Remove GameSearchMedia Hijacker From PC

Proper Guide To Delete GameSearchMedia

GameSearchMedia is a malicious piece of software that has been designed by potent cyber criminals with their sole motive to generate quick online revenues. And therefore, once this browser hijacker gets installed on the Windows PCs, it alters browser settings in order to promote a fraudulent search engine. It sets gamesearchmedia.com as the new search tool, home page and new tab page and acquires complete control over the entire browser. This deceptive search engine doesn’t generate any search results itself, it just forwards the users to yahoo.com search provider. Due to the stealthy distribution and installation methods of this threat, it is classified as a potentially unwanted program or PUP for short.

Depth Analysis of GameSearchMedia:

PUPs like GameSearchMedia are not as destructive as ransomware, but that doesn’t mean that are completely harmless. It can collect browsing related information such as search queries, visited sites, clicked ads or pages and so on. Moreover, it can also gather victims’’ personal and confidential data including systems’ info, UP addresses, geolocations, credit card and banking details etc. All the collected data can be sold to cyber criminals who could misuse it for generating illicit revenues. Having a browser hijacker in your work-station could sometimes result in malicious ads exposure.

Due to GameSearchMedia ads, you might end up on a web portal which claims that your device needs a Flash Player to be installed that might lead to another PUP or more dangerous cyber threat infiltration. Sooner or later, your system may turn into a malware-hub. This perilous hijacker continuously performs malevolent deeds in the background of the compromised machine which consumes huge amount of memory resources and slows down the overall PC performance severely. It causes the device to respond very slowly and take more than usual time to complete any task.

To get automatically activated with each device startup, it makes spiteful entries in Windows registries and alters its default settings. It may lead to many other pernicious issues such as frequent system crash, hard drive failure, application malfunctioning, boot errors and so on. And therefore, an instant GameSearchMedia removal is highly recommended.

Threat Details

Name: GameSearchMedia  

Type: Browser hijacker, Redirect virus, Potentially unwanted program

Short Description: Alterations to default browser’s settings, Redirects users to affiliated web pages, promotes sponsored products, services and programs and make online profits for the creators. 

Symptoms: Modified home page, search engine, new tab settings, constant appearance of intrusive adverts, redirects to unknown domains, fake pop-up messages, identity theft. Users are enforced to search the Internet using fake search engines, slowness of infected system’s performance.

Distribution methods: Free software installers (bundling), malicious pop-ups ads, fake flash player installers.

Damage: Web browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), exhibition of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites.

Removal: To get rid of this infection and other malware threats, our security researchers recommend scanning your device with an effective anti-malware tool.

Ways To Spread GameSearchMedia:

Potentially unwanted applications like browser hijackers are most often distributed with freeware bundles. During the installation of free apps, when people choose Quick or Easy configuration settings, all the bundled components get installed because all the boxes selected for the installation are pre-ticked. That’s how most of the PC users are deceived. Careless download and installations (such as ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options etc.) increases the risk of unknowingly allowing bundled objects into the machine. You might also get infected with such unwanted threats due to intrusive advertisements. Once you click on vicious ads, they can execute scripts to download and install the PUP without your knowledge.

Tips To Prevent Adware Intrusion:

While installing a freeware, users are in a hurry and they have no time to select Custom or Advanced installation options instead of the Quick or Standard ones. They don’t even read the terms and conditions. And that’s where the creators of such browser hijackers or adware catch the unsuspecting users. To prevent your system from being infected with these unwanted applications, you need to take time and select the Advanced or Custom configuration settings and then proceed step by step. Remove ticks from pre-selected boxes of objects that you don’t want to be installed in your computer. But at the moment, you must remove GameSearchMedia from the PC without wasting any time.

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 GameSearchMedia:

Remove the related items of GameSearchMedia 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 GameSearchMedia 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 (GameSearchMedia) 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 GameSearchMedia 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 GameSearchMedia 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 GameSearchMedia 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 GameSearchMedia 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 GameSearchMedia (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.