Do you know what Search.hdailysocialweb.com is?
Search.hdailysocialweb.com is a browser hijacker from the Polarity Technologies Ltd family. This company must have created hundreds or even thousands of unique hijackers because they keep emerging again and again. The unique thing about these hijackers is that they usually have unique extensions supporting them. Although we have seen the same extensions recycled for the promotion of different hijackers, in most cases, one extension represents one hijacker. In this case, the extension is called “Daily Social Web,” and that is easy to determine because this name can be found on the top-right corner of the hijacker’s home page. This extension might be completely new because unlike others from the same family, it does not have an official installer, and it is not represented via the Chrome web store. So, how did this malware slither in, and why should you remove Search.hdailysocialweb.com. If you want to find answers to these questions, continue reading.
Dailysocialweb.com should be the official source representing “Daily Social Web,” but, at the moment, it simply introduces visitors to a text about some social networking service. There are no installers or indicators suggesting that the extension was created by Polarity Technologies Ltd. Despite all this, Search.hdailysocialweb.com is already active, and this hijacker has an interface of all other clones from the same family. At the top, it shows links to mynewswire.co and the WeatherMap widget – which are always represented by these hijackers – as well as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google Plus. These services represent social media, which makes the hijacker and the extension appear legitimate. That is exactly how Search.searchvidpop.com, Search.htextfrompc.co, and all other Polarity Technologies Ltd hijackers work. So, why do we recommend removing them if they showcase legitimate links to popular websites? There are two main reasons for that.
First of all, the Privacy Policy – you can find it at search.hdailysocialweb.com/Home/Privacy – informs that personal information can be recorded. That is not a normal thing, and you need to be worried about having this information leaked to malicious parties. If you want to prevent that from happening, you need to delete Search.hdailysocialweb.com without further delay. Another reason the removal is recommended is the unreliable search services. If you type in search keywords into the search field represented via the hijacker, you will be redirected to a page representing Yahoo Search results, as well as modified results, which could be unreliable. Although search.yahoo.com is considered to be a reliable search tool, interacting with sponsored content could be dangerous. Overall, if you do not want to have information leaked, and you do not want to be exposed to sponsored links while browsing the web, deleting the hijacker is what we recommend.
Search.hdailysocialweb.com screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Are you sure you can trust Search.hdailysocialweb.com? Our malware experts do not recommend this because, after all, it is not a reliable search tool, and silent tracking cookies used by it can record personal information. Due to these reasons, deleting Search.hdailysocialweb.com is recommended. So, how do you do this? First, you need to scan your PC. If you acquired the hijacker and the extension via a malicious installer – which is the most likely scenario – the chances are that you need to delete other threats as well. How about using an anti-malware tool for that? If you are sure you can get rid of all unwanted programs and infections manually, you can start by following the guide below.
Remove Search.hdailysocialweb.com
N.B. You might have to remove the extension (for Firefox and Chrome users) or uninstall an application (for Internet Explorer users) to get rid of the hijacker.
Internet Explorer
- Tap Win+E to launch Explorer.
- Enter Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features into the bar at the top.
- Uninstall the undesirable application.
- Tap Win+R to launch RUN.
- Enter regedit.exe and click OK to access Registry Editor.
- Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
- Double-click Start Page and check the value data.
- If the hijacker’s URL is still typed in, overwrite it and click OK.
Mozilla Firefox
- Tap Win+E to launch Explorer.
- Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top.
- Open the {profile name} folder and then open the extensions folder.
- Delete the file representing the undesirable extension.
- Go back to the {profile name} folder and then open the file named prefs.js.
- If the hijacker’s URL is still typed in, overwrite it and save the file.
Google Chrome
- Tap Win+E to launch Explorer.
- Enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top.
- Open the {profile name} folder (or Default if profiles do not exist).
- Open the Extensions folder and Delete the folder representing the unwanted extension.
- Go back to the {profile name} folder and then open files named Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data one by one.
- If the hijacker’s URL is still typed in, overwrite it and save the file.
In non-techie terms:
Do you think that Search.hdailysocialweb.com is a normal search provider? Well, do you think that a normal search engine tracks personal information, redirects to a third-party search engine, and injects sponsored links to trick you into interacting with them? That is exactly what this hijacker does and why we recommend removing it. If you only need to delete Search.hdailysocialweb.com, the guide below covers all you need to do. If other infections are active, expect to need to take additional steps. If you do not want to waste time, or you do not have enough experience to thoroughly analyze and remove malware yourself, you can install anti-malware software. It will automatically erase existing malware, and you will be able to forget about your system’s protection as well. Should you have any questions regarding the removal process, please start a conversation below.