Do you know what Search.hwatchtvnow.co is?
If you notice Search.hwatchtvnow.co in your browser after opening it, you should know that a browser hijacker has managed to sneak onto your system. This can usually happen after you click on corrupt third-party content or you install a questionable freeware bundle. This is a search website featuring a fake toolbar that is so characteristic of all other previous ones in the same family, including Search.searchfzlm.com and Search.superspeedtester.com. These are usually very similar search engine pages but it is also possible that you will find perfect clones with different URL addresses. Since this hijacker can display modified search results to you containing potentially unsafe ads and links, it may pose a threat to your system security. Thus, we advise you to remove Search.hwatchtvnow.co from your computer as soon as possible. Please continue reading our report if you want to learn how this browser hijacker may have slithered onto your PC and what you can do against future attacks.
The most important lesson about being infected with such a browser hijacker is that most of the time it is actually you who lets it on board. You may not even think that one single click on questionable content can end up very badly for you. Yet, it is possible that you are using a search engine for web search that you should not trust. It could be promoted by a browser hijacker like this one. However, the results could contain links and ads that lead to malicious websites or clicking on them could result in dropping malware infections or even directly installing new browser hijackers. You may also be offered a security software download or driver update by a banner or pop-up ad. It is important that you never react to these offers or engage with them because one click in such a window could drop a whole bundle of malware threats onto your machine.
Bundles are used for good and bad purposes. Therefore, you should be cautious every time you are installing one not to end up with potentially unwanted programs and malicious software installers, such as adware programs, browser hijackers, Trojans, and fake alerts to mention a few of the potential threats that can be packed together. Obviously, installing such a lot could seriously increase your system’s vulnerability and you could be exposed to all kinds of unsafe content while surfing the web. You can easily download such bundles, for example, when you try to download free software from suspicious freeware or torrent pages. These sites mostly promote questionable software packages that can be filled with some threats. Also, when you are viewing suspicious sites like gaming, online gambling, and file-sharing pages, you could be exposed to several harmful third-party ads. One click on the wrong content and you could drop a couple of malware programs. This is why it is essential that you run a malware scanner that you trust after you delete Search.hwatchtvnow.co from your PC.
Search.hwatchtvnow.co screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
You may be a fan of TV and movies, and want to have some of your favorite streaming sites one click away in your browsers. We would still say no to this search website because you simply cannot trust it. Why would you not use the built-in bookmarking function instead that you can fully trust? This hijacker also offers you a panel of thumbnail links leading to more or less the same sites represented on the fake toolbar at the top of the page. This panel can be shown or hidden, and you can find it below the main search box. While it may not be harmful to use the toolbar to access these movie-related sites, you should definitely not use the search engine.
This browser hijacker forwards your keywords to Yahoo to display the results; however, these results will be modified most likely. It is possible that this hijacker injects its affiliates’ advertisements and links in order to promote them in exchange for revenue, of course. Since these third parties are not guaranteed to be trustworthy, it is possible that you will be exposed to content coming from cyber criminals. This is how you can end up on malicious sites or dropping malware infections after you click on anything on these search results pages. This is why we suggest that you remove Search.hwatchtvnow.co right away.
The good news is that it is not that difficult to eliminate this browser hijacker since it only changes your home page settings. If you are not familiar with restoring your home page in your affected browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Google Chrome, please use our instructions below. Protecting your PC against malware infections should be your priority if you want to feel secure in your virtual world. Thus, we advise you to use a reliable malware removal application like SpyHunter or any other security tool you can fully trust.
Remove Search.hwatchtvnow.co from browsers
Google Chrome
- Tap Win+E to launch File Explorer.
- Locate the “%LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default” directory.
- Delete Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data files.
- Empty your Recycle Bin.
Mozilla Firefox
- Tap Win+E to launch File Explorer.
- Locate the “%AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla user ID}” directory.
- Edit prefs.js in a text editor (Notepad).
- Replace the user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.hwatchtvnow.co/") string with a home page URL you prefer.
Internet Explorer
- Tap Win+R and enter regedit. Press OK.
- Replace the value data of “http://search.hwatchtvnow.co” in these registry keys:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Start Page (64-bit!)
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Start Page
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Start Page - Replace the value data in the following value names in “HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}” registry key:
FaviconURL (value data: “http://search.hwatchtvnow.com/favicon.ico”)
FaviconURLFallback (value data: “http://search.hwatchtvnow.com/favicon.ico”)
TopResultURL (value data: “http://search.hwatchtvnow.com”)
URL (value data: “http://search.hwatchtvnow.com”) - Exit your editor.
In non-techie terms:
Search.hwatchtvnow.co is just another browser hijacker from Polarity Technologies Ltd that may emerge in your major browsers as your home page most likely after you install a bundled free program. This search website has quick links to streaming TV and movie content, which you can easily bookmark yourself. However, this hijacker can also introduce you to potentially unreliable third-party ads and sponsored links that could be risky to click on. In addition to that, you may also find other malware threats as well as potentially unwanted programs on board now that may have entered your computer along with this infection. Thus, we believe that it is best to remove Search.hwatchtvnow.co from your browsers and identify all other related and unrelated infections as well. If you need solid protection, we advise you to install a professional anti-malware program.