What is Search.hcrimereport.co?
If you face Search.hcrimereport.co when you open your web browser or the New Tab page, it is likely that an extension called “Crime Report” has been installed as well. This browser hijacker is unlikely to spread on its own, and it should always come bundled with an extension or an application. This depends on the web browser you use because you install extensions on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, but you actually install applications if you operate via Internet Explorer. The search tool was created by Eightpoint Technologies Ltd SEZC, which, according to the Privacy Policy, is an affiliate of Polarity Technologies Ltd. We can link a bunch of hijackers and potentially unwanted programs (for example, QuickMapsAndDirections) to these companies, and they certainly do not have a good reputation because of it. We recommend removing Search.hcrimereport.co and Crime Report because they are unreliable, and if you want more information about this, you should continue reading. If you want to ask us questions before you delete the hijacker, use the comments section below the article.
How does Search.hcrimereport.co work?
Search.hcrimereport.co looks like a search engine. At the top of the page, you are introduced to a list of easy-access links to various pages, including search.hcrimereport.co/Home/ContactUs?, crimereports.com, nationalweatheragency.org, news.mynewswire.co, checkpeople.com, and truthfinder.com. As you can see, some of these links fit the “theme” of the Crime Report extension, which is what is meant to convince you that the extension is beneficial and that the hijacker is trustworthy. Whether you downloaded the add-on from crimereport.co or the Chrome web store (at the time of research, it was not possible to download the extension from chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/aooohokoiadepgpbdoflaoabbhbkpmlo), it always introduces users to Search.hcrimereport.co. Of course, if you downloaded the extension using a third-party installer, it might have been installed along with various other unreliable programs. This is the first reason you should install and run a reliable malware scanner. If any serious threats that require removal exist, you will be warned about it immediately. It is also recommended that you scan your operating system if you have interacted with the unreliable search tool integrated within the interface of the hijacker.
If you have used the search tool offered by Search.hcrimereport.co, you know that it is associated with Yahoo Search. Since this search tool is popular and used by people all over the world, on all kinds of web browsers, many might automatically assume that they can trust the results shown to them. The problem is that the search results that match the keywords entered into the Search.hcrimereport.co search engine are modified. Yes, most of them should be taken from the popular Yahoo Search engine; however, the rest of them should be injected by the creator of the hijacker. Can you trust them to show you reliable and useful links? Most likely, you cannot, and that is because they are working with unfamiliar advertisers, and no one knows what their intentions might be. In the worst case scenario, they could be using a seemingly harmless search tool to expose you to links that route to scam and malware ridden web pages.
How to remove Search.hcrimereport.co
Our Anti-Spyware-101.com research team has created a manual removal guide that shows how to delete Search.hcrimereport.co from all browsers that Crime Report appears to be compatible with. As we discussed earlier, this extension should always be attached to the hijacker, and when you delete it, the hijacker is eliminated at the same time. As you already know, you have to remove an extension from Chrome and Firefox browsers, but if you installed the add-on using Internet Explorer, there is an application that you need to uninstall from your operating system. The guide below can help you delete the unwanted extension from all browsers. Needless to say, if you need help erasing the threat manually, you should not hesitate to post your questions in the comments section. If you are dealing with other threats simultaneously, you should consider employing anti-malware software. Besides ensuring that all threats are eliminated, this software could also help you ensure complete protection against hijackers, PUPs, and malware in the future.
Removal Guide
Mozilla Firefox
- Open the browser and tap keys Ctrl+Shift+A to access the Add-ons Manager.
- In the Extensions menu locate and Remove the undesirable extension.
Google Chrome
- Open the browser and tap keys Alt+F to access the Chrome menu.
- Click More tools to expand the menu and then click Extensions.
- Locate and Remove the undesirable extension.
Internet Explorer
- Open the Control Panel (via the Start/Windows menu).
- Go to the Programs menu and click Uninstall a program.
- Locate the undesirable application, right-click/select it, and choose Remove.
N.B. You also should consider clearing browsing data to ensure that no traces of the hijacker are left behind. To clear browsing data, open the browser, tap Ctrl+Shift+Delete, and choose appropriate settings.
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