How to uninstall SecureTab from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

What is SecureTab?

The IT security experts have determined that SecureTab is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that falls under the group of Browser hijackers. It affects your computer and changes browser settings. SecureTab can take over your web browser and force you to use the securetab.xyz site as your new tab page, start page and search provider by default. When SecureTab in the computer, it can collect user information such as search queries as well as browsing history. so if you find this PUP on the PC system you need to uninstall it. The detailed removal guide will assist you remove SecureTab and protect your computer from more dangerous applications.

When you’re performing searches using the browser that has been affected by SecureTab, the search results will be returned from Bing, Yahoo or Google Custom Search. The devs behind SecureTab hijacker are most likely doing this to generate advertisement profit from the advertisements shown in the search results.

In addition to the above, it is able to collect a wide variety of personal info about you that can be later sold to third party companies. You do not know if your home address, account names and passwords are safe. And of course you completely do not know what will happen when you click on any ads on the SecureTab website.

Therefore, SecureTab does not really have beneficial features. So, we advise you delete it from the computer as quickly as possible. This will also prevent the browser hijacker from tracking your online activities. A full SecureTab removal can be easily carried out using manual or automatic solution listed below.

How can a browser hijacker get on your computer

In most cases, a freeware installation package includes adware or PUPs such as this browser hijacker. So, be very careful when you agree to install anything. The best way – is to choose a Custom, Advanced or Manual setup method. Here reject all bundled programs in which you are unsure or that causes even a slightest suspicion.

Threat Summary

Name	SecureTab
Type	start page hijacker, redirect virus, search provider hijacker, browser hijacker, PUP
Promoted domains	securetab.xyz
Affected Browser Settings	new tab URL, search provider, startpage
Distribution	free software setup files, malicious pop up advertisements, fake software updaters
Symptoms	Popups and new tabs are loaded without your request. Every time you perform an Internet search, your browser is redirected to another webpage. Your personal computer starts automatically installing unexpected programs. An unwanted browser addon appears in your web browser. Your browser startpage has replaced and you cannot modify it back.
Removal	SecureTab removal guide

How to remove SecureTab browser hijacker (removal steps)

There are a few ways that can be used to remove SecureTab. But, not all potentially unwanted apps like this hijacker can be completely deleted utilizing only manual ways. In many cases you’re not able to delete any browser hijacker using standard Windows options. In order to get rid of the browser hijacker you need complete a few manual steps and run free malware removal tools. Most security professionals states that Zemana Free, MalwareBytes Anti Malware or Hitman Pro utilities are a right choice. These free programs are able to find and remove SecureTab from your PC and restore your browser settings to defaults.

To remove SecureTab, follow the steps below:

1. How to manually remove SecureTab
   • Remove SecureTab related programs through the Control Panel of your PC
   • Remove SecureTab hijacker from web browsers
2. Automatic Removal of SecureTab
3. How to stop SecureTab redirect

How to manually remove SecureTab

Read this section to know how to manually delete the SecureTab browser hijacker. Even if the few simple steps does not work for you, there are several free malware removers below that can easily handle such browser hijackers.

Remove SecureTab related programs through the Control Panel of your PC

Some of PUPs, adware and browser hijacker can be removed using the Add/Remove programs utility which is located in the Windows Control Panel. So, if you’re running any version of Windows and you have noticed an unwanted program, then first try to remove it through Add/Remove programs.

It will open the Windows Control Panel as shown on the image below.

Next, click “Uninstall a program”
It will display a list of all programs installed on your PC system. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall any suspicious and unknown programs. To quickly find the latest installed applications, we recommend sort software by date in the Control panel.

Remove SecureTab hijacker from web browsers

If you have ‘SecureTab removal’ problem, then remove unwanted plugins can help you. In the steps below we’ll show you the way to delete harmful extensions without reinstall. This will also help to remove the browser hijacker from your web-browser.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
Click on ‘three dots menu’ button at the top right corner of the Chrome window. In the menu go to ‘More tools’, then ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to get rid of SecureTab hijacker by reset Google Chrome settings.	Click on ‘menu’ button and select ‘Add-ons’. Go to ‘Extensions’ tab. To uninstall an add-on, click on ‘Remove’ button next to it. If you are still experiencing issues with SecureTab browser hijacker removal, you need to reset Firefox browser.
Internet Explorer	Safari
Click ‘Tools’ button in the top-right corner. Select ‘Manage add-ons’. In the drop-down menu under ‘Show’, select ‘All add-ons’. To delete an add-on, double-click it; in the new window click ‘Remove’. Another solution to remove SecureTab browser hijacker from Internet Explorer is reset IE settings.	On the top menu select ‘Safari’, then ‘Preferences’. Select ‘Extensions’ tab. Select an extension you want to delete and click ‘Uninstall’ button next to it.

