Remove Protected Search and redirects to feed.protected-search.com

What is Protected Search?

Protected Search is a browser hijacker, which is advertised as a tool for enhancing the browsing experience by improving web searches. In fact, it modifies browsers to promote feed.protected-search.com (a fake search engine). As with most software within this classification, Protected Search has data tracking capabilities, which it employs to monitor users' browsing activity.

Since most users install this software inadvertently, Protected Search is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and other popular browsers with large user bases are often targets of browser hijackers. Following successful infiltration, they assign the addresses of their bogus search engines as the browser homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs.

Protected Search promotes feed.protected-search.com in this fashion. These seemingly minor alterations seriously affect the browsing experience. For example, each new browser tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to feed.protected-search.com.

Few of these fake search tools can generate unique results, and so they tend to redirect (or cause redirection chains leading) to legitimate search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.). In the case of feed.protected-search.com, it redirects to search.yahoo.com.

Furthermore, recovering the affected browser is impossible without removing the hijacker, since any changes users attempt to make to their browsers are automatically reset (if indeed access to settings allowed at all). Protected Search can track data, which is a common capability of browser hijackers.

It records users' browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.) and collects personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This vulnerable data is then shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for financial gain.

Therefore, the presence of data tracking content on devices can result in serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To ensure browser and system integrity, and user safety, remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Protected Search
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s)	Protected Search
Supposed Functionality	Improves web searches.
Promoted URL	feed.protected-search.com
Serving IP Address (feed.protected-search.com)	13.84.45.249
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.

There are many browser hijackers on the internet including Flight Tab Pro, App Discovery Tools, and Easy Email Login - these are just some examples of this software. They may seem legitimate and tempt users to install with offers of "useful" functions.

The range of these features is wide, from those which improve the browsing experience to others that provide easy access to online content and/or services. In fact, these programs are rarely operational, and this applies to most PUAs.

They have just one purpose: to generate revenue for the developers, whilst regular users receive little value. PUAs hijack browsers, force-open untrusted and malicious websites, run intrusive ad campaigns and gather sensitive data.

How did Protected Search install on my computer?

Some PUAs have "official" promotional web pages from which they can be downloaded. They also proliferate via the download/install set-ups of other programs. The deceptive marketing tactic of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious content is called "bundling".

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled applications onto systems. When clicked, intrusive advertisements can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All products should be researched to verify their legitimacy, prior to download/installation. Use only official and verified download channels. Untrustworthy download sources such as free file-hosting sites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders offer likewise dubious content (e.g. deceptive and/or bundled).

When downloading/installing, you are advised to read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive ads usually seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious websites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others).

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

Protected Search browser hijacker asking for various permissions:

Website promoting Protected Search browser hijacker:

Another website promoting Protected Search browser hijacker:

Yet another site used to promote Protected Search browser hijacker:

IMPORTANT NOTE! This deceptive site asks to enable 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 and select "Settings"
• Click on "Site permissions" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Notifications"
• Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL under "Allow" section and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

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

Protected Search 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, "Protected Search"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications (which cause browser redirects to the feed.protected-search.com website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Protected Search 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://feed.protected-search.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 "Protected Search".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the feed.protected-search.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 "Protected Search" 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 "Protected Search", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.feed.protected-search.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 "feed.protected-search.com", 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 feed.protected-search.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 "Protected Search", 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 "Protected Search", remove hxxp://feed.protected-search.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: "extensionControlled"
Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with feed.protected-search.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 feed.protected-search.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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