How to remove My Obituares App from your browser
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is My Obituares App?
My Obituares App is a rogue application endorsed as a tool providing easy access to ancestry websites and obituary databases. In fact, it is classified as a browser hijacker, since it makes unauthorized changes to browsers to promote its associated fake search engine (search.searchobituariestab.com).
Furthermore, this app has data tracking capabilities, which it employs to monitor users' browsing habits. Since most users install My Obituares App inadvertently, it is classed as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). The app is often distributed together another PUA called Hide My Searches.
Browser hijackers are typically designed to target Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and other popular browsers. These applications operate by assigning the homepage, default search engine, and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of fake web search tools.
My Obituares App promotes search.searchobituariestab.com in this manner. Therefore, each search query typed into the URL bar and each new tab/window opened redirects to search.searchobituariestab.com. Most fake search engines are unable to generate unique results and, therefore, redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) a legitimate search engine.
This is the case with search.searchobituariestab.com, which redirects to search.yahoo.com. These changes may initially seem insignificant and relatively easy to undo, however, recovering a hijacked browser without removal of the app responsible is impossible.
Any changes users attempt to make are automatically reset, if indeed access to the settings is allowed. As mentioned, My Obituares App can track data. By recording browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.), it gathers users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations, and other details).
This private data is then shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) seeking to misuse it for financial gain. The presence of data tracking content on systems can thus lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss, and even identity theft. To ensure device integrity and user safety, immediately remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins.
Name | My Obituares App |
Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab. |
Detection Names | Avast (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), DrWeb (Adware.Spigot.145), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Potentially Unwanted), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.Win32.WebSearch.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
Browser Extension(s) | My Obituares App, Ancestry. |
Promoted URL | search.searchobituariestab.com |
Serving IP Address (search.searchobituariestab.com) | 3.217.102.4 |
Affected Browser Settings | Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine. |
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. |
Additional Information | My Obituares App is distributed with another browser hijacker called Hide My Searches. |
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. |
Obituary Search, Easy & Quick Maps, and File Converter Hub are identical browser hijackers to My Obituares App. In general, all PUAs share certain similarities, and those released by the same developers are often identical. Unwanted applications often seem legitimate and tempt users to install by offering "useful" and "beneficial" features.
These features are rarely operational. The only purpose of all unwanted software/content is to generate revenue for the designers, whilst regular users receive no real value.
Rather than delivering any useful functionality, PUAs hijack browsers, cause redirects to untrustworthy and malicious sites, run intrusive ad campaigns (pop-ups, banners, surveys, coupons, etc.), and collect vulnerable data.
How did My Obituares App install on my computer?
Some PUAs, such as My Obituares App, have official download websites, however, they can also be installed together with other programs. The deceptive marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious content is called "bundling".
By rushing through the download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, using pre-set options, skipping steps and sections, etc.), many users endanger their devices with potential system infiltration and infections. Intrusive advertisements are also known to proliferate PUAs.
Once clicked, these ads can execute scripts designed to download/install these apps without users' consent.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
Research content and software to verify its legitimacy before downloading/installing. Use only official and verified download channels. P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.), unofficial and free file-hosting sites, third party downloaders and similar sources are untrusted and should not be used.
Download/Installation processes should be approached with caution. Read the terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt-out of downloading/installing additional apps, tools, features, etc.
Intrusive ads usually seem normal and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious websites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others). If you encounter ads/redirects of this type, check the system and remove all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.
If your computer is already infected with My Obituares App, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
My Obituares App browser hijacker installer set-up:
My Obituares App browser hijacker asking for various permissions:
Website promoting My Obituares App browser hijacker:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is My Obituares App?
- STEP 1. Uninstall My Obituares App application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove search.searchobituariestab.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove My Obituares App browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove search.searchobituariestab.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove search.searchobituariestab.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
My Obituares App 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 Obituares App"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the search.searchobituariestab.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
My Obituares App 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://search.searchobituariestab.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 Obituares App".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.searchobituariestab.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 Obituares App" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons (e.g., "Hide My Searches"), 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 Obituares App" or "Hide My Searches", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://search.searchobituariestab.com or hxxps://hidemysearches.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 "hxxp://search.searchobituariestab.com" and "hxxp://hidemysearches.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.searchobituariestab.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 "My Obituares App" (or simply "Ancestry"), as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins (e.g., "Hide My Searches").
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 "My Obituares App" (or simply "Ancestry") or "Hide My Searches", remove hxxp://search.searchobituariestab.com or hxxp://hidemysearches.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.searchobituariestab.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.searchobituariestab.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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