What is Search.playzonenow.com?
Search.playzonenow.com is a browser hijacker that comes with a Chrome extension. Our research team says that this search engine is a browser hijacker because it changes your default settings without your permission. At the same time, it also means that the extension it comes with is rather suspicious. Hence, to remove Search.playzonenow.com from your computer, you need to remove the extension that initiated the browser settings modification. There might be several extensions responsible for this intrusive behavior. If you want to find it immediately, do not hesitate to scan your PC with the SpyHunter free scanner. This way you will get a list of potential threats immediately.
Where does Search.playzonenow.com come from?
Since this browser hijacker is directly associated with a browser extension, it means that it gets distributed together with it, too. So we need to look at the distribution methods employed by the Chrome extensions that use this browser hijacker. There are at least four extensions out there that can change your default search engine to Search.playzonenow.com. These extensions are GamersZone Home, MoviesNow Search, PlayMusic New Tab, and FilmsZone Home. All of these extensions can be added to your browser via playzonenow.com. That is the official homepage for these plug-ins, and it is more than obvious that they are not malicious infections.
Nevertheless, potentially unwanted programs seldom have just done distribution source. The same applies to these extensions, too. Although they have the official homepage, they might as well come bundled with freeware applications too. It means that users need to be really careful when they download applications from unfamiliar sources. Have you recently downloaded a program from a file-sharing site? Did you check all the installation steps carefully? If not, it is very likely that the program you downloaded came bundled with additional applications, and one of them brought Search.playzonenow.com along.
What does Search.playzonenow.com do?
A browser hijacker cannot do much, to be honest. It is more of a tool used by a number of parties, and the impact of this intrusion depends on what those third parties want the hijacker to do. For the most part, Search.playzonenow.com and other similar search engines are there to masquerade as legitimate search providers in order to make a financial profit. Browser hijackers and other similar programs are going to try to redirect you to affiliated websites. They make money with each click you make, so they will try to make you interact with the sites they promote.
How do they do that? They usually employ tracking cookies to collect information on your web browsing habits. When they have enough information on what you like, Search.playzonenow.com can generate a custom commercial content and embed it in your search results. It will look like legitimate search results because the hijacker will redirect you to a custom version of the Yahoo! Search page. Of course, Yahoo! Search has nothing to do with this browser hijacker, but legitimate search providers are often exploited by such applications to make users think that the search results they provide are reliable.
However, by clicking those links you would eventually land on third-party pages that will collect more information about you, that will try to make you purchase unnecessary items or worse: you could also hit a landmine by accidentally opening a page associated with malware. If that happens, you would be only a click away from a severe infection, and Search.playzonenow.com would clearly be the least of your concerns. So before any of that happens, you need to make sure you get rid of this browser hijacker and everything related to it.
How do I remove Search.playzonenow.com?
It is not that challenging to delete Search.playzonenow.com and the extension associated with it. You simply need to delete the said plug-in via Chrome’s settings menu. You might also want to consider resetting your browser to default. This way, you would delete all the other additional tools and settings that might have had a negative impact on your web browsing experience.
Finally, when all the manual removal processes are complete, it would be for the best to run a full system scan with the SpyHunter free scanner. Since such programs often travel in groups, you need to make sure that no additional threats remain on your PC.
Manual Search.playzonenow.com Removal
- Launch your Chrome browser.
- Press Alt+F simultaneously and select More tools.
- Click Extensions and open the list of plug-ins.
- Remove the unnecessary extension.
- Restart Chrome.
100% FREE spyware scan and
tested removal of Search.playzonenow.com*
0 Comments.