How to remove Falcoware.com browser hijacker

Steps to delete Falcoware.com

 Falcoware.com is a potentially unwanted application, comes bundled with other software without users’ consent. After the install, it conducts major changes to the settings of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or other one and modifies the start page, new tab page and search engine options. Users get redirected to this domain with all their queries on the URL bar and even when they open any browsing tab page. The PUA can initiate unwanted behavior such as cause redirects, deliver intrusive ads and gather browsing data.

More about Falcoware.com

Falcoware.com is a browser hijacker application that is designed with the purpose to monetize on pay-per-click revenue.  The web pages that it leads to you can be suspicious, such as phishing or hacked one.  While the former ones are responsible for offering unnecessary services, apps, the later one may cause malware infections. The hackers can design pages with malware-laden that directly cause the malware download. Depends on the developers’ choice, this malware could be ransomware, worm, spyware, Trojan or other unwanted applications (adware or browser hijacker). For this reason, many people call it as Falcoware.com virus.

Further, like other browser hijacker application, the hijacker virus can track users’ browsing session and collect the data related to their web browsing activities. The list of the collected data could include IP addresses, Search queries, Viewed pages, URLs visited, ISP, Type of OS and browser used and etc. These data could be shared with potent crooks who misuse them to generate illicit revenue that can cost on privacy and cause identity exposure. Thus, do not trust on Falcoware.com search engine. Rather use some reputable ones like Google, Bing, and Yahoo etc. However, if you want to uninstall it, follow our removal guide provided below the post.

How did Falcoware.com intrude in?

Falcoware.com and other unwanted apps are often distributed via downloading/installing setups of regular software. This deceptive method is called software bundling. In most cases, the installation information of the bundled/dubious content is hidden behind Custom/Advanced and similar option. Users who download the software included PUAs as additional offers without checking those settings allow for the unwanted apps to be downloaded and/or installed too. In some cases, people unknowingly download/ install unwanted apps by clicking deceptive ads that is designed to execute certain scripts.

How to avoid PUAs intrusion?

It is recommended to download programs from reliable, official pages and via direct download links. It is not safe to use third party downloaders/installers, unofficial web pages, P2p networks and other sources as tool to download or install software. Also, it is not advised to complete any download/installation process without checking the settings like Custom/Advanced available in the setup. Ads that are displayed on any shady pages should not be clicked as well. More often than not those ads are often designed to open untrustworthy websites or cause downloads and/or installations of some unwanted, potentially malicious applications.

Falcoware.com removal guide

Complete Falcoware.com removal guide is provided below in step by step manner. However, if you do not want to go with the lengthy manual removal process, you can use some reputable antivirus tool to perform the removal process.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows Click Here For Mac

Important Note: This malware asks you to enable the web browser notifications. So, before you go the manual removal process, execute these steps.

Google Chrome (PC)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the Menu button
• Select “Settings”. Scroll the mouse downward to choose “Advanced” option
• Go to “Privacy and Security” section by scrolling downward and then select “Content settings” and then “Notification” option
• Find each suspicious URLs and click on three dots on the right side and choose “Block” or “Remove” option

Google Chrome (Android)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the menu button and then click on “Settings”
• Scroll down further to click on “site settings” and then press on “notifications” option
• In the newly opened window, choose each suspicious URLs one by one
• In the permission section, select “notification” and “Off” the toggle button

Mozilla Firefox

• On the right corner of the screen, you will notice three dots which is the “Menu” button
• Select “Options” and choose “Privacy and Security” in the toolbar present in the left side of the screen
• Slowly scroll down and go to “Permission” section then choose “Settings” option next to “Notifications”
• In the newly opened window, select all the suspicious URLs. Click on the drop-down menu and select “Block”

Internet Explorer

• In the Internet Explorer window, select the Gear button present on the right corner
• Choose “Internet Options”
• Select “Privacy” tab and then “Settings” under the “Pop-up Blocker” section
• Select all the suspicious URLs one by one and click on the “Remove” option

Microsoft Edge

• Open the Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots on the right corner of the screen to open the menu
• Scroll down and select “Settings”
• Scroll down further to choose “view advanced settings”
• In the “Website Permission” option, click on “Manage” option
• Click on switch under every suspicious URL

Safari (Mac):

• On the upper right side corner, click on “Safari” and then select “Preferences”
• Go to “website” tab and then choose “Notification” section on the left pane
• Search for the suspicious URLs and choose “Deny” option for each one of them

