What is ByteFence Secure Browsing?
ByteFence Secure Browsing is the extension that gets installed alongside the ByteFence anti-virus program. ByteFence Secure Browsing is often classified as a browser hijacker because it can install without users’ explicit permission. While ByteFence is a legitimate anti-virus program, it’s often distributed via the software bundling method, which is a big issue. Software bundling is a dubious installation method, and programs that use it are automatically classified as potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Software bundling is exactly how users unknowingly install ByteFence Secure Browsing onto their computers.
The ByteFence Secure Browsing extension is classified as a browser hijacker because installs without permission and makes unauthorized changes to the browser’s settings. Changes include a different site set as the homepage and new tabs, as well as a new search engine. These changes can be applied to the most popular browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. While the hijacker is installed, users will not be able to undo the changes to the browser’s settings, which can be quite frustrating for many users.
Until users remove ByteFence Secure Browsing from their computers, they will be redirected to a ByteFence homepage and forced to use a different search engine. These changes are usually done to expose users to sponsored content. Questionable search engines often add sponsored/advertisement content among legitimate search results in order to essentially trick users into visiting certain sites. It’s worth mentioning that while the sites are harmless most of the time, users can be redirected to questionable, even malicious sites.
There are no benefits to keeping ByteFence Secure Browsing installed, especially in cases where users didn’t even install it knowingly.
How do potentially unwanted programs/browser hijackers install?
Since ByteFence is a legitimate anti-virus program, it can be downloaded via its official website or some other safe source. If you installed the program yourself without doing any prior research, we recommend that you be more careful in the future. A simple search with Google or a similar search engine can help determine whether a program is safe to download.
If ByteFence Secure Browsing is installed on your computer but you have no recollection of doing it yourself, it was likely installed via the software bundling method. Software bundling is a very dubious installation method, primarily because it allows programs to install without users’ explicit permission. The way software bundling works is potential threats (adware, browser hijackers, PUPs, etc.) are attached to free programs as extra offers. The extra offers are hidden and authorized to install alongside without requiring users’ explicit permission. The offers are technically optional but because they are hidden, many users simply do not notice them and are unable to deselect them. But correctly installing free programs will help avoid these unwanted programs.
When we say correctly install software, we mean choosing the correct settings during installation. When installing programs, users are given the option to choose either Default (Basic) or Advanced (Custom) settings. The installation window will recommend using Default settings but those settings will allow all added offers to install without permission. To correctly install a free program, users need to install programs using Advanced settings. Those settings will make all added offers visible and give users the option to deselect what they do not want.
Software bundling is not a reliable installation method so programs that use this method to install are highly questionable. Users should always deselect all offers, even if they appear useful at first sight. By permitting these installations, users will fill their computers with junk programs that can be difficult to get rid of once installed.
How to uninstall ByteFence Secure Browsing?
While ByteFence Secure Browsing is not a malicious program, if you did not knowingly install it, there are no reasons why you should allow it to remain installed. You can remove ByteFence Secure Browsing both manually and using anti-virus software, though we recommend the latter. Browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs can be quite persistent and difficult to get rid of manually, so the use of an anti-virus program is recommended. Nonetheless, instructions for how to manually delete ByteFence Secure Browsing from the computer will be provided below. Once this infection is gone from the computer, you will be able to change your browser’s settings as usual.
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Quick Menu
Step 1. Uninstall ByteFence Secure Browsing and related programs.
Remove ByteFence Secure Browsing from Windows 8
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel choose Programs and Features and select to Uninstall a software.
Uninstall ByteFence Secure Browsing from Windows 7
Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features → Uninstall a program.
Delete ByteFence Secure Browsing from Windows XP
Click Start → Settings → Control Panel. Locate and click → Add or Remove Programs.
Remove ByteFence Secure Browsing from Mac OS X
Click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Select applications folder and look for ByteFence Secure Browsing or any other suspicious software. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash, then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
Step 2. Delete ByteFence Secure Browsing from your browsers
Terminate the unwanted extensions from Internet Explorer
- Tap the Gear icon and go to Manage Add-ons.
- Pick Toolbars and Extensions and eliminate all suspicious entries (other than Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle or Adobe)
- Leave the window.
Change Internet Explorer homepage if it was changed by virus:
- Tap the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of your browser and click Internet Options.
- In General Tab remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Press Apply to save changes.
Reset your browser
- Click the Gear icon and move to Internet Options.
- Open the Advanced tab and press Reset.
- Choose Delete personal settings and pick Reset one more time.
- Tap Close and leave your browser.
- If you were unable to reset your browsers, employ a reputable anti-malware and scan your entire computer with it.
Erase ByteFence Secure Browsing from Google Chrome
- Access menu (top right corner of the window) and pick Settings.
- Choose Extensions.
- Eliminate the suspicious extensions from the list by clicking the Trash bin next to them.
- If you are unsure which extensions to remove, you can disable them temporarily.
Reset Google Chrome homepage and default search engine if it was hijacker by virus
- Press on menu icon and click Settings.
- Look for the “Open a specific page” or “Set Pages” under “On start up” option and click on Set pages.
- In another window remove malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
- Under the Search section choose Manage Search engines. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search websites. You should leave only Google or your preferred search name.
Reset your browser
- If the browser still does not work the way you prefer, you can reset its settings.
- Open menu and navigate to Settings.
- Press Reset button at the end of the page.
- Tap Reset button one more time in the confirmation box.
- If you cannot reset the settings, purchase a legitimate anti-malware and scan your PC.
Remove ByteFence Secure Browsing from Mozilla Firefox
- In the top right corner of the screen, press menu and choose Add-ons (or tap Ctrl+Shift+A simultaneously).
- Move to Extensions and Add-ons list and uninstall all suspicious and unknown entries.
Change Mozilla Firefox homepage if it was changed by virus:
- Tap on the menu (top right corner), choose Options.
- On General tab delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
- Press OK to save these changes.
Reset your browser
- Open the menu and tap Help button.
- Select Troubleshooting Information.
- Press Refresh Firefox.
- In the confirmation box, click Refresh Firefox once more.
- If you are unable to reset Mozilla Firefox, scan your entire computer with a trustworthy anti-malware.
Uninstall ByteFence Secure Browsing from Safari (Mac OS X)
- Access the menu.
- Pick Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions Tab.
- Tap the Uninstall button next to the undesirable ByteFence Secure Browsing and get rid of all the other unknown entries as well. If you are unsure whether the extension is reliable or not, simply uncheck the Enable box in order to disable it temporarily.
- Restart Safari.
Reset your browser
- Tap the menu icon and choose Reset Safari.
- Pick the options which you want to reset (often all of them are preselected) and press Reset.
- If you cannot reset the browser, scan your whole PC with an authentic malware removal software.
Site Disclaimer
2-remove-virus.com is not sponsored, owned, affiliated, or linked to malware developers or distributors that are referenced in this article. The article does not promote or endorse any type of malware. We aim at providing useful information that will help computer users to detect and eliminate the unwanted malicious programs from their computers. This can be done manually by following the instructions presented in the article or automatically by implementing the suggested anti-malware tools.
The article is only meant to be used for educational purposes. If you follow the instructions given in the article, you agree to be contracted by the disclaimer. We do not guarantee that the artcile will present you with a solution that removes the malign threats completely. Malware changes constantly, which is why, in some cases, it may be difficult to clean the computer fully by using only the manual removal instructions.