What is Safe Surfing by Safely and how do I remove it?
Safe Surfing by Safely is an internet browser extension for Google Chrome. When the Safe Surfing by Safely extension is installed, it will initially redirect your internet browser to https://www.safelyonline.net where the developer promotes various other internet browser extensions such as Safe Browsing by Safely, Data Manager by Safely, and Private Browsing by Safely.
Safe Surfing by Safely and Safe Browsing by Safely are the same extensions. They are described as the same thing, they perform the same tasks, and they have the same permissions. The only difference is that Safe Browsing by Safely changes your search settings to search.searchsafely.net and Safe Surfing by Safely changes your search settings to search.searchsafe.tech. This causes your internet searches to redirect to search.searchsafe.tech and then to search.yahoo.com. Keep in mind that a browser extension that promotes privacy but then redirects your search results to Yahoo does not take your privacy seriously, especially since it’s well known that Yahoo was breached in previous years which lead to hackers obtaining and leaking information on over 3 billion accounts.
The extension collects and stores your sensitive information and tracks your browsing activities. The sensitive information collected about you may be used to build a marketing profile and identify you in order to show you advertisements.
Description and permissions
Control, moderate and filter your browsing activity.
- Read and change all your data on all safelyonline.tech sites, privatelyonline.club, and search.searchsafe.tech
- Read your browsing history
- Display notifications
- Change your search setting to: search.searchsafe.tech
- Manage your apps, extensions, and themes
Distribution methods
Safe Surfing by Safely is advertised by advertising networks that also promote malicious software (malware) and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Websites that utilize these advertising networks may host malware and contain dangerous or prohibited content. This means that if you come across advertisements for the Safe Surfing by Safely extension, or found the extension installed, it is possible that your computer was introduced to malware and/or potentially unwanted programs.
In addition, the extension may be promoted as something it is not by the advertising network in order to trick you into installing it and other potentially unwanted programs and malware.
1. Open the Customize and control Google Chrome menu and go to More tools > Extensions.
2. Find the Safe Surfing by Safely extension and click the Remove button to remove it.
3. Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software to scan your computer and remove malicious files and potentially unwanted programs.
4. To install the program, locate and double-click the executable file you just downloaded. The file can usually be found in the Download folder.
5. Choose if this is for home or work use and click Agree and Install to begin installing Malwarebytes. Once the installation is complete, click Finish.
6. Once Malwarebytes is installed, open the program and click the Scan Now button on the dashboard – or go to the Scan tab and click the Start Scan button.
7. When the scan is complete click the Quarantine Selected button.
8. If Malwarebytes says “All selected items have been removed successfully. A log file has been saved to the logs folder. Your computer needs to be restarted to complete the removal process. Would you like to restart now?” click the Yes button to restart your computer.
9. Download HitmanPro to perform a second-opinion scan and remove any remaining malicious trace files. A second-opinion scan is important when removing malware and malicious files from your computer.
10. To install the program, locate and double-click the executable file you just downloaded. The file can usually be found in the Download folder.
11. Once HitmanPro is installed, open the program and click Next to start scanning your computer. *If you are using the free version you may choose to create a copy or perform a one-time scan.
12. When the HitmanPro scan is complete, click the Next button.
13. To activate the free version of HitmanPro: enter your email address twice and click the Activate button.
14. Click the Reboot button.
