Secure Surf virus – How to remove (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge)

Except that the Secure Surf can make changes to web browser’s homepage and newtab page, it also rewrites your search engine, which leads to the fact that use of the internet browser’s search becomes uncomfortable. The reason for this is that the search results will consist of a huge count of advertisements, links to unwanted and ad web-sites and only the remaining part is search results for your query from well-known search providers like Google or Bing.

Some browser hijacker viruses also contain ‘ad-supported’ software (also known as adware) which may be used to display unwanted ads and or gather user information that can be sold to third parties. These unwanted ads may be shown in the form of pop-unders, pop-ups, in-text advertisements, video ads, text links or banners or even massive full page ads. Most of the ad-supported software is developed to show advertisements, but certain adware is form of spyware that often used to track users to collect personal information about you.

Therefore it is very important to clean your system of hijacker virus as soon as possible. Follow the steps below to remove Secure Surf redirect virus, as well as other malicious software and ‘ad supported’ software, which can be installed onto your computer along with it.

Remove Secure Surf virus

The answer is right here on this page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will help you easily to free your personal computer of virus. Moreover, you can select manual or automatic removal way. If you are familiar with the computer then use manual removal, otherwise run the free anti malware utility developed specifically to remove virus such as Secure Surf. Of course, you can combine both methods. Read it once, after doing so, please print this page as you may need to close your web browser or restart your machine.

Manual Secure Surf redirect virus removal

If you perform exactly the tutorial below you should be able to remove the Secure Surf redirect virus from the Google Chrome, IE, Firefox and Microsoft Edge internet browsers.

Uninstall suspicious and potentially unwanted applications using Microsoft Windows Control Panel

The process of virus removal is generally the same across all versions of Microsoft Windows OS from 10 to XP. To start with, it’s necessary to check the list of installed programs on your machine and remove all unused, unknown and suspicious applications.

Windows 8, 8.1, 10

First, press Windows button , then click Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as on the image below.

Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as shown in the figure below.

You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as shown on the screen below.

Very carefully look around the entire list of software installed on your personal computer. Most likely, one or more of them are responsible for the appearance of popup advertisements and web-browser redirect to the intrusive Secure Surf web site. If you have many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful programs by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a suspicious, unwanted or unused application, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.

Windows XP, Vista, 7

First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown in the figure below.

Once the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as on the image below.

You will see a list of software installed on your PC. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the programs that were installed last. Most likely they responsibility for the appearance of ads and web browser redirect. If you are in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. When the program which you need to delete is found, simply press on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ as shown on the image below.

Disinfect the internet browser’s shortcuts to get rid of Secure Surf redirect virus

A browser hijacker virus can hijack various Windows shortcuts on your desktop (most often, all web-browsers shortcuts), so in this step you need to check and clean them by removing the argument like http://site.address/.

Click the right mouse button to a desktop shortcut which you use to run your browser. Next, select the “Properties” option. Important: necessary to click on the desktop shortcut for the web-browser which is rerouted to the Secure Surf or other annoying page.

Further, necessary to look at the text which is written in the “Target” field. The browser virus can rewrite the contents of this field, which describes the file to be start when you open your browser. Depending on the web browser you are using, there should be:

• Google Chrome: chrome.exe
• Opera: opera.exe
• Firefox: firefox.exe
• Internet Explorer: iexplore.exe

If you are seeing an unknown text such as “http://site.addres” that has been added here, then you should remove it, like below.

Next, click the “OK” button to save the changes. Now, when you start the internet browser from this desktop shortcut, it does not occur automatically redirect on the Secure Surf web-page or any other unwanted pages. Once the step is finished, we recommend to go to the next step.

Remove Secure Surf from Firefox by resetting web browser settings

If the Firefox web browser program is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of FF. A reset can fix many issues by restoring Mozilla Firefox settings like new tab, homepage and search engine by default to its default state. It will save your personal information such as saved passwords, bookmarks, and open tabs.

First, run the Mozilla Firefox. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will display the drop-down menu. Next, click the Help button ().

In the Help menu click the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page press on “Refresh Firefox” button as shown on the image below.

Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.

Remove Secure Surf virus from Google Chrome

Use the Reset web browser tool of the Chrome to reset all its settings such as newtab page, home page and search engine by default to original defaults. This is a very useful tool to use, in the case of web-browser hijacks such as Secure Surf.

Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will open the drop-down menu. Next, click to “Settings” option.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Show advanced settings” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as shown in the figure below and click the “Reset settings” button.

Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.

Get rid of Secure Surf virus from Microsoft Internet Explorer

In order to recover all web browser start page, new tab page and default search engine you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your computer.

First, open the Microsoft Internet Explorer, press ) button. Next, click “Internet Options” as shown on the screen below.

In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, press Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will show the Reset Internet Explorer settings dialog box. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and click Reset button.

