How To Remove PrivateNet Search Redirect (Removal Guide)

PrivateNet Search is a browser extension that may bundled with other free software that you download off of the Internet. When installed PrivateNet Search will set the homepage and search engine for your web browser to PrivateNet Search.

The PrivateNet Search Chrome Extension got on your computer after you have installed a freeware software that had bundled into their installation this extension. Unfortunately, some free downloads do not adequately disclose that other software will also be installed and you may find that you have installed PrivateNet Search without your knowledge.

When the PrivateNet Search extension is installed, common symptoms include:

Changing the web browser’s default home page to PrivateNet Search
Changing the browser’s search provider, built-in search box to PrivateNet Search
Ability to modify the ‘new tab’ functionality to launch the modified search portal page
Loads into the web browser via an extension or add-on

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this PrivateNet Search extension. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

How to remove PrivateNet Search Redirect (Removal Guide)

This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the amount of the steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy to understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.

To remove PrivateNet Search redirect, follow these steps:

STEP 1: Remove PrivateNet Search Extension from Web browser
STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove the PrivateNet Search redirect
STEP 3: Double-check for malicious programs with HitmanPro

STEP 1: Remove PrivateNet Search Extension from Web browser

Google Chrome

The “Chrome Cleanup Tool” is an application developed by Google to help users remove software that may cause problems with Google Chrome, such as crashes, unusual startup pages or toolbars, unexpected ads you can’t get rid of, or otherwise changing your browsing experience.
It’s important to be remember that this program is not an antivirus application for your entire system, it only scans for programs interfering with your Google Chrome experience.

You can download Chrome Cleanup Tool from the below link.
CHROME CLEANUP TOOL LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “Chrome Cleanup Tool”)
When Chrome Cleanup Tool has finished downloading, start this program by double-clicking on the chrome_cleanup_tool icon as seen below.
Chrome Cleanup Tool will now scan Google Chrome for adware and browser hijackers. The scan should take less than 1 minute, and will report whether it found any malicious programs or not. If any malicious programs were detected, click on the “Remove suspicious programs” button and wait for the tool to tell you it has completed the process.

If Chrome Cleanup Tool has not detected anything suspicious, then you can click on the “Continue” button and move to the next step.
Next, a new tab in Google Chrome will open, prompting you to reset Chrome to default settings. We recommend that you perform this reset as usually this will remove any browser hijackers that might affect your browser.

Internet Explorer

You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.

Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon” in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. You will now need to close your browser, and then you can open Internet Explorer again.

Mozilla Firefox

If you’re having problems with Firefox, resetting it can help. The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill information, browsing history and open tabs.

In the upper-right corner of the Firefox window, click the Firefox menu button (), then click on the “Help” () button.
From the Help menu, choose Troubleshooting Information.
If you’re unable to access the Help menu, type about:support in your address bar to bring up the Troubleshooting information page.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
To continue, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
Firefox will close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on the “Finish“.

Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove the PrivateNet Search redirect

Malwarebytes is a powerful on-demand scanner which should remove the PrivateNet Search redirect from web browser. It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link open a new page from where you can download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware”)
When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the “mb3-setup-consumer” file to install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your computer.

You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.

To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
Once installed, Malwarebytes will automatically start and update the antivirus database. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for malicious programs.
This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected.
To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine Selected” button.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found.
To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.

When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 3: Double-check for malicious with HitmanPro

HitmanPro can find and remove malware, adware, bots, and other threats that even the best antivirus suite can oftentimes miss. HitmanPro is designed to run alongside your antivirus suite, firewall, and other security tools.

You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)
When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on the “hitmanpro” file to install this program on your computer.

You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Now click on the Next button to continue with the scan process.
HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malware.
When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove malware.
Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.

Your computer should now be free of the PrivateNet Search Chrome Extension.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove PrivateNet Search from your PC, please do one of the following:

Run a computer scan with ESET Online Scanner
Ask for help in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.

Here are 10 basic security tips to help you avoid malware and protect your device:

To avoid potential dangers on the internet, it's important to follow these 10 basic safety rules. By doing so, you can protect yourself from many of the unpleasant surprises that can arise when using the web.