Removal instructions for the My Sports News Extension browser hijacker
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of software is My Sports News Extension?
Our researchers discovered the My Sports News Extension during a routine inspection of untrustworthy websites. This piece of software promises quick access to the latest sports news and updates from the user's favorite teams and leagues.
However, after analyzing My Sports News Extension, we determined that it is a browser hijacker. This extension makes alterations to browser settings in order to promote (through redirects) the goog.mysportnewsext.com fake search engine.
My Sports News Extension browser hijacker overview
Browser-hijacking software assigns endorsed website addresses as browsers' default search engines, homepages, and new browser tab/window URLs. My Sports News Extension behaves in this manner as well. Hence, with this extension installed: Web searches performed via the URL bar and new browser tabs/windows opened – result in redirects to the goog.mysportnewsext.com site.
Illegitimate search engines are rarely able to provide search results, so they tend to redirect to genuine Internet search websites. This is true of goog.mysportnewsext.com; it redirects to the Yahoo search engine (search.yahoo.com). However, this site could land elsewhere since redirects may be impacted by factors like user geolocation.
It is pertinent to mention that browser hijackers commonly utilize persistence-ensuring techniques to prevent users from recovering their browsers.
Furthermore, My Sports News Extension spies on users' browsing activity. Browser-hijacking software typically targets the following data: URLs visited, webpages viewed, search queries typed, Internet cookies, usernames/passwords, personally identifiable details, credit card numbers, etc. The gathered information can then be sold to third-parties or otherwise abused for profit.
To summarize, the presence of software like My Sports News Extension on devices can result in system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
| Name | My Sports News Extension |
| Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab |
| Browser Extension(s) | My Sports News Extension |
| Supposed Functionality | Quick access to latest sports news |
| Promoted URL | goog.mysportnewsext.com |
| Detection Names (goog.mysportnewsext.com) | N/A (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (goog.mysportnewsext.com) | 104.21.58.236 |
| 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). |
| 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. |
Browser hijacker examples
We have examined numerous browser hijackers; Supernova: Productivity and relaxation, Elevate Tab, and CurrencyTab are merely a few examples of our newest finds.
Browser-hijacking software usually appears ordinary and harmless. Users are enticed into downloading/installing it by a wide variety of handy functions. However, these functionalities seldom work as promised, and in most cases – they do not work at all.
It must be stressed that even if a piece of software operates as indicated by its promotional material – that is not a guarantee of either legitimacy or safety.
How did My Sports News Extension install on my computer?
We acquired My Sports News Extension from its "official" promotional webpage. In addition to such pages, browser hijackers are commonly endorsed on scam websites. Most visitors to these webpages access them via redirects generated by misspelled URLs, sites that employ rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads, spam browser notifications, or installed adware.
Bundling – packing regular program installers with unwanted/malicious additions – is also used to spread browser-hijacking software. The risk of inadvertently permitting bundled content into the system is increased by downloading from dubious channels (e.g., freeware and third-party sites, P2P sharing networks, etc.) and by rushing through installation processes (e.g., skipping steps, using "Quick/Easy" settings, etc.).
Intrusive adverts proliferate browser hijackers as well. When clicked on, some of the advertisements can execute scripts to perform downloads/installations without user consent.
How to avoid installation of browser hijackers?
We highly recommend researching software and downloading only from official/trustworthy sources. Furthermore, installation processes must be treated with caution. Therefore, we advise reading terms, inspecting possible options, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opting out of all supplements (e.g., apps, extensions, features, etc.).
Another recommendation is to be vigilant while browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous. For example, despite the harmless appearance – intrusive ads redirect to unreliable/questionable sites (e.g., scam-promoting, adult dating, pornography, gambling, etc.).
Should you keep encountering 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 My Sports News Extension, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Permissions asked by My Sports News Extension browser hijacker:
Websites promoting My Sports News Extension browser hijacker:
Appearance of goog.mysportnewsext.com redirecting to the Yahoo search engine (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:
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Quick menu:
- What is My Sports News Extension?
- STEP 1. Uninstall unwanted applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove My Sports News Extension browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 3. Remove goog.mysportnewsext.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 4. Remove goog.mysportnewsext.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
My Sports News Extension 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, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
My Sports News Extension browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove My Sports News Extension browser hijacker using Combo Cleaner:
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon 
(at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Extensions" and click "Manage Extensions". Locate "My Sports News Extension" and other recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
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 Sports News Extension", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.goog.mysportnewsext.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 "goog.mysportnewsext.com", when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the goog.mysportnewsext.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 extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu 
(at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate "My Sports News Extension", as well as all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".
Change your homepage:
To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable "My Sports News Extension", remove hxxp://goog.mysportnewsext.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 "Accept the Risk and Continue".
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 goog.mysportnewsext.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 goog.mysportnewsext.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 goog.mysportnewsext.com website?
Redirects to websites like goog.mysportnewsext.com are generated because cyber criminals (i.e., developers of browser hijackers and fake search engines) profit through them.
Is visiting goog.mysportnewsext.com a threat to my privacy?
Most likely, yes. Sites like goog.mysportnewsext.com typically collect (and sell) visitor data.
How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?
The most widely used distribution methods include: deceptive promotional pages, bundled installation setups, freeware and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, online scams, spam browser notifications, and intrusive adverts.
Will Combo Cleaner help me remove My Sports News Extension browser hijacker?
Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan your system and eliminate all detected browser-hijacking applications. It is noteworthy that manual removal (performed without the aid of security tools) might not be an ideal solution, especially when multiple browser hijackers are present. Since after one is removed – the others may reinstall it. Furthermore, browser-hijacking software might be capable of denying access to removal-related settings and/or undoing user-made changes. Therefore, browser hijackers must be removed thoroughly and all at once.
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