What is Search.yourmediatabsearch.com?
Have you been forced into installing Search.yourmediatabsearch.com? This search tool is linked to the YourMediaTab extension allegedly powered by Stepitapp, which follows in the footsteps of Imali Media and SaferBrowser. If you want the extension, you will have to accept the search tool as well, which is why it is classified as a browser hijacker. This is exactly how users are introduced to Search.funsocialtabsearch.com, Search.socialnewpagessearch.com, and other Imali Media and SaferBrowser hijackers. Of course, it is also possible that they will corrupt your browsers (Chrome or Firefox) without your permission, but it is most likely that you will know about the installation of this suspicious search tool. Now, the fact that you are responsible for letting it in does not change the fact that you should remove Search.funsocialtabsearch.com from your browsers. If you need help erasing this hijacker, you should continue reading.
How does Search.yourmediatabsearch.com work?
Since Search.yourmediatabsearch.com is linked to YourMediaTab, it is unlikely that it will be spread on its own. The extension is officially introduced to users via yourmediatab.com, but Chrome users will acquire it from the Chrome web store, which, of course, is a legitimate and trusted source. In most cases, the administrators of this web store disable unreliable apps, but this one is still available. Notably, at the moment, it does not have a single user, which means that it is not spread as widely as its clones yet. We consider YourMediaTab a clone of FunSocialTab, SocialNewPages, and all other Imali Media-related extensions because all of them were created to install hijackers. Besides installing Search.yourmediatabsearch.com, YourMediaTab provides no other service. As Anti-Spyware-101.com research team has found, malicious third-party installers could also be used for the distribution of this suspicious software. Obviously, if it comes bundled with malware, you must remove it as well.
The interface of Search.yourmediatabsearch.com suggests it is just another regular search provider. Notably, it provides a ton of easy-access links. Right below the search box in the middle of the home page, you will find easy-access links promoting Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, Netflix, and other popular sites. The bar at the top includes a bunch of tabs that promote liveforgames.com, sports news-related sites, and other social networking sites. Additionally, the “Stream Content” button expands a menu of popular and top-rated movies. When you click on your preferred movie, you will be introduced to a pop-up listing all of the sites where you can watch it, but none of these sites provide free access, which is what you might have expected. One more suspicious button called “Search” automatically opens http://search.cubokit.com/. This suspicious search tool is just as unreliable as Search.yourmediatabsearch.com because it redirects all your searches via search.safefinder.com to Yahoo Search. Unfortunately, potentially unreliable sponsored links are injected along with regular Yahoo search results.
The advertisements injected by the hijacker might be selected randomly, or they could be selected according to your browsing history. This hijacker employs tracking cookies to spy on you and find out what are the things you search and bookmark. Based on this information, you might be exposed to ads that seem to offer great services, but, in reality, are most likely to offer only empty promises. If you end up interacting with these ads, make sure you are careful. Also, if you do click on them, beware of unreliable tracking cookies that might be installed. We suggest clearing the list of your Chrome and Firefox cookies once you remove the hijacker.
How to remove Search.yourmediatabsearch.com
Our malware researchers recommend deleting Search.yourmediatabsearch.com from your browsers. Although this search provider shows search results, it does that by redirecting you to a third-party search engine and injecting ads along the way. This hijacker is introduced to users by an extension that can be easily removed directly from the browsers. You can also eliminate it using the instructions below that show where this extension is rooted within your Windows operating system. Although manual removal is fairly simple in this case, we fear that the infections that might have been installed along with this hijacker are much more complicated, and you might fail to eliminate them manually. Because of that, and because you need to reinforce your virtual security, we advise installing trusted anti-malware software.
Removal instructions
Google Chrome:
- Tap Win+E keys at the same time to launch Explorer.
- Into the address bar at the top enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\. Windows XP users need to enter %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\.
- Open your {Profile name} folder or the Default folder.
- Open the Local Storage folder and then right-click and Deletethese files:
- chrome-extension_nckphijkgcbnlnajhngjcjjphoodmflp_0.localstorage-journal
- chrome-extension_nckphijkgcbnlnajhngjcjjphoodmflp_0.localstorage
- Go back to your {Profile name} folder and move to Extensions.
- Right-click and Delete the folder named nckphijkgcbnlnajhngjcjjphoodmflp.
Mozilla Firefox:
- Tap Win+E keys at the same time to launch Explorer.
- Into the address bar at the top enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\.
- Open your {Firefox ID} folder and then move to extensions.
- Right-click the file named YourMediaTab-the-extension1@mozilla.com.xpi and select Delete.
tested removal of Search.yourmediatabsearch.com*
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