What is Games Search browser plugin? — Fix Guide

Written by Wilbur Woodham
The Games Search search hijacker is an illustration of a standard unwanted program; such programs are spread massively these days. In this article you will see the detailed instructions of “Games Search” hijacker removal in different tactics: using anti-malware tools and hand-operated elimination method.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
Removing Games Search manually may take hours and may damage your PC in the process. I recommend you to download GridinSoft Anti-Malware for threats removal. Allows to complete scan and cure your PC during the trial period.
Gridinsoft Anti-Malware 6-day trial available.
EULA | Privacy Policy | 10% Off Coupon
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to know about news and our exclusive materials on information security.

Games Search – What is it?

“Games Search” search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)1, that is spread as a plugin for your internet browser. It is usually shared as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that aids to browse some specific details, as an example, about sporting activity events, make your browser much more safe, allow downloading of any kind of video, et cetera.

However, the “Games Search” plugin is pretty ineffective because all such functions are already embedded to your web browser and/or Windows. Such advertising and marketing slogans are targeted at low-skilled computer users, like pensioners or schoolchildren. However occasionally even expert users are getting caught on such an attraction. In particular instances, this hijacker is spread together with free software.

Games Search hijacker - Games-search.com

Games Search Search Hijacker

Here is a summary for the Games Search hijacker
SiteGames-search.com
HostingAS13335 Cloudflare, Inc.
United States, San Francisco
Infection TypeBrowser Hijacker, Unwanted Application
IP Address104.21.59.27
HostingAS13335 Cloudflare, Inc.
San Francisco, United States
SymptomsChanged search engine; search queries redirection
Similar behaviorSearch, Quick, Hao123/
Fix Tool
To remove possible virus infections, try to scan your PC

How harmful is Games Search hijacker?

Besides its impracticality, Games Search hijacker is likewise considerably harmful for browser utilization. It transforms your search engine to its specific – Games-search.com, and also transforms your background, adding its watermark on your wallpaper (or, occasionally, altering it to default with the specified symbol).

In addition to seeable modifications done by Games Search hijacker, you might notice that some of your search questions are redirecting to the uncertain web pages, filled with links and advertisements – so-called doorway sites. Such sites can have links for malware downloads. The possibility of redirecting rises if you try to open Google search page forcibly.

But all these actions are far more frustrating than truly dangerous. The most important risk, particularly for people who have a great deal of secret information in their browsers, is embedded in information collecting functions. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited sites, and other activities are easily collected by Games Search hijacker.

How to remove Games Search search hijacker?

  • Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
  • Open GridinSoft Anti-Malware and perform a “Standard scan“.
  • “Move to quarantine” all items.
  • Open “Tools” tab – Press “Reset Browser Settings“.
  • Select proper browser and options – Click “Reset”.
  • Restart your computer.

Browser hijackers are often pretty easy to delete. In many cases, they have an independent app that can be found in the list of installed apps. As a result of the certain distribution method of Games Search hijacker, it can be simply tracked and removed by hand. Nonetheless, if you got Games Search in the package with a free applications, your system might be contaminated with a lot more major malwaretrojans, spyware or even ransomware. That’s why I’d suggest you make use of anti-malware programs to remove the Games Search PUA and all other malware.

You can make use of Microsoft Defender2 – it is capable of finding and removing a wide range of malware, including named hijacker. Nevertheless, significant malware, that might exist on your PC in the discussed situation, can disable the Windows antivirus tool by modifying the Group Policies. To avoid such scenarios, it is far better to make use of GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

To detect and delete all malicious programs on your PC with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, it’s better to use Standard or Full scan. Quick Scan is not able to find all the malware, because it scans only the most popular registry entries and directories.

Main screen in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

You can observe the detected malicious apps sorted by their possible hazard during the scan process. But to perform any actions against malicious programs, you need to hold on until the scan is finished, or to stop the scan.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware during the scan

To set the action for every detected malicious or unwanted program, click the arrow in front of the name of the detected virus. By default, all the viruses will be removed to quarantine.

List of the detected malware after the scan

Reset browser settings to original ones

To revert your browser settings, you are required to use the Reset Browser Settings option. This action is not able to be counteracted by any malware, hence, you will surely see the result. This action can be found in the Tools tab.

Tools tab in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

After choosing the Reset Browser Settings option, the menu will be displayed, where you can choose, which settings will be reverted to the original.

Reset Browser Settings options

Deleteing Games Search hijacker manually

Besides using anti-malware software for browser restoration, you may choose the “Reset browser settings” function, which is usually embedded in all popular browsers.

To reset Edge, do the following steps :
  1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :
  2. Reseting the Edge browser

  3. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :
For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions :
  1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :
  2. The first step to revert Mozilla Firefox

  3. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :
  4. The second step of Firefox restoration
    After choosing this option, you will see the next message :
    The last step for Firefox

If you use Google Chrome
  1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :
  2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :
  3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :
Opera can be reset in the next way
  1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :
  2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

As an afterword, I want to say that time plays against you and your PC. The activity of browser hijacker must be stopped as soon as possible, because of the possibility of other malware injection. This malware can be downloaded autonomously, or offered for you to download in one of the windows with advertisements, which are shown to you by the hijacker. You need to act as fast as you can.

I need your help to share this guide.

Browser hijackers are among the largest and also disruptive kinds of malware. I published this article to help you, so I wish you will help me to make the computer world completely clean of malware. Please, share this article in the social networks you use – Twitter, Reddit, Facebook – wherever.
.
Wilbur Woodham
How to Remove Games Search?

Name: Games Search

Description: Games Search - a lot of users became a victim of browser hijacker. I have a lot of friends who literally bombed me with the questions like “how to remove Games Search?”. In this article we will show you how to deal with Games Search (Games-search.com), which may corrupt your browser’s correct performance, and create a lot of troubles while you are working.

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Browser Hijacker

Sending
User Review
0 (0 votes)
Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)

References

  1. More information about PUAs
  2. Detailed review of Microsoft Defender

About the author

Wilbur Woodham

I was a technical writer from early in my career, and consider IT Security one of my foundational skills. I’m sharing my experience here, and I hope you find it useful.

Leave a Reply

Sending