An infection with the dangerous My Browser Home Redirect leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove My Browser Home Redirect and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of My Browser Home Redirect
My Browser Home is a new malware which has been reported in various attacks worldwide. At the moment the security experts have not been able to identify a single tactic that is being used to infect the targets. We presume that the hackers are using several of the most important methods to carry out the malicious campaigns.
A common way of setting browser hijacker attacks is the use of email spam messages. They may directly distribute malicious file attachments containing scripts that lead to an infection. Other cases can utilize complex social engineering tricks and hyperlinks that are specifically made to confuse the intended targets into infecting themselves. Two more scenarios that are used in combination with email messages rely on infected files used as payloads ‒ documents and software installers.
- Infected Software Installers ‒ The criminals craft malicious packages made out of legitimate software installers. They are taken from the official vendor download sites, modified and then posted on online sites or attached (either as file attachments) or linked in the email messages.
- Infected Documents ‒ They represent dangerous files that usually come in the form of some of the most popular document types: rich text documents, spreadsheets and databases. When the users open them up a notification prompt will ask them to enable the built-in scripts (macros). If this is done then the malware is installed on the victim computer.
The malware browser plugins can be uploaded to hacker-controlled sites and P2P networks like BitTorrent as well. The hacker operators frequently utilize template design, text and images to create portals that look like legitimate download sources. They may also use domain names that are very similar to legitimate sites and advertise them via pop-ups or ad networks.
The browser hijacker code associated with the My Browser Home Redirect can be found in numerous malware toolbars. They are usually made for the most popular web browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Microsoft Edge. They can be distributed on such download sites or even on the browsers repositories (such as the Chrome Web Store for Google Chrome) using fake developer accounts.
Impact of My Browser Home Redirect
The My Browser Home redirect has been featured in a recent attack campaign which seeks to infect as many users as possible. The criminal operators behind the malware seek to confuse the target users into installing a browser extension onto their computers by releasing it as an “useful” extension on software repositories, download pages and email messages. The people behind it seek to market the software as something that will be of beneficial use to the targets without presenting the serious security and privacy consequences.
At the moment malware samples have been identified on the Chrome Web Store which is used by the Google Chrome and the Chromium web browsers. The operators behind the My Browser Home have added a detailed description and images that seeek to present the hijacker as a legitimate plugin. However after taking a closer look at the user comments (under the “Reviews” section) the prospective victims will see that a large part of the people that have posted outline negative reactions towards its use. It is likely that the 3.5 rating is generated using counterfeit accounts and botnets in order to increase the publicity and the ranking of the redirect in the software repository.
One of the most important goals of hijackers such as the My Browser Home redirect is to modify the most important settings of the affected web applications to point to a hacker-controlled address. The most popular browsers are usually supported: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer and Safari. All hijackers similar to the My Browser Home redirect use a typical infection pattern which follows a several-stage process:
- Initial Settings Change — Usually the malware infections begins when the My Browser Home redirect changes the default home page, search engine and new tabs page to point to the hacker-designated address.
- Initial Data Harvesting Process – Once the browser hijacker has infected the target computer it starts to extract sensitive information from the host computer. Depending on the configuration this might include both web browser data (cookies, bookmarks, settings, account credentials and passwords) and system information such as the available hardware components, installed software and user settings.
- Cookie Infection — The first time the hackers open up their web browsers they will be redirected to the hacker-controlled pages tracking cookies will be installed in place. They monitor all user behavior and report the data back to the operators.
The web page is designed to appear like a portal page containing a lot of familiar social networks and widely used web services. By design it is comprised of several elements that follow a template-based paradigm. On the top position there is the logo of the My Browser Home redirect, below it is the search engine box which is of a smaller height.
It seems that the hacker operators of the My Browser home redirect utilize a slightly different approarch as compared to other recent threats. Instead of focusing on the search engine box as the main interactive element the designers have placed priority on the many links that are organized in a grid layout. In combination with the tracking cookies and the malware code embedded in the hijacker the operators may obtain access to sensitive areas such as the accounts themselves, as well as any settings or preferences associated with the web services. Below the grid layout lie the service links that give access to important documents such as the Contacts page and the privacy policy.
The full links listing features the following hyperlinks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin, Youtube, Google, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Bing, Vimeo, Pinterest, Wikipedia, Movies, Games, Chat, Tumblr, MSN, Reddit, Send Files, Music, Maps, Translate, Ebay, Amazon, News, Software, Craigslit, Paint, Security, Weather, Speed Test, Netflix, Effects, Tracking, Cam, Social, Photo, Sport, People, Flickr, Piano, Twitch and IP.
The majority of the security and privacy implications associated with the My Browser Home redirect. We would like to expose some of the issues:
- User Identification — We explained the extent of the data that is harvested from the affected computers. According to the privacy policy it is used to generate an unique infection ID which is used to identify every user.
