I wrote this article to help you remove Search.hdirectionsandmap.com. This Search.hdirectionsandmap.com removal guide works for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Search.hdirectionsandmap.com is search engine which includes quick access buttons to popular and useful platforms. There are two embedded links bars. The first, located below the search field, gives quick access to Amazon, Gmail, Google Maps, Bing Maps, Geico, and YouTube. The second set of links is built into an embedded toolbar. It provides links to WeatherMap, My News Wire, Facebook, and the platforms for directions and maps listed above. The two sets of quick access buttons share a few common websites because the embedded toolbar is meant to always be available. If you travel frequently, Search.hdirectionsandmap.com would be convenient for you. We do not recommend the platform. According to security researchers, it is associated to a browser hijacker.

If you found Search.hdirectionsandmap.com set as your homepage and default search engine when switching on your computer one day, you have fallen victim to the insidious program. A lot of users have been complaining that this happened to them. The hijacker can sneak its way into your system undetected. There are several ways for this to happen. The preferred distribution technique is called bundling. Freeware, shareware, and pirated programs can trick you into agreeing to install the rogue tool to your computer. They will offer it as a bonus and include it for install per default. If you omit reading the terms and conditions when processing your program of choice, you will be left unaware that another utility is scheduled to be installed in parallel with it.

Spam emails transfer the Search.hdirectionsandmap.com hijacker with the help of files. The furtive program will be hidden behind a supposed document which the sender will append to the email. In many cases, spammers misrepresent legitimate companies and organizations. This helps make their messages seem genuine. To confirm that a given letter comes from the entity it is stated to be from, proof the available contacts. The email address is the best indication, as all other data can easily be copied. The easiest way to spread the hijacker is through drive-by downloads. Entering a corrupted website or following a compromised link can be enough to have the sinister program transferred to your system. You should be careful about the online sources you trust. Do your research if needed.

The Search.hdirectionsandmap.com hijacker is an ad-supported program. It will show you enticing offers for various items, including apparel, technological devices, furniture, accessories, gardening equipment, games, toys, decorative elements, and many others. The featured deals will be brought through ads. Your screen will be flooded with pop-ups, pop-unders, banners, coupon boxes, inline, contextual, floating, interstitial, transitional, comparison, and other kinds of ads on a constant basis. This will be a nuisance at first, but it will become too distracting and intrusive to deal with in time. Moreover, the ads are a potential security threat. They could lead to malware-infused websites. The people behind Search.hdirectionsandmap.com do account for the platforms they link to.

The Search.hdirectionsandmap.com website belongs to a Cayman Islands company by the name of Eightpoint Technologies Ltd. The advertising services are distributed under an exclusive license by Polarity Technologies Ltd., a company based in Limassol, Cyprus. Both entities have decided not to assume responsibility for security-related issues. The potential problems around the hijacker include contracting malware and having sensitive input leaked. The clandestine program records browsing history, tracking cookies, keystrokes, IP address, geographic location, zip code, demographic profile, residency, email account, telephone number, user names, passwords, financial credentials, and other details. The owners of the Search.hdirectionsandmap.com hijacker sell the gathered information on darknet markets.

Search.hdirectionsandmap.com Uninstall

Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you know how to do this, skip the instructions below and proceed to Step 2. If you do not know how to do it, here is how to reboot in Safe mode:

For Windows 98, XP, Millenium and 7:
Reboot your computer. When the first screen of information appears, start repeatedly pressing F8 key. Then choose Safe Mode With Networking from the options.

For Windows 8/8.1
Click the Start button, next click Control Panel —> System and Security —> Administrative Tools —> System Configuration.‌

Check the Safe Boot option and click OK. Click Restart when asked.
For Windows 10
Open the Start menu and click or tap on the Power button.

While keeping the Shift key pressed, click or tap on Restart.

Please, follow the steps precisely to remove Search.hdirectionsandmap.com from the browser:

Remove From Mozilla Firefox:

Open Firefox, click on top-right corner , click Add-ons, hit Extensions next.

Look for suspicious or unknown extensions, remove them all.

Remove From Chrome:

Open Chrome, click chrome menu icon at the top-right corner —>More Tools —> Extensions. There, identify the malware and select chrome-trash-icon(Remove).

Remove From Internet Explorer:
Open IE, then click IE gear icon on the top-right corner —> Manage Add-ons.

Find the malicious add-on. Remove it by pressing Disable.

Right click on the browser’s shortcut, then click Properties. Remove everything after the .exe” in the Target box.

Open Control Panel by holding the Win Key and R together. Write appwiz.cpl in the field, then click OK.

Here, find any program you had no intention to install and uninstall it.

Run the Task Manager by right clicking on the Taskbar and choosing Start Task Manager.

Look carefully at the file names and descriptions of the running processes. If you find any suspicious one, search on Google for its name, or contact me directly to identify it. If you find a malware process, right-click on it and choose End task.

Open MS Config by holding the Win Key and R together. Type msconfig and hit Enter.

Go in the Startup tab and Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer.

Still can not remove Search.hdirectionsandmap.com from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.