How to eliminate the My Weather Tab browser hijacker

What kind of software is My Weather Tab?

While inspecting deceptive websites, our researchers discovered the My Weather Tab browser extension. Our examination revealed that this extension operates as browser-hijacking software. It makes alterations to browser settings in order to promote (via redirects) the myweathertab.xyz fake search engine.

My Weather Tab browser hijacker overview

Browser hijackers modify browser settings by assigning promoted websites as browsers' default search engines, homepages, and new browser tab/window URLs. Hence, whenever a new browser tab/window is opened or a search query is entered into the URL bar – it results in redirects to the endorsed site. My Weather Tab operates in this manner as well, thus promoting myweathertab.xyz.

Illegitimate search engines usually cannot provide search results, so they redirect to genuine Internet search websites. At the time of research, myweathertab.xyz led to the Bing search engine (bing.com). It is pertinent to mention that this website could land elsewhere, as factors like user geolocation may impact redirects.

Browser-hijacking software often uses persistence-ensuring techniques – such as denying access to removal-related settings and/or undoing user-made changes – to prevent browser recovery.

Furthermore, most browser hijackers spy on users' browsing activity, and this might apply to My Weather Tab. Information of interest can include: visited URLs, viewed pages, searched queries, 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 My Weather Tab on devices may lead to system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	My Weather Tab
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	My Weather Tab
Supposed Functionality	Easy access to weather forecasts
Promoted URL	myweathertab.xyz
Detection Names (myweathertab.xyz)	CyRadar (Malicious), VIPRE (Malicious), alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Bfore.Ai PreCrime (Suspicious), Forcepoint ThreatSeeker (Suspicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (myweathertab.xyz)	104.21.85.108
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

Highlighting Text, Just Be Productive, PDF Converty New Tab, Inspirational Quotes Ext, and Dog Cuties are merely some examples of browser hijackers we have analyzed recently.

Browser-hijacking software usually appears legitimate and innocuous. Users are enticed into downloading/installing this software by promises of various handy functionalities. However, these features seldom work as advertised, and in most cases – they do not work at all.

Note that even if a piece of software operates as indicated by its promotional material – that is not definitive proof of either legitimacy or safety.

How did My Weather Tab install on my computer?

We acquired My Weather Tab from a deceptive webpage. In addition to various misleading/scam sites, browser hijackers can have "official" promotional pages. Most visitors to these webpages access them via redirects generated by mistyped URLs, websites utilizing rogue advertising networks, spam browser notifications, intrusive ads, or installed adware.

The bundling marketing technique – packing regular program installers with unwanted/malicious additions – is also used to distribute browser-hijacking software.

Downloading from untrustworthy sources (e.g., freeware and third-party sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.) and rushing through installation processes (e.g., ignoring terms, using "Easy/Quick" settings, etc.) – increase the risk of inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system.

Browser hijackers are proliferated by intrusive advertisements as well. Once clicked on, some of these adverts can execute scripts to perform stealthy downloads/installations.

How to avoid installation of browser hijackers?

We strongly recommend researching software before downloading or purchasing it. Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified channels. When installing, we advise reading terms, exploring possible options, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opting out of all supplementary apps, extensions, tools, etc.

Another recommendation is to be careful while browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears genuine and innocuous. For example, while intrusive ads may look harmless – they redirect to highly questionable websites (e.g., scam-promoting, gambling, pornography, adult dating, etc.).

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

Permissions asked by My Weather Tab browser hijacker:

Deceptive website promoting My Weather Tab browser hijacker:

Appearance of myweathertab.xyz 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 My Weather Tab?
• STEP 1. Uninstall unwanted applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove My Weather Tab browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove myweathertab.xyz homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove myweathertab.xyz redirect from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

My Weather 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, 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 Weather 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 "Extensions" and click "Manage Extensions". Locate "My Weather Tab" 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 Weather Tab", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.myweathertab.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 "myweathertab.xyz", 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 myweathertab.xyz 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 Weather Tab", 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 Weather Tab", remove hxxp://myweathertab.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 "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 myweathertab.xyz 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 myweathertab.xyz 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 myweathertab.xyz website?

Redirect to sites like myweathertab.xyz are generated because cyber criminals (i.e., developers of fake search engines and browser hijackers) profit through them.

Is visiting myweathertab.xyz a threat to my privacy?

To a certain extent, yes. Websites like myweathertab.xyz typically collect (and sell) visitor data.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

The most widely used distribution methods include: bundled installers, deceptive promotional webpages, online scams, freeware and free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks, spam browser notifications, and intrusive advertisements.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove My Weather Tab browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan computers and eliminate detected browser-hijacking apps. It is noteworthy that manual removal (unaided by security software) might be ineffective, especially when multiple browser hijackers have infiltrated the system. In these cases, after one is removed – the others may simply reinstall it. Furthermore, removal-related settings might be unmodifiable with browser-hijacking software installed. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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