www-search.info Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is www-search.info?
www-search.info is a deceptive website claiming to enhance Internet searches by generating the most relevant results. Although this functionality may seem legitimate and useful, be aware that www-search.info is classed as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP).
One of the main problems with this application is stealth installation - it infiltrates systems without users' permission. Following successful infiltration, this application modifies Internet browser settings and tracks browsing activity.
This browser hijacker taregts Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox - assigning the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL browser settings to www-search.info. Furthermore, it adds a hxxp:///usa-aa.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/?grp=6 extension to each shortcut.
Therefore, users are redirected to this site when they open new browser tabs. In addition, www-search.info installs a number of browser plug-ins/applications that are designed to prevent users from reverting these changes. This is performed without users' consent.
Note that unwanted browser redirects significantly diminish the Internet browsing experience. As with other browser hijackers, www-search.info tracks Internet browsing activity and gathers various types of information that may be personally identifiable.
Developers later share this information with third parties, and thus, having www-search.info browser hijacker installed on your system can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. For these reasons, we strongly advise that you uninstall this PUP from your system.
www-search.info has many similarities to other browser hijackers such as, v9.com, mystartsearch.com, and oursurfing.com. As with www-search.info, these browser hijackers also offer various 'useful features'.
Once infiltrated, they provide no real value for the user - their purpose is to generate revenue by causing unwanted browser redirects that increase the traffic of certain websites, collecting personally identifiable information (which is later shared with third parties), and displaying intrusive online advertisements (via the 'Pay Per Click' - PPC - advertising model).
How did www-search.info install on my computer?
This PUP is distributed as a 'bundle' with other (mostly free) software. The bundling method is stealth installation of third party applications with the chosen software/apps. The reason behind the popularity of this method is that users often do not pay enough attention when downloading and installing software.
Research shows that the 'Custom' and 'Advanced' download/installation settings are commonly skipped by most users.
Developers intentionally conceal rogue applications within this section, and unaware if this, users rush the download and installation processes, thereby inadvertently installing applications such as the www-search.info browser hijacker and exposing their systems to risk of further infections.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
The key to computer safety is caution. Do not rush the download or installation processes. Closely analyze these stages and opt-out of any additional applications included. To achieve this, use the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings - this will reveal any hidden rogue applications listed for installation and enable you to cancel them.
Deceptive free software installers used in www-search.info browser hijacker distribution:
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Quick menu:
- What is www-search.info?
- STEP 1. Uninstall potentially unwanted applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove www-search.info redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove www-search.info browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove www-search.info homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove www-search.info redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Www-search.info redirect 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 potentially unwanted applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program that causes browser redirects to the www-search.info website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
www-search.info homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove browser hijackers:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Remove www-search.info related Internet Explorer add-ons:
Click the "gear" icon 
(at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select such entries and click "Remove".
Fix Internet Explorer shortcut target:
This browser hijacker changes the "Target" field of the Internet Explorer shortcut. To fix this, locate the shortcut on your Desktop and click the right mouse button over it. In the opened menu, choose "Properties". In the opened window, locate the Target field and eliminate text (hxxp://usa-aa.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/?grp=6), which is entered after "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe".
Change your homepage:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://www.www-search.info and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer.
Change your default search engine:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". In the opened window, select "Search Providers", set "Google", "Bing" or any other preferred search engine as your default, then remove "www-search.info".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the www-search.info browser hijacker, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Remove www-search.info related Google Chrome extensions:
Click the Chrome menu icon 
(at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click on "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious add-ons, select these entries and click the trash can icon.
Fix Google Chrome shortcut target:
This browser hijacker modifies the "Target" field of the Google Chrome shortcut. To fix this, locate the shortcut on your Desktop and click the right mouse button over it. In the opened menu, choose "Properties". In the opened window, locate the Target field and eliminate all text (hxxp://usa-aa.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/?grp=6), which is entered after "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"
Change your homepage:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, click "set pages", hover your mouse over hxxp://www.www-search.info and click the x symbol. Now, you can add your preferred website as your homepage.
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 "Search" section, click "Manage Search Engines...", remove "www-search.info" and add or select your preferred Internet search engine.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the www-search.info browser hijacker, 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 plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Remove www-search.info related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:
Click the Firefox menu 
(at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions", in the opened window, remove any recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.
Fix Mozilla Firefox shortcut target:
This browser hijacker changes the "Target" field of the Mozilla Firefox shortcut. To fix this, locate the shortcut on your Desktop and click the right mouse button over it. In the opened menu, choose "Properties". In the opened window, locate the Target field and eliminate all text (hxxp://usa-aa.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/?grp=6), which is entered after "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
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, remove hxxp://www.www-search.info and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.
Change 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: "www-search.info"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with www-search.info browser hijacker 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 www-search.info browser hijacker, 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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