What is LiveTab?
The cyber security experts have determined that LiveTab is a PUP (potentially unwanted program) from the family of Browser hijackers. Browser hijackers are created to take over the web-browser and control user’s surfing preferences. It commonly aims at Chrome browser, but it’s possible that it can hijack other web-browser too. Browser hijackers and PUPs can sneak into the personal computer unnoticed due to the fact that it’s actively being promoted in free applications. We suggest that you delete LiveTab as soon as you notice the changes it has made to your search engine by default, startpage and new tab page.
When you’re performing searches using the internet browser that has been affected with LiveTab, the search results will be returned from Bing, Yahoo or Google Custom Search. The developers of LiveTab hijacker are most probably doing this to earn advertisement money from the advertisements displayed in the search results.
The LiveTab hijacker can collect your World Wide Web surfing activity by recording cookie information, Internet Service Provider (ISP), URLs visited, IP addresses, web browser version and type and websites visited. Such kind of behavior can lead to serious security problems or personal info theft. This is another reason why the hijacker should be removed immediately.
Browser hijackers are usually written in ways common to malware, spyware and adware. In order to get rid of LiveTab, you will need use the following steps or use free removal tool listed below.
How can a browser hijacker get on your PC
In most cases, browser hijackers and PUPs come bundled with the setup files from a free hosting and file sharing web sites. So, install free programs is a a good chance that you will find a bundled browser hijacker. If you don’t know how to avoid it, then use a simple trick. During the install, choose the Custom or Advanced setup option. Next, click ‘Decline’ button and clear all checkboxes on offers that ask you to install bundled applications. Moreover, please carefully read Term of use and User agreement before installing any new software.
Threat Summary
Name | LiveTab |
Type | redirect virus, browser hijacker, search engine hijacker, startpage hijacker, PUP |
Affected Browser Settings | startpage, new tab URL, search engine |
Distribution | freeware installation packages, misleading pop up advertisements, fake software updaters |
Symptoms | Popups and newtabs are loaded without your request. Your web-browser is redirected to web sites you did not want. Unwanted application installed without your consent. An unwanted web-browser plugin appears in your browser. Your internet browser home page has replaced without your permission. |
Removal | LiveTab removal guide |
How to remove LiveTab browser hijacker (removal instructions)
Not all unwanted programs such as LiveTab hijacker are easily uninstallable. You might see a new homepage, new tab, search engine and other type of unwanted changes to the Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and IE settings and might not be able to figure out the program responsible for this activity. The reason for this is that many unwanted programs neither appear in Windows Control Panel. Therefore in order to fully get rid of LiveTab browser hijacker, you need to complete the following steps. Some of the steps below will require you to exit this web-page. So, please read the step-by-step tutorial carefully, after that bookmark it or open it on your smartphone for later reference.
To remove LiveTab, use the following steps:
How to manually remove LiveTab
Steps to delete LiveTab without any software are presented below. Be sure to carry out the step-by-step guidance completely to fully remove this browser hijacker.
Delete LiveTab associated software by using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
One of the first things to attempt for removal of browser hijacker is to check your computer installed applications screen and look for undesired and suspicious apps. If there are any software you do not recognize or are no longer using, you should delete them. If that doesn’t work, then you may need to use malware removal utility such as Zemana Free.
Windows 10, 8.1, 8
Click the MS Windows logo, and then click Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter like below.
After the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as shown in the following example.
Windows 7, Vista, XP
Open Start menu and choose the ‘Control Panel’ at right as displayed in the following example.
Then go to ‘Add/Remove Programs’ or ‘Uninstall a program’ (Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista) like below.
Carefully browse through the list of installed apps and remove all suspicious and unknown software. We advise to click ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed applications by date. After you have found anything questionable that can be the LiveTab hijacker or other potentially unwanted application (PUA), then select it and press ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the dubious program blocked from removal, then use Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully remove it from your device.
Remove LiveTab from Chrome
Resetting Chrome to original state is helpful in deleting the LiveTab hijacker from your internet browser. This solution is always advisable to follow if you have difficulty in removing changes caused by hijacker.
First start the Google Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal dots ().
It will display the Chrome menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the addon signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guide: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Chrome menu once again. Further, press the option named “Settings”.
The browser will show the settings screen. Another method to show the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the browser adress bar and press Enter
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and press the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, as displayed in the figure below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Google Chrome will display the confirmation dialog box like the one below.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The web-browser will start the task of cleaning. Once it’s done, the internet browser’s settings including home page, newtab page and search engine by default back to the values that have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your PC.
Delete LiveTab hijacker from Internet Explorer
The Internet Explorer reset is great if your web browser is hijacked or you have unwanted addons or toolbars on your web-browser, that installed by a malicious software.
First, run the Internet Explorer. Next, click the button in the form of gear (). It will show the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” such as the one below.
In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Internet Explorer will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window like below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.
You will now need to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.
Remove LiveTab hijacker from Firefox
Resetting Mozilla Firefox browser will reset all the settings to their original state and will remove LiveTab, malicious add-ons and extensions. However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be lost. This will not affect your history, passwords, bookmarks, and other saved data.
