Removal instructions for the Just Be Productive browser hijacker

What kind of software is Just Be Productive?

Just Be Productive is a browser extension that promises various widgets, such as a to-do list, clock, weather, browser wallpapers, etc. Our researchers found this piece of software while inspecting suspect websites.

After analyzing Just Be Productive, we determined that it is a browser hijacker. The extension makes changes to browser settings in order to generate redirects to the find.hsrc-now.com fake search engine. Additionally, Just Be Productive spies on users' browsing activity.

Just Be Productive browser hijacker overview

On our test machine, Just Be Productive assigned find.hsrc-now.com as the browser's default search engine, homepage, and new browser tab/window URL. Therefore, new browser tabs/windows opened and search queries entered into the URL bar – resulted in redirects to the find.hsrc-now.com website.

Notably, fake search engines usually redirect to legitimate ones due to their inability to provide search results. At the time of research, find.hsrc-now.com landed on the Bing search engine (bing.com). Keep in mind that this site could lead elsewhere, as factors like user geolocation can impact redirects.

Browser-hijacking software often employs persistence-ensuring techniques to complicate its removal and prevent users from restoring their browsers.

What is more, Just Be Productive has data-tracking abilities. Browser hijackers typically target the following information: visited URLs, viewed webpages, searched queries, bookmarks, Internet cookies, log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, finance-related data, etc. The collected information can then be monetized via sale to third-parties.

In summary, the presence of software like Just Be Productive on devices may result in system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Just Be Productive
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Just Be Productive
Supposed Functionality	Browser wallpapers, to-do list, clock, weather, etc.
Promoted URL	find.hsrc-now.com
Detection Names (find.hsrc-now.com)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (find.hsrc-now.com)	52.84.52.21
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. ▼ 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

PDF Converty New Tab, Inspirational Quotes Ext, Dog Cuties, and AwesomeNewTab are merely a couple examples of browser hijackers we have examined recently.

Browser-hijacking software appears legitimate/harmless and offers a wide variety of handy functions. However, these features seldom work as promised, and in most cases – they are utterly nonoperational. It must be mentioned that even if a piece of software works as indicated by its promotional material – that is not a guarantee of legitimacy or safety.

How did Just Be Productive install on my computer?

We obtained Just Be Productive from its "official" promotional webpage. In addition to such pages, browser hijackers are often endorsed on scam websites. Users primarily access these webpages via redirects generated by mistyped URLs, sites utilizing rogue advertising networks, spam browser notifications, intrusive adverts, or installed adware.

"Bundling" – packing ordinary program installers with unwanted/malicious additions – is also used to distribute browser-hijacking software.

Download from dubious sources (e.g., freeware and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.) and rushed installation processes (e.g., ignored terms, used "Easy/Quick" settings, etc.) – increase the risk of inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system.

Intrusive advertisements proliferate browser hijackers as well. Some of these ads can be triggered (i.e., by being clicked) to execute scripts that perform stealthy downloads/installations.

How to avoid installation of browser hijackers?

We highly recommend researching software and downloading it only from official/trustworthy channels. Furthermore, when installing, it is crucial to read terms, inspect available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of all additional apps, extensions, features, tools, etc.

We advise being careful while browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous. For example, while intrusive advertisements may look harmless – they redirect to unreliable and questionable websites (e.g., scam-promoting, adult dating, gambling, pornography, etc.).

In case of continuous encounters with such adverts/redirects, check the system and immediately remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with Just Be Productive, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Permissions asked by Just Be Productive browser hijacker:

Website promoting Just Be Productive browser hijacker:

Appearance of find.hsrc-now.com redirecting to the Bing 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:
▼ 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 Just Be Productive?
• STEP 1. Uninstall unwanted applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Just Be Productive browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove find.hsrc-now.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove find.hsrc-now.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Just Be Productive 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.

Just Be Productive browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove Just Be Productive 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 "Just Be Productive" 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 "Just Be Productive", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.find.hsrc-now.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 "find.hsrc-now.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 find.hsrc-now.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 "Just Be Productive", 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 "Just Be Productive", remove hxxp://find.hsrc-now.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 find.hsrc-now.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 find.hsrc-now.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 find.hsrc-now.com website?

Redirects to websites like find.hsrc-now.com are generated because cyber criminals (i.e., developers of fake search engines and browser hijackers) profit through them.

Is visiting find.hsrc-now.com a threat to my privacy?

To a certain extent, yes. Sites like find.hsrc-now.com usually gather (and sell) visitor data.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

Browser-hijacking software is primarily distributed via bundled installers, freeware and free file-hosting websites, online scams, P2P sharing networks, spam browser notifications, and intrusive advertisements.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove Just Be Productive browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan your computer and eliminate all the browser-hijacking applications present. Note that manual removal (performed without security programs) might not be a perfect solution. In cases where multiple browser hijackers have infiltrated the system, after one is removed – the others may reinstall it. What is more, browser-hijacking software might restrict access to removal-related settings and/or undo user-made changes. Therefore, it is paramount to remove browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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