Search.MySocialHubXp.com

Posted by Max Lehmann on February 5, 2016

What is Search.MySocialHubXp.com?

It is possible that you notice Search.MySocialHubXp.com in your browsers and you do not even remember setting it as your new home page, new tab page, and search engine. This questionable search engine may appear on your computer at least in two ways. It is, of course, possible that you yourself have installed it knowingly and on purpose, but, unfortunately, it may also have come as a “surprise” in a freeware bundle. Our malware researchers at anti-spyware-101.com have classified this browser extension as a browser hijacker due to its capability to perform the aforementioned browser setting changes. This unreliable tool may expose you to potentially unsafe third-party content; therefore, we advise you to remove Search.MySocialHubXp.com as soon as you can type “browser hijacker,” because leaving this infection on board could cause system security-related issues before long. Please read our full article in order to find out more about this threat source and how you can step up against this and similar infections. test test

Where does Search.MySocialHubXp.com come from?

There are a number of alternatives how this browser hijacker may show up on your computer. Obviously, there are official channels for this extension, such as its promotional website, mysocialhubxp.com. You can also find it in the Chrome web store at chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/my-social-hub-xp/opigodkfhohfdifcedneonefjcafhkcb. So far nearly 30 thousand users have installed this tool as the statics show. But before you would rush to hit the “Add extension” button, we would like to advise you to be careful about what you say “yes” to, i.e., what you allow this extension to do on your system. It is worth reading the pop-up window that Google Chrome displays before installing this tool because it informs you about the rights you are about to grant this tool. It is also advisable to run a web search before you install any tools and free software. Spending only a few minutes on this could save you a lot of future headaches. For example, you may find articles about why you need to remove Search.MySocialHubXp.com as a browser hijacker. We believe that this could greatly help you protect your computer from useless and harmful applications.

Nevertheless, our researchers say that the bigger issue is not the official channels but, obviously, the “unofficial” ones. As a matter of fact, this browser hijacker has been found to travel in free software bundles containing other malware infections as well. This way it is possible that you allow a whole bunch of threats onto your machine at the same time. You can easily download such a malicious bundle if you land on shady websites, including torrent and shareware sites. Most users end up on such pages when they are looking for free stuff on the net, such as music and video files, books, and, of course, software. If you get redirected to an unfamiliar site, you may click on content (e.g., third-party ads) that may trigger the download of malware programs. That is why you should always make sure that you know the source, the vendor and it is a reputable one. If you do not know how this browser hijacker showed up on your computer, we suggest that you check your system for other malware threats right after you delete Search.MySocialHubXp.com.

How does Search.MySocialHubXp.com work?

This hijacker sets this search page as your home page, new tab page, and default search engine in all major browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer. This tool displays a fake toolbar at the top that has a search tool and a number of easy-access links, buttons to social networking websites, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. In the middle of the page, you can find the main search tool, which a bit resembles Google. According to our specialists, it would be risky to engage with any of the third-party services this extension offers you because they may be unreliable. This means that, for instance, this hijacker might inject third-party ads in the related third-party websites. You should not use its search tools either, because you may be presented with modified results. This search engine does not even use its own results, but, instead, it redirects you to an altered search.yahoo.com page. This can fool a lot of users because they would consider Yahoo a trustworthy source. However, this would be a mistake in this case since you are viewing Yahoo search results through this browser extension, which can mean that third-party sponsored links and ads may be displayed on the page. Clicking on such third-party content may be risky as you may be taken to infected or fake websites. We believe that you should remove Search.MySocialHubXp.com if you do not want to experience that kind of exposure.

How to delete Search.MySocialHubXp.com

Although in certain cases there may be an uninstaller for this browser hijacker, it really depends on how it crawls onto your computer. But, even if there is an uninstaller, it seems that it only takes care of Internet Explorer. Therefore, we suggest an alternative. In the case of Internet Explorer, it is best to reset your browser. But when it comes to Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, it is enough to remove the extension to undo the changes this hijacker has made. Please use our guide below if you need assistance with these steps.

Remember that you can protect your computer from several kinds of malware threats if you keep some simple rules of web surfing. For example, be careful with clicking on third-party ads and choose the websites you visit wisely. Do not download software from unfamiliar and questionable sources. Also, be aware that cyber criminals may target you through social media and spam e-mails as well. Think twice before you click on a seemingly “must-see” video or image because it may hide a malicious link to an infected website or it may well drop a malicious program onto your computer. If you want to feel totally safe while using your computer and going online, we advise you to think about installing a trustworthy antimalware application that can automatically detect and destroy any existing malware infections.