You will now need to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. It will delete Secure Surf hijacker virus, disable malicious and ad-supported web-browser’s extensions and restore the IE’s settings like newtab page, start page and search provider by default to default state.

Use free malware removal utilities to completely remove Secure Surf redirect virus

Use malware removal utilities to delete Secure Surf automatically. The freeware utilities specially designed for virus, adware and other potentially unwanted software removal. These tools may delete most of virus from Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, FF and Microsoft Edge. Moreover, it can remove all components of Secure Surf from Windows registry and system drives.

How to automatically remove Secure Surf with Zemana Anti-malware

We recommend you to use the Zemana Anti-malware which are completely clean your machine. Moreover, the tool will help you to delete potentially unwanted software, malware, toolbars and adware that your PC can be infected too.

Download Zemana antimalware on your PC system from the link below. Save it on your desktop.

Zemana AntiMalware
164032 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019

When the download is finished, close all windows on your system. Further, run the file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up like below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” that will assist you install Zemana anti malware on the computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is done successfully, Zemana antimalware will automatically start and you can see its main window like below.

Next, click the “Scan” button for scanning your PC for the browser virus and other malware and ad-supported software. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your computer and the speed of your computer. While the tool is checking, you may see how many objects it has identified either as being malware.

When the system scan is finished, it’ll show a scan report. In order to remove all items, simply press “Next” button.

The Zemana anti malware will begin removing Secure Surf browser virus and other security threats. Once disinfection is complete, you may be prompted to restart your computer.

Use Malwarebytes to remove Secure Surf redirect virus

Manual Secure Surf redirect virus removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the hijacker virus can be not completely removed. We suggest that run the Malwarebytes Free that are completely free your system of browser virus. Moreover, the free program will help you to remove malware, potentially unwanted programs, adware and toolbars that your machine may be infected too.

Download Malwarebytes from the link below.

Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326384 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020

When downloading is finished, close all applications and windows on your PC. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup as shown on the screen below.

When the install begins, you will see the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Malwarebytes on your computer.

Once install is complete, you will see window as shown on the image below.

Now click the “Scan Now” button . This will begin scanning the whole computer to find out browser virus which cause a reroute to Secure Surf. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your PC system and the speed of your system.

Once the system scan is finished, it will show a scan report. Make sure all entries have ‘checkmark’ and click “Quarantine Selected” button.

The Malwarebytes will start removing Secure Surf browser virus related files, folders, registry keys. Once disinfection is finished, you may be prompted to restart your system.

The following video explains step-by-step guidance on how to remove browser hijacker virus and other malicious software with Malwarebytes Anti-malware.

If the problem with Secure Surf redirect virus is still remained

AdwCleaner is a free removal tool that may be downloaded and use to get rid of hijacker viruses, ad-supported software, malware, PUPs, toolbars and other threats from your PC. You may run this utility to find threats even if you have an antivirus or any other security program.

1. Download AdwCleaner from the link below.
   
   

   AdwCleaner download
   225259 downloads
   Version: 8.4.1
   Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: October 5, 2024
   
2. When downloading is complete, double press the AdwCleaner icon. Once this utility is launched, click “Scan” button to start scanning your PC for the Secure Surf virus and other malicious software and ad-supported software. Depending on your system, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is complete.
3. When the system scan is done, a list of all threats found is produced. Make sure all entries have ‘checkmark’ and click “Clean” button. It will display a prompt, press “OK”.

These few simple steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.

Block Secure Surf and other undesired web pages

It is also critical to protect your web-browsers from malicious sites and advertisements by using an ad blocking program such as AdGuard. Security experts says that it’ll greatly reduce the risk of malicious software, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard may also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.

1. Download AdGuard program from the following link.
   

   Adguard download
   26627 downloads
   Version: 6.4
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 15, 2018
   
2. Once the download is finished, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. Once the setup is done, click “Skip” to close the install program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will help you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you start your machine, AdGuard will launch automatically and block pop ups, Secure Surf redirect, as well as other harmful or misleading web-sites. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon named AdGuard, that may be found on your desktop.

How can you prevent the Secure Surf virus

Many browser viruses such as Secure Surf come from web-browser toolbars, web browser extensions, BHOs (browser helper objects) and third-party programs. In many cases, these items claim itself as software that improve your experience on the Internet by providing a fast and interactive homepage or a search engine that does not track you. Remember, how to avoid the unwanted software. Be cautious, launch only reputable programs which download from reputable sources. NEVER install an unknown and suspicious program.

To sum up

Now your PC should be free of the Secure Surf redirect virus. Remove AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted ads and unwanted harmful web-pages) and Malwarebytes (to periodically scan your computer for new browser hijackers, malware and ad supported software). Probably you are running an older version of Java or Adobe Flash Player. This can be a security risk, so download and install the latest version right now.

If you are still having problems while trying to remove Secure Surf virus from the Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and MS Edge, then ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.