How to remove Online Safety by Safely from your browser

What is Online Safety by Safely?

Online Safety is a browser hijacker developed by Safely. It is endorsed as a multi-purpose tool, which is supposedly designed to enhance the browsing experience. The advertised capabilities include real time alerts about visits to harmful websites, management of user data collected by sites and deletion of personal tracking data.

In fact, Online Safety operates by modifying browsers to promote mysafe-search.net, a fake search engine. Most users download/install Online Safety by Safely inadvertently and, therefore, it is additionally classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Browser hijackers commonly target Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and other popular browsers. After successful infiltration, these rogue applications set the addresses of their bogus web search engines to the browser homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs.

Online Safety promotes mysafe-search.net in this manner. I.e., each search query typed into the URL bar and each new window/tab opened redirects to mysafe-search.net. Few fake search engines are able to provide unique search results, and so they redirect to legitimate search websites.

In this context, mysafe-search.net is no exception - it redirects to search.yahoo.com. While these changes my seem minor, they seriously affect the browsing experience. Furthermore, access to browser settings can be limited/denied, and any permissible changes made, automatically reset.

While a browser hijacker is present, the affected browser cannot be recovered. Online Safety also possesses data tracking capabilities, which it employs to monitor users' browsing activity and to gather sensitive data. Information of interest includes (but is not limited to) IP addresses, geolocations, URLs visited, web pages viewed, search queries typed and other user details.

This private data can then be shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit. The presence of data-tracking software on devices can thus lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To ensure device integrity and user safety, remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Online Safety by Safely
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s)	Online Safety by Safely
Supposed Functionality	It can supposedly provide safe and private browsing, and allow users to manage their private/public browsing data.
Promoted URL	mysafe-search.net
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.
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.

MyPDFConverter is an example of a virtually identical browser hijacker also developed by Safely. Most browser hijackers share certain traits. For example, My Login Hub, Packages Tracker, and QuickTemplateFinder are similar to Online Safety. This extends to all PUAs - while they offer different features, their purpose is identical.

All unwanted apps/content generate revenue for the developers, whilst regular users receive no value. PUAs hijack browsers, force-open untrustworthy and malicious sites, run intrusive advertisement campaigns and track vulnerable data.

How did Online Safety by Safely install on my computer?

PUAs typically infiltrate devices without users' permission, however some have "official" download pages (e.g. Online Safety by Safely). The most common mode of unwanted app proliferation is via the download/installation set-ups of other programs. "Bundling" is the term for this deceptive marketing tactic of pre-packing normal software with unwanted or malicious content.

Rushing download/install processes (e.g. ignoring terms, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled products onto systems. Intrusive advertisements also proliferate these applications. When clicked, they can execute scripts to stealthily download/install PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Your content should be researched carefully, before download/installation. Use only official and verified download channels. Avoid untrustworthy download sources such as free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders - they are far more likely to offer deceptive and/or bundled programs.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive ads often seem legitimate and innocuous, however, once clicked, they can redirect to rogue sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others).

If you encounter these ads/redirects, inspect the device and remove all dubious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins without delay. If your computer is already infected with Online Safety by Safely, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Online Safety by Safely browser hijacker asking for various permissions:

Website promoting Online Safety browser hijacker:

Appearance of Online Safety browser hijacker (GIF):

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 Online Safety by Safely?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Online Safety by Safely application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove mysafe-search.net redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Online Safety by Safely browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove mysafe-search.net homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove mysafe-search.net redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Online Safety by Safely 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, "Online Safety by Safely"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Online Safety by Safely 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://mysafe-search.net 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 "Online Safety by Safely".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the mysafe-search.net 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 "Online Safety by Safely" 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 "Online Safety by Safely", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.mysafe-search.net) 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 "mysafe-search.net", 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 mysafe-search.net 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 "Online Safety by Safely", 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 "Online Safety by Safely", remove hxxp://mysafe-search.net 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: "extensionControlled"
Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with mysafe-search.net 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 mysafe-search.net 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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