Manual Steps to Remove Falcoware.com:

Remove the related items of Falcoware.com using Control-Panel

Windows 7 Users

Click “Start” (the windows logo at the bottom left corner of the desktop screen), select “Control Panel”. Locate the “Programs” and then followed by clicking on “Uninstall Program”

Windows XP Users

Click “Start” and then choose “Settings” and then click “Control Panel”. Search and click on “Add or Remove Program’ option

Windows 10 and 8 Users:

Go to the lower left corner of the screen and right-click. In the “Quick Access” menu, choose “Control Panel”. In the newly opened window, choose “Program and Features”

Mac OSX Users

Click on “Finder” option. Choose “Application” in the newly opened screen. In the “Application” folder, drag the app to “Trash”. Right click on the Trash icon and then click on “Empty Trash”.

In the uninstall programs window, search for the PUAs. Choose all the unwanted and suspicious entries and click on “Uninstall” or “Remove”.

After you uninstall all the potentially unwanted program causing Falcoware.com issues, scan your computer with an anti-malware tool for any remaining PUPs and PUAs or possible malware infection. To scan the PC, use the recommended the anti-malware tool.

How to Remove Adware (Falcoware.com) from Internet Browsers

Delete malicious add-ons and extensions from IE

Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of Internet Explorer. Select “Manage Add-ons”. Search for any recently installed plug-ins or add-ons and click on “Remove”.

Additional Option

If you still face issues related to Falcoware.com removal, you can reset the Internet Explorer to its default setting.

Windows XP users: Press on “Start” and click “Run”. In the newly opened window, type “inetcpl.cpl” and click on the “Advanced” tab and then press on “Reset”.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users: Press the Windows logo, type inetcpl.cpl in the start search box and press enter.  In the newly opened window, click on the “Advanced Tab” followed by “Reset” button.

For Windows 8 Users: Open IE and click on the “gear” icon. Choose “Internet Options”

Select the “Advanced” tab in the newly opened window

Press on “Reset” option

You have to press on the “Reset” button again to confirm that you really want to reset the IE

Remove Doubtful and Harmful Extension from Google Chrome

Go to menu of Google Chrome by pressing on three vertical dots and select on “More tools” and then “Extensions”. You can search for all the recently installed add-ons and remove all of them.

Optional Method

If the problems related to Falcoware.com still persists or you face any issue in removing, then it is advised that your reset the Google Chrome browse settings. Go to three dotted points at the top right corner and choose “Settings”. Scroll down bottom and click on “Advanced”.

At the bottom, notice the “Reset” option and click on it.

In the next opened window, confirm that you want to reset the Google Chrome settings by click on the “Reset” button.

Remove Falcoware.com plugins (including all other doubtful plug-ins) from Firefox Mozilla

Open the Firefox menu and select “Add-ons”. Click “Extensions”.  Select all the recently installed browser plug-ins.

Optional Method

If you face problems in Falcoware.com removal then you have the option to rese the settings of Mozilla Firefox.

Open the browser (Mozilla Firefox) and click on the “menu” and then click on “Help”.

Choose “Troubleshooting Information”

In the newly opened pop-up window, click “Refresh Firefox” button

The next step is to confirm that really want to reset the Mozilla Firefox settings to its default by clicking on “Refresh Firefox” button.

Remove Malicious Extension from Safari

Open the Safari and go to its “Menu” and select “Preferences”.

Click on the “Extension” and select all the recently installed “Extensions” and then click on “Uninstall”.

Optional Method

Open the “Safari” and go menu. In the drop-down menu, choose “Clear History and Website Data”.

In the newly opened window, select “All History” and then press on “Clear History” option.

Delete Falcoware.com (malicious add-ons) from Microsoft Edge

Open Microsoft Edge and go to three horizontal dot icons at the top right corner of the browser. Select all the recently installed extensions and right click on the mouse to “uninstall”

Optional Method

Open the browser (Microsoft Edge) and select “Settings”

Next steps is to click on “Choose what to clear” button

Click on “show more” and then select everything and then press on “Clear” button.

Conclusion

In most cases, the PUPs and adware gets inside the marked PC through unsafe freeware downloads. It is advised that you should only choose developers website only while downloading any kind of free applications.  Choose custom or advanced installation process so that you can trace the additional PUPs listed for installation along with the main program.