Automatic Removal of SecureTab

Many antivirus companies have designed applications that allow detect and remove hijacker, and thereby return internet browsers settings. Below is a a few of the free programs you may want to run. Your computer can have lots of PUPs, adware software and browser hijackers installed at the same time, so we advise, if any unwanted or malicious program returns after restarting the device, then run your personal computer into Safe Mode and run the anti-malware tool once again.

Use Zemana to remove SecureTab hijacker

Thinking about delete SecureTab browser hijacker from your internet browser? Then pay attention to Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM). This is a well-known utility, originally created just to detect and delete malware, adware software and PUPs. But by now it has seriously changed and can not only rid you of malware, but also protect your device from malicious software and adware, as well as find and delete common viruses and trojans.

Now you can install and run Zemana to get rid of SecureTab hijacker from your internet browser by following the steps below:

Visit the page linked below to download Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) setup file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your PC system. Save it on your Desktop.

Start the setup package after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to install this tool on your personal computer.

During installation you can change some settings, but we advise you don’t make any changes to default settings.

When installation is finished, this malicious software removal utility will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window as on the image below.

Now press the “Scan” button to begin scanning your PC system for the SecureTab browser hijacker. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished.

As the scanning ends, Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will open a list of detected items. Review the scan results and then click “Next” button.

The Zemana AntiMalware will begin to delete SecureTab hijacker. After the cleaning process is done, you can be prompted to restart your computer to make the change take effect.

Remove SecureTab hijacker from web-browsers with HitmanPro

Hitman Pro is a free removal tool. It deletes PUPs, adware, hijackers and undesired web-browser extensions. It will scan for and get rid of SecureTab hijacker. Hitman Pro uses very small computer resources and is a portable program. Moreover, HitmanPro does add another layer of malware protection.

HitmanPro can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

Download and run Hitman Pro on your PC system. Once started, click “Next” button to start checking your device for the SecureTab hijacker. This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the HitmanPro tool is checking, you can see count of objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software..

Once the scanning is done, the results are displayed in the scan report.

When you’re ready, click Next button.

It will open a prompt, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malicious software found.

Remove SecureTab browser hijacker with MalwareBytes

Manual SecureTab browser hijacker removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the browser hijacker can be not fully removed. We suggest that run the MalwareBytes Free that are fully clean your PC system of hijacker. Moreover, this free program will allow you to get rid of malicious software, potentially unwanted apps, adware and toolbars that your PC system can be infected too.

1. First, visit the following page, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM).
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   326464 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. Once the download is complete, close all software and windows on your device. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named MBsetup.
3. Select “Personal computer” option and press Install button. Follow the prompts.
4. Once setup is finished, click the “Scan” button to begin checking your computer for the SecureTab browser hijacker. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your PC system and the speed of your computer. While the MalwareBytes tool is checking, you can see number of objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software.
5. As the scanning ends, MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) will display a list of all threats detected by the scan. Review the results once the tool has complete the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click “Quarantine”. When the clean up is finished, you can be prompted to restart your computer.

The following video offers a few simple steps on how to delete browser hijackers, adware software and other malicious software with MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM).

How to stop SecureTab redirect

If you surf the Web, you can’t avoid malicious advertising. But you can protect your web-browser against it. Download and use an ad blocking program. AdGuard is an ad-blocker which can filter out a large amount of of the malvertising, stoping dynamic scripts from loading malicious content.

Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you will need to download AdGuard on your Microsoft Windows Desktop by clicking on the following link.

When the download is finished, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown on the screen below.

Follow the prompts. When the setup is done, you will see a window as displayed below.

You can click “Skip” to close the setup program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that will help you get to know AdGuard better.

In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you start your personal computer, AdGuard will run automatically and stop unwanted ads, block securetab.xyz, as well as other harmful or misleading web-sites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that can be found on your desktop.

Finish words

Now your computer should be free of the SecureTab hijacker. We suggest that you keep Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) (to periodically scan your PC system for new browser hijackers and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted advertisements and harmful web-pages). Moreover, to prevent any browser hijacker, please stay clear of unknown and third party programs, make sure that your antivirus program, turn on the option to scan for potentially unwanted programs.

If you need more help with SecureTab related issues, go to here.