How to eliminate the Horoscope Harmony browser hijacker

What kind of software is Horoscope Harmony?

Our researchers discovered the Horoscope Harmony browser extension while inspecting deceptive sites. It promises to provide easy access to horoscopes.

After examining this extension, we determined that it is a browser hijacker. Horoscope Harmony makes changes to browser settings in order to promote the rsrcunow.com fake search engine. Additionally, this piece of software collects sensitive user information.

Horoscope Harmony browser hijacker overview

Browser hijackers reassign browsers' homepages, default search engines, and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of promoted websites.

Horoscope Harmony operates in this manner as well. Therefore, with this extension installed: new browser tabs/windows opened and Web searches performed via the URL bar – result in redirects to the rsrcunow.com site.

It is pertinent to mention that browser-hijacking software often utilizes persistence-ensuring mechanisms to complicate its removal and prevent users from restoring the browsers.

In most cases, illegitimate search engines cannot generate search results – so they redirect to genuine Internet search websites. Rsrcunow.com is not an exception; it leads to the Bing search engine (bing.com). Note that this webpage could land elsewhere, as factors like user geolocation may impact redirects.

Furthermore, Horoscope Harmony spies on users' browsing activity. Browser hijackers typically collect: visited URLs, viewed webpages, searched queries, Internet cookies, usernames/passwords, personally identifiable details, finance-related information, and so forth. This vulnerable data can then be monetized via sale to third-parties.

In summary, the presence of browser-hijacking software like Horoscope Harmony on devices may lead to system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Horoscope Harmony
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Horoscope Harmony
Supposed Functionality	Quick access to horoscopes
Promoted URL	rsrcunow.com
Detection Names (rsrcunow.com)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (rsrcunow.com)	18.154.101.68
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

We have analyzed numerous browser hijackers; Extreme Sports Wallpapers, Sharks Tab, Converter Tab – are merely a few examples. Software within this classification usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Users are lured into downloading/installing browser hijackers by promises of various "handy" functionalities. However, these features seldom work as advertised, and in most cases – they do not work at all. It must be stressed that operational functionalities are not a definitive indicator of a software's legitimacy or safety.

How did Horoscope Harmony install on my computer?

Horoscope Harmony has an "official" promotional webpage. Aside from such sites, browser hijackers are commonly endorsed on scam webpages. Most visitors to these pages access them via redirects generated by mistyped URLs, websites using rogue advertising networks, spam browser notifications, intrusive adverts, or installed adware.

"Bundling" – packing ordinary program installation setups with unwanted/malicious supplements – is also used to proliferate browser-hijacking software.

The risk of inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system is increased by downloading from untrustworthy sources, such as freeware and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, and other third-party download channels. The likelihood is strengthened by treating installations with negligence, e.g., ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using "Easy/Quick" settings, etc.

Browser hijackers are spread by intrusive advertisements as well. Once clicked on, some of the ads can execute scripts to perform downloads/installations without user permission.

How to avoid installation of browser hijackers?

We strongly recommend researching software and downloading it only from official/verified channels. Installation processes must be treated with caution, e.g., by reading terms, investigating available options, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opting out of all additional apps, extensions, tools, features, etc.

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

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

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

Permissions asked by Horoscope Harmony browser hijacker:

Website promoting Horoscope Harmony browser hijacker:

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 Horoscope Harmony?
• STEP 1. Uninstall unwanted applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Horoscope Harmony browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove rsrcunow.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove rsrcunow.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Horoscope Harmony 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.

Horoscope Harmony browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove Horoscope Harmony 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 "Horoscope Harmony" 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 "Horoscope Harmony", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.rsrcunow.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 "rsrcunow.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 rsrcunow.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 "Horoscope Harmony", 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 "Horoscope Harmony", remove hxxp://rsrcunow.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 rsrcunow.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 rsrcunow.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 rsrcunow.com website?

Cyber criminals (i.e., developers of fake search engines and browser hijackers) generate revenue through redirects to websites like rsrcunow.com.

Is visiting rsrcunow.com a threat to my privacy?

Most likely, yes. Sites classified as fake search engines usually collect (and sell) information about their visitors.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

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

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove Horoscope Harmony browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan your device and eliminate detected browser-hijacking applications. It must be mentioned that manual removal (performed without the aid of security software) might not be ideal, particularly when multiple browser hijackers are present. In these cases, after one is removed – the others may simply reinstall it. Furthermore, removal-related settings might be inaccessible with browser-hijacking software installed. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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