Seen On Screen virus: remove New Tab in Chrome

Learn why the Seen On Screen browser extension is considered malicious and how to prevent traffic redirects to search.mysearch.com caused by the hijacker.

While claiming to provide one click access to top-rated streaming services and other multimedia features, the Seen On Screen extension causes a great deal of trouble to anyone who adds it to Chrome or other browser. This is quite a demonstrative example of a potentially unwanted application marketed as something useful and worth trying. It is being distributed as freeware via seen-on-screen.thewhizmarketing.com website, which may be backed by malware itself in that an associated traffic hijacker causes redirects to the questionably safe resource. Having reviewed the ostensibly attractive features of the applet, users may end up downloading and adding it to their preferred browser. From that moment on, web surfing malfunctions are imminent. The adware will add a toolbar to the top part of the browser window and run with high-level privileges.

The above-mentioned toolbar contains shortcuts for the featured trailer, different movie genres, news, awards and reviews. Whereas these options don’t seem to be clearly intrusive, the other effects of the malware are adverse by all means. The Seen On Screen virus tweaks a victim’s web browsing preferences without giving him or her the slightest chance of opting out. It configures the search.mysearch.com site to be resolved when the browser is launched and a new tab is opened. The mutilated online preferences pose a serious problem because the changes are problematic to undo. The imposed service isn’t of much value as it returns search results mixed up with sponsored ads above the fold.

The Seen On Screen extension proliferates via stealth methods. As it has been mentioned, users are rerouted to seen-on-screen.thewhizmarketing.com by a perpetrating script that runs in the background of a targeted system. Again, the marketing part of the app appears to be fairly professional and eye-catching, therefore some people don’t mind installing and using it. However, they are unaware of the aftermath of such an action. In particular, there is no clear indication that the browser homepage and new tab settings will undergo a critical, hard-to-revert change. Furthermore, the Seen On Screen virus collects personally identifiable information, including the victim’s browsing history, bookmarked pages as well as even logins and passwords entered. These properties make the extension a must-avoid entity. In the event the contamination has already occurred, it’s highly recommended to follow a specially crafted adware cleanup procedure and make the right Internet settings take effect again.

Automated removal of Seen On Screen virus

Owing to an up-to-date database of malware signatures and intelligent behavioral detection, the recommended software can quickly locate the infection, eradicate it and remediate all harmful changes. So go ahead and do the following:

1. Download and install the antimalware tool. Open the solution and have it check your PC for PUPs and other types of malicious software by clicking the Start Computer Scan button

Download Seen On Screen remover

2. Rest assured the scan report will list all items that may harm your operating system. Select the detected entries and click Fix Threats to get the troubleshooting completed.

Use Control Panel to get rid of Seen On Screen virus

• Open up the Control Panel from your Start menu in Windows and select Uninstall a program

• To facilitate the process of locating the threat, sort the programs list by date to get the latest ones displayed at the very top. Look for unfamiliar entries under the Name column. When Seen On Screen or another likely crapware is found, click Uninstall and follow further directions to get the removal done.

Restore web browser settings to their original defaults

In the circumstances of a complex browser hijack like this, executing a reset makes the most sense despite a few obvious downsides. Customizations such as saved passwords, bookmarked pages etc. will be gone, but so will all the changes made by the potentially unwanted program. The instructions below address the workflow for the web browsers most targeted by the Seen On Screen virus.

Reset Google Chrome

• Open Chrome, expand the Customize and control Google Chrome menu and choose Settings

• Scroll down the settings screen and click Advanced down at the bottom

• Move on to the Reset and clean up sub-section and select the option that says Restore settings to their original defaults

• Finally, confirm the restoration by clicking Reset settings on the warning message

• Restart Chrome.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

• Open Firefox, type about:support in the URL area and press Enter. Alternatively, you can click on the Open menu icon in the top right-hand part of the browser window, then select the Help option and proceed to Troubleshooting Information

• On the Troubleshooting Information screen, spot the Refresh Firefox button and click on it

• Follow subsequent directions to reset Firefox to its original settings

• Restart the browser.

Reset Internet Explorer

• Select Internet options under IE’s Tools (Alt+X)

• Proceed by clicking on Advanced tab, then select Reset

• To confirm the intended changes, click Reset on the Reset Internet Explorer Settings screen after ascertaining that the Delete personal settings checkbox is enabled

• Reboot the machine to fully implement the fix.

Reset Safari

• Go to the Safari menu and select Preferences

• When on the Preferences screen, select the Privacy tab and hit the Remove All Website Data button if you are up to erasing all website data stored on your Mac. Otherwise, you can use a site-specific removal option described below

• A dialog will appear, asking you to validate your choice. Click the Remove Now button if you are sure. Be advised this will log you out of online services and undo personalized web browser settings such as saved passwords, etc.

• Safari also allows deleting data for specific sites rather than all sites in general. To use this option, click the Details button under Privacy tab

• Select the websites for which you would like to erase data and click the Remove button

• Click the Done button to confirm and exit. You can also select the Remove All option to remove all data stored by the listed websites.

Revise your security status

Post-factum assessment of the accuracy component in malware removal scenarios is a great habit that prevents the comeback of harmful code or replication of its unattended fractions. Make sure you are good to go by running an additional safety checkup.

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