How to remove the Movie Reviews & Search Movies Tab browser hijacker

What is Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab?

As its name implies, the Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab browser extension is endorsed as a tool for easy access to films, information about their reception, trailers, and other related content.

After analyzing this piece of software, our researchers determined that it is a browser hijacker. Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab modifies browsers to promote the movieztab.com fake search engine, and it spies on users' browsing activity.

Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab browser hijacker overview

Once Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab was installed onto our test system, it reassigned the browser's homepage, default search engine, and new tab/window - to movieztab.com. Hence, web searches performed and new browser tabs/windows opened - redirected to this search engine.

Furthermore, illegitimate search engines usually cannot provide search results, so they redirect to genuine ones. This applies to movieztab.com as well; we have observed it redirecting to Bing (bing.com). However, it might redirect elsewhere since that can depend on various factors (e.g., user geolocation, etc.).

Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab also uses persistence-ensuring techniques to prevent browser recovery. This browser extension collects browsing data. It may also gather other sensitive data (e.g., personally identifiable details, usernames/passwords, credit card numbers, etc.). Browser hijacker developers monetize the information by selling it to third-parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

To summarize, the presence of browser-hijacking software on devices can lead to severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab
Supposed Functionality	Quick access to film-related content
Promoted URL	movieztab.com
Detection Names (movieztab.com)	N/A (VirusTotal)
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

To Find Result, Send Dark, and LiveTab - Live Streams In Your Browser Tab are just a few examples of browser hijackers. They look legitimate and offer "useful" functionalities. However, the features rarely work as advertised, and in most cases - they do not work at all.

How did Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab install on my computer?

Our researchers discovered Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab while inspecting sites that use rogue advertising networks. One such website caused a redirect to this extension's "official" promotional webpage.

However, such pages can be accessed variously. Aside from rogue sites, users can enter dubious download websites via mistyped URLs or redirects caused by intrusive advertisements, spam browser notifications, or installed adware.

Browser hijackers are also proliferated using the "bundling" method - packing regular programs with unwanted/malicious additions. Download from untrustworthy sources (e.g., unofficial and freeware websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.) and rushed installations - increase the risk of allowing bundled content into the system.

Intrusive adverts are used to spread browser-hijacking software as well. Once clicked on, some of these ads can execute scripts to make downloads/installations without user consent.

How to avoid installation of browser hijackers?

We strongly advise researching software and downloading only from official/verified channels. Installation processes must be treated with care, e.g., reading terms, inspecting possible options, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opting-out of all additions.

Another recommendation is to exercise caution when browsing - since illegitimate and malicious content tends to look genuine. For example, intrusive adverts appear harmless yet redirect to highly questionable sites (e.g., pornography, adult-dating, gambling, etc.).

In case of encounters with such advertisements and/or redirects, check the system and immediately remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Permissions asked by Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab browser hijacker:

Website promoting Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab browser hijacker:

Appearance of movieztab.com redirecting to the Bing search engine (GIF):

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▼ 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 Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove movieztab.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove movieztab.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab 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, "Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab 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 "Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab" 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 "Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.movieztab.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 "movieztab.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 movieztab.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 plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab", 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 "Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab", remove hxxp://movieztab.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 movieztab.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 movieztab.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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the purpose of forcing users to visit movieztab.com website?

Cyber criminals' revenue is directly dependent on the website visitors' count.

Is visiting movieztab.com a threat to my privacy?

Most likely, yes. Since sites like movieztab.com typically collect information about their visitors.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

Browser-hijacking software is mainly distributed through deceptive promotional webpages, freeware and third-party download sites, intrusive ads, spam browser notifications, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, software bundling, fake updates, and so forth.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove Movie Reviews & Search | Movies Tab browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices and eliminate detected browser-hijacking applications. On the other hand, manual removal (unaided by security programs) might not be effective with multiple browser hijackers installed onto the system. Browser hijackers may be capable of re-installing one another. Additionally, removal-related settings might be inaccessible or unmodifiable with this software present. Therefore, it is crucial to remove browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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