Start the Mozilla Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the web browser screen. Next, click the question-mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will open the slide-out menu.
Select the “Troubleshooting information”. If you’re unable to access the Help menu, then type “about:support” in your address bar and press Enter. It bring up the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the image below.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation dialog box. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the LiveTab hijacker. After, it’s done, click the “Finish” button.
Automatic Removal of LiveTab
If you’re unsure how to remove LiveTab browser hijacker easily, consider using automatic hijacker removal programs which listed below. It will identify the LiveTab browser hijacker and delete it from your computer for free.
Use Zemana AntiMalware to get rid of LiveTab hijacker
Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) is a free utility that performs a scan of your computer and displays if there are existing adware, browser hijackers, viruses, worms, spyware, trojans and other malware residing on your PC system. If malware is found, Zemana can automatically remove it. Zemana Free doesn’t conflict with other antimalware and antivirus software installed on your personal computer.
- Zemana can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Windows desktop.
Zemana AntiMalware
164027 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
- Once you have downloaded the installation file, make sure to double click on the Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. This would start the Zemana Anti Malware installation on your computer.
- Select installation language and click ‘OK’ button.
- On the next screen ‘Setup Wizard’ simply click the ‘Next’ button and follow the prompts.
- Finally, once the setup is finished, Zemana Free will open automatically. Else, if does not then double-click on the Zemana Free icon on your desktop.
- Now that you have successfully install Zemana Anti Malware, let’s see How to use Zemana Free to remove LiveTab browser hijacker from your computer.
- After you have started the Zemana Free, you will see a window like below, just click ‘Scan’ button to perform a system scan for the browser hijacker.
- Now pay attention to the screen while Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) scans your computer.
- As the scanning ends, Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will produce a list of unwanted software and browser hijacker. Next, you need to click ‘Next’ button.
- Zemana AntiMalware may require a reboot device in order to complete the LiveTab hijacker removal process.
- If you want to fully delete browser hijacker from your device, then press ‘Quarantine’ icon, select all malware, adware, PUPs and other threats and click Delete.
- Reboot your device to complete the browser hijacker removal process.
Remove LiveTab browser hijacker and malicious extensions with Hitman Pro
All-in-all, Hitman Pro is a fantastic tool to clean your PC system from any undesired programs such as LiveTab hijacker. The HitmanPro is portable program that meaning, you don’t need to install it to run it. Hitman Pro is compatible with all versions of MS Windows OS from Windows XP to Windows 10. Both 64-bit and 32-bit systems are supported.
- First, click the link below, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of Hitman Pro.
- After downloading is finished, double click the Hitman Pro icon. Once this tool is launched, click “Next” button to detect LiveTab hijacker. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your PC and the speed of your computer. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is finished.
- As the scanning ends, you will be displayed the list of all found threats on your device. All detected items will be marked. You can remove them all by simply click “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to start the free 30 days trial to remove all malware found.
Use MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) to remove LiveTab browser hijacker
We suggest using the MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) which are fully clean your device of the browser hijacker. The free utility is an advanced malware removal program created by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This application uses the world’s most popular anti-malware technology. It’s able to help you remove browser hijacker, potentially unwanted programs, malicious software, adware, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your computer for free.
Download MalwareBytes AntiMalware by clicking on the link below. Save it to your Desktop.
326379 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When the downloading process is done, close all windows on your personal computer. Further, run the file called MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown on the image below, click the “Yes” button.
It will display the Setup wizard that will help you set up MalwareBytes Free on the personal computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is finished successfully, click “Get Started” button. Then MalwareBytes AntiMalware will automatically start and you can see its main window similar to the one below.
Next, click the “Scan” button for scanning your device for the LiveTab browser hijacker. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your personal computer and the speed of your PC. While the MalwareBytes is checking, you may see how many objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
After finished, MalwareBytes Free will produce a list of unwanted software and hijacker. Review the report and then click “Quarantine” button.
The MalwareBytes Free will remove LiveTab browser hijacker and move the selected threats to the Quarantine. Once the cleaning process is finished, you can be prompted to restart your computer. We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) to remove hijackers, adware software and other malicious software.
How to stop LiveTab redirect
In order to increase your security and protect your computer against new unwanted advertisements and malicious web-pages, you need to use ad blocking program that stops an access to harmful ads and websites. Moreover, the program may stop the show of intrusive advertising, which also leads to faster loading of web-pages and reduce the consumption of web traffic.
Click the following link to download the latest version of AdGuard for Windows. Save it to your Desktop.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading it, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as displayed on the image below.
Follow the prompts. When the installation is done, you will see a window such as the one below.
You can press “Skip” to close the install program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that will assist 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 computer, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted ads, block LiveTab redirects, 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, which can be found on your desktop.
To sum up
We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted pop up ads and unwanted malicious web pages) and Zemana AntiMalware (to periodically scan your computer for new hijackers and other malware). 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 get rid of LiveTab hijacker from the Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer, then ask for help here here.