Web Safety
Web Safety by websafety is a browser extension for Google Chrome that is recognized as malicious or potentially unwanted by Antivirus programs. The description for the Web Safety extension says “stay protected while searching and surfing the Web. Never worry about suspicious websites again.” However, the extension does not perform as advertised and instead is a risk to your privacy as it can perform tasks such as read your browsing history.
Malwarebytes will detect and remove Web Safety virus! Click the button below to select the version of Malwarebytes you want to use to remove Web Safety, viruses, malware, and all other threats from your computer or device.
Threat Name: PUP.Optional.SearchHijack
The Web Safety extension is identical to other browser extensions that act as a ‘trusted online guardian’ by doing such things as stopping you from visiting potentially harmful websites. Alike others, the extension claims to stop you and display a warning message when you visit a bad website. Although this may sound like a useful tool, it is not. The tool will not stop you or warn you about potentially malicious websites which by the way, is already a default setting with Google Chrome. This extension is not needed since there is a default setting to use better controls.
The Web Safety extension for Google Chrome is allowed to read your browsing history and read and change your data on various websites. Not only this, but the extension can also perform such tasks while Chrome is incognito. You can control the websites the extension has access to in settings.
These are typical reasons why a browser extension may be considered a threat or potential threat:
- Advertised by malicious advertising networks.
- Advertised alongside malware, adware, spyware, trojans, and viruses.
- Can be installed without user consent.
- Displays unwanted advertisements.
- Tampers with search settings and search results.
- Gathers user browsing data which may include sensitive information.
In addition, the Web Safety extension will modify Chrome search settings including the search provider, start page, and new tab page which will cause Chrome to start up on a different website such as Bing or Yahoo and redirect to a different webpage when a new tab is opened or a search is performed in the address bar.
Follow these instructions to remove Web Safety and stop unwanted browser redirects to malicious websites.
Remove Web Safety extension
Web Safety is a browser extension that will attach to Google Chrome and other web browsers. Remove the extension through settings to ensure that your browser’s settings cannot be maliciously controlled.
Chrome
1. Click Customize and control Google Chrome and go to More tools > Extensions.
2. Locate the Web Safety extension and click the Remove button.
3. Search and remove other suspicious browser extensions.
Remove malware and viruses
Malware, adware, spyware, ransomware, potentially unwanted programs, and viruses may be present on your computer. We recommend that you scan your computer with Malwarebytes to detect and remove known threats.
1. Download and install Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes will seamlessly guide you through the quick installation process.
2. Once Malwarebytes is installed, click the blue Scan button to begin scanning your computer for malware, viruses, and potentially unwanted programs. The scan may take several minutes to complete.
3. When the scan is complete, click the Quarantine button to remove all threats detected by Malwarebytes.
4. Reboot your computer.
Cleanup and repair
Tracking files allow bad guys to track you online and changes to the Windows registry can cause numerous problems. Clean up your computer’s registry, remove tracking files, and remove junk files from your computer with CCleaner by Piriform.
1. Download and install CCleaner. CCleaner will seamlessly guide you through the quick installation process.
2. Once CCleaner is installed, click the Take my PC Health Check button or go to Health Check > Next and follow the instructions to begin checking your PC’s health.
3. When the scan is complete, click Make it better button to remove trackers, remove junk files, disable startup apps, and more.
4. Go to Registry and click Scan for Issues to check your computer for registry issues.
5. When the scan is complete, click Fix selected Issues, backup the registry, and click Fix Issue or Fix All Issues.
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