information relating to Islam religion.
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine.
Promoted Domain	hp.myway.com
Serving IP Address (hp.myway.com)	23.55.212.221
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.

Mindspark Interactive Network has released dozens of identical/similar browser hijackers, e.g. GlobalJewishWorld, GetFamilyHistory, and FreeTemplateFinder. PUAs in general tend to share many common traits. Unwanted applications usually appear legitimate and offer a broad array of "useful" features.

Despite how good these offers may sound, most of the advertised features are nonfunctional. The only purpose is that the unwanted content must generate revenue for the developers, whilst regular users receive no real value.

PUAs cause redirects to various sale-based, untrustworthy and malicious webpages, hijack browsers, and run intrusive advertisement campaigns (e.g. pop-up, banner, coupon, and similar). They are also notorious for tracking sensitive data.

How did MyGuidetoIslam install on my computer?

Some PUAs, such as MyGuidetoIslam, have "official" websites on which they are often promoted as "free" and "harmless" software. Another way that these applications infiltrate devices is through the download/installation set-ups of other software. The practice of pre-packing regular programs with unwanted/malicious content is called "bundling".

This method is widely used by PUA developers and is successful. By rushing through download and installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.), some users endanger their devices with potential system infiltration and infections.

Intrusive advertisements are also capable of proliferating PUAs. By clicking on these ads, many users trigger them to execute scripts designed to automatically download/install PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research your content to verify its legitimacy, before downloading and installing. Only trustworthy and verified sources should be used for downloading (as opposed to Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, unofficial or free file-hosting websites, third party downloaders, and similar).

Untrustworthy channels are more likely to offer bundled software. Treat download/install processes with caution. Recommendations include: reading terms, exploring all possible options, using "Custom/Advanced" settings to opt-out from downloading/installing various additions.

Intrusive ads typically seem ordinary and innocuous, however, they can redirect to dubious websites (e.g. gambling, adult-dating, pornography, and similar).

If you experience these ads/redirects, inspect your systems and remove all dubious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with MyGuidetoIslam, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

MyGuidetoIslam browser hijacker installer set-up:

MyGuidetoIslam browser hijacker asking for various permissions:

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

MyGuidetoIslam 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, "MyGuidetoIslam Internet Explorer..."), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

MyGuidetoIslam 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://hp.myway.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 "hp.myway".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the myguidetoislam 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 "MyGuidetoIslam" 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 MyGuidetoIslam, look for a browser hijacker URL (hp.myway.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 "Ask Web Search", 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 myguidetoislam 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 "MyGuidetoIslam", 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 MyGuidetoIslam, remove hxxp://hp.myway.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 myguidetoislam 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 myguidetoislam 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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