How to remove the WRTenets browser hijacker

What is WRTenets?

WRTenets is rogue software and a browser hijacker, which promotes searchnets.xyz (a fake search engine). Typically, browser hijackers cause redirects to fake search engines by changing browser settings, however, WRTenets does always not operate in this manner.

Additionally, this browser hijacker has data tracking capabilities, which are employed to monitor users' browsing activity. Due to the dubious techniques used to proliferate WRTenets, it is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

WRTenets overview

Browser hijackers primarily target popular browser with large user bases. They usually reassign the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of bogus search engines. In some cases, WRTenets makes these modifications to promote searchnets.xyz.

To elaborate on how such alterations affect the browsing experience, each new browser tab/window opened and search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the address of the promoted search engine.

Furthermore, fake search engines are seldom able to provide search results, and so they tend to redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) Google, Bing, Yahoo and other legitimate search engines. The searchnets.xyz web searcher is likewise unable to generate unique results, however, its redirects depend on users' geolocations.

At the time of research, searchnets.xyz redirected straight to the Yahoo (search.yahoo.com) search engine or caused a redirection chain consisting of searchmes.xyz and ending with s3arch.page. Browser hijackers can also restrict/deny access to the browser settings and undo any permitted changes made.

Therefore, recovering a hijacked browser is impossible without removing the software affecting it. As mentioned, WRTenets can track data. It can record browsing activity (visited URLs, viewed pages, searched queries, etc.) and collect personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

In summary, the presence of data-tracking software on devices can lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To ensure device and user safety, you are strongly advised to remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	WRTenets
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s)	WRTenets
Promoted URL	searchnets.xyz
Serving IP Address (searchnets.xyz)	104.18.37.59
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.

Browser hijacker examples

FreeStreamSearch, FindConverterSearch and GetVideoSearch are some examples of other browser hijackers. They may seem legitimate and harmless and offer "useful" functionality, however, the advertised functions are rarely operational. In fact, this information is true of most PUAs.

The sole purpose of this unwanted software is to generate profit for the developers. Regular users receive no real value and might instead experience serious problems.

Rather than delivering any real value, PUAs hijack browsers, force-open dubious and malicious websites, run intrusive advertisement campaigns (adware), collect sensitive and personally identifiable information.

How did WRTenets install on my computer?

PUAs are often downloaded/installed together with other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

By rushing through download/installation of software (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using "Quick/Express" settings, etc.) many users risk unintentionally allowing bundled content into their devices. Intrusive advertisements proliferate PUAs as well.

When clicked, the ads can execute scripts to download/install these applications without users' permission. Some PUAs (including WRTenets) have "official" download web pages from which they can be downloaded.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research all software before download/installation. Use only official and verified download channels. Unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule), and other third party downloaders commonly offer harmful and bundled content, and are therefore untrusted and should be avoided.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, however, they can redirect to dubious and malicious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and many others).

If you encounter ads or redirects of this kind, inspect the system and remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately. If your computer is already infected with WRTenets, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

WRTenets browser hijacker asking permission to track browsing activity:

Appearance of the alternative redirection chain (searchnets.xyz, searchmes.xyz and s3arch.page) caused by WRTenets browser hijacker (GIF):

Websites promoting WRTenets browser hijacker.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Some of these deceptive sites ask 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 WRTenets?
• STEP 1. Uninstall WRTenets application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove WRTenets browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove searchnets.xyz homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove searchnets.xyz redirect from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
• STEP 6. Remove searchnets.xyz redirect from Internet Explorer.

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

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

WRTenets browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

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 "WRTenets" 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 "WRTenets", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.searchnets.xyz) 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 "searchnets.xyz", 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 wrtenets 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 "WRTenets", 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 "WRTenets", remove hxxp://searchnets.xyz 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 wrtenets 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 wrtenets 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.

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://searchnets.xyz 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 "WRTenets".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the wrtenets 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.

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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the purpose of forcing users to visit the searchnets.xyz website or other fake search engine pages?

Cyber criminals (i.e., developers of fake search engines and browser hijackers) generate revenue through redirects to sites like searchnets.xyz.

Is visiting searchnets.xyz and similar websites a threat to my privacy?

Most likely, yes. Websites like searchnets.xyz tend to collect visitor data with the purpose of selling it to third-parties.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

Browser-hijacking software is primarily spread via bundled installation setups, deceptive promotional webpages, freeware and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, spam browser notifications, and intrusive ads.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove WRTenets browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices and eliminate installed browser hijackers. Note that manual removal (unaided by security programs) might be ineffective. In instances where multiple browser hijackers are present, after one is removed – the others may simply reinstall it. Furthermore, removal-related settings might be unmodifiable with browser-hijacking software installed. Hence, it is paramount to eliminate browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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