- Pervasive Tracking — The tracking cookies as well as the web beacons and other technologies are used to track every interaction that the users make. This is used even with sites that are not part of the official grid list offered on the home page. The cookies are used to aggregate data about the site interactions, traffic and preferences according to each user.
- Data Sharing — The operators of the My Browser Home redirect note that the harvested information can be shared with partners and third party services conditionally.
- Advertising Personalization — Using the extracted user profiles the operators can adjust the shown ads to target the users interest smuch more precisely. Every click on an affiliate site or shop generates income which is collected by them.
The company behind the My Browser Home redirect is called RCPmedia which is a developer of many “free web services”. An investigation into their operations shows that their current name is WebSyrup.net and they describe themselves as a “non-commercial brand of a web community that support and distributes free Web-Service”. The company offers a lot of utilities and browser hijackers that are described using general template messages and it appears that all of them include an information harvesting component used for privacy invasive actions.
The browser redirects which are currently operated by the company are the following: My Hacker Page, My Browser Page, My BrowserHome, StartPage, MyHomePage, HomePage, WebStart.
Other software categories that are developed by them include the following: Multimedia, Editing, Games, Social, Utility, Services and Software. Bear in mind that these generic labels may be deceiving in nature as many similar threats are known to carry virus threats including ransomware.
My Browser Home Redirect is a very dangerous threat that must be eliminated completely to prevent any privacy and security risks for the victim users. This is why we we recommend that all users remove the active infections by following our in-depth removal guide.
Remove My Browser Home Redirect and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the My Browser Home Redirect requires being familiar with system files and registries. Removing important data accidentally can lead to permanent system damage. If you don’t feel comfortable with manual instructions, download a powerful anti-malware tool that will scan your system for malware and clean it safely for you.
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My Browser Home Redirect – Manual Removal Steps
Start the PC in Safe Mode with Network
This will isolate all files and objects created by the ransomware so they will be removed efficiently. The steps bellow are applicable to all Windows versions.
1. Hit the WIN Key + R
2. A Run window will appear. In it, write msconfig and then press Enter
3. A Configuration box shall appear. In it Choose the tab named Boot
4. Mark Safe Boot option and then go to Network under it to tick it too
5. Apply -> OK
Remove My Browser Home from Windows
Here’s a way to remove the program. This method will work regardless if you’re on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP. Simply selecting the program and pressing delete won’t work, as it’ll leave a lot of small files. That’s bad because these leftovers can linger on and cause all sorts of problems. The best way to delete a program is to uninstall it. Here’s how you can do that:
1. Hold the “Windows” button (It’s between CTRL and Alt on most keyboards) and press “R”. You’ll see a pop-up window.
2. In the textbox, type “appwiz.cpl”, then press“ Enter ”.
3. The “Programs and features” menu should now appear. It’s a list of all the programs installed on the PC. Here you can find the program, select it, and press “Uninstall“.
Remove My Browser Home Virus From Your Browser
Before resetting your browser’s settings, you should know that this action will wipe out all your recorded usernames, passwords, and other types of data. Make sure to save them in some way.
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1. Start Mozilla Firefox. In the upper right corner, click on the Open menu icon and select “Add-ons“.
2. Inside the Add-ons Manager select “Extensions“. Search the list of extensions for suspicious entries. If you find any, select them and click “Remove“.
3. Click again on the Open menu icon, then click “Options“.
4. In the Options window, under “General” tab, click “Restore to Default“.
5. Select “Search” in the left menu, mark the unknown search engine and press “Remove”.
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1. Start Google Chrome. On the upper-right corner, there a “Customize and Control” menu icon. Click on it, then click on “Settings“.
2. Click “Extensions” in the left menu. Then click on the trash bin icon to remove the suspicious extension.
3. Again in the left menu, under Chrome, Click on “Settings“. Go under “On Startup” and set a new page.
4. Afterward, scroll down to “Search“, click on “Manage search engines“.
5. In the default search settings list, find the unknown search engine and click on “X“. Then select your search engine of choice and click “Make default“. When you are ready click “Done” button in the right bottom corner.
2. In the “Manage add-ons” window, bellow “Add-on Types“, select “Toolbars and Extensions“. If you see a suspicious toolbar, select it and click “Remove“.
3. Then again in the “Manage Add-ons” window, in “Add-on Types“, Select “Search Providers“. Chose a search engine and click “Set as default“. Select the unknown search engine and click “Remove and Close”.
4. Open the Tools menu, select “Internet Options”.
5. In the “General” tab, in “Home page”, enter your preferred page. Click “Apply” and “OK”.
Repair Windows Registry
1. Again type simultaneously the WIN Key + R key combination
2. In the box, write regedit and hit Enter
3. Type the CTRL+ F and then write the malicious name in the search type field to locate the malicious executable
4. In case you have discovered registry keys and values related to the name, you should delete them, but be careful not to delete legitimate keys
Click for more information about Windows Registry and further repair help
