I wrote this article to help you remove Search.mpc.am. This Search.mpc.am removal guide is working for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Search.mpc.am is an alternative search engine. The platform mediates search results from Google. An additional feature is a detailed links bar, giving access to different types of websites. Search.mpc.am links to SNS (social networking service) platforms, websites for videos, news, shopping and games. In addition, there is a field for ads. Search.mpc.am promotes a variety of shopping offers, most of which are a bargain. The website may look like a good alternative to a search provider, but it hides security risks. A hijacker uses the domain for its malicious agenda. Its activity can lead to severe problems.

What threats does the Search.mpc.am hijacker pose to my system?

The hijacker will take over your browser and conduct unauthorized activities. The insidious program can penetrate the most common web browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge. The hijacker will reset your homepage and default search engine to Search.mpc.am. It can alter your DNS settings. This will allow the clandestine program to manipulate your search results and monitor your browsing sessions.

The purpose of the hijacker is to raise proceeds for its developers. The main way to achieve this is by supporting third party content. There are two approaches to this activity. The covert program inserts sponsored websites amid the pages which match the entered queries. They will be presented like all other search results, making them indistinguishable. Their reliability is not guaranteed. Any of them could contain malware.

The same risk is evident with the other advertising technique. The Search.mpc.am hijacker generates pop-up advertisements, containing bargain offers for a variety of consumer goods. The product palette encompasses clothes, technological devices, furniture, decorative elements, accessories, sports gear, books, games and many others. Clicking on a pop-up window would lead you to a third party website. The sponsored websites may not be reliable. They could be infused with spyware.

The owners of the Search.mpc.am website have disclaimed liabilities regarding security issues. The domain is registered to a company from Central, Hong Kong called DotCash Limited. The license agreement and privacy policy have been formulated to the entity’s advantage.

The greatest threats around the Search.mpc.am hijacker concern your personal security. The secluded program has the ability to track your browsing sessions and record information on you. The hijacker can access your browsing history, tracking cookies, IP address, geographic location, zip code, email, user names and passwords. The gathered data could fall into the hands of cyber criminals.

How did the hijacker behind Search.mpc.am enter my system?

The hijacker behind Search.mpc.am uses a couple of common distribution techniques. We will explain how they work and give you tips on how to protect your system. The universal advice is to be attentive when performing an operation which involves software or the Internet.

Bundling is a common means of distribution. The Search.mpc.am hijacker can attach itself to another piece of software and try to get installed together with it. The undesired program will be included as a bonus with the application you have chosen to use. You will need to deselect it. Be advised that shady programs often travel with unlicensed tools, like freeware and shareware. You should be selective of the software you add to your system.

The other method of distributing the Search.mpc.am hijacker is via spam emails. The rogue program can be transferred to your PC through an attachment. It can latch onto a document or travel inside an archive. To check whether an email is reliable, look up the contacts the sender has provided. The email address in itself is enough. Spammers create fake accounts to flood users. If an email comes from the official account of a reliable entity, it can be considered legit.

Search.mpc.am 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.mpc.am 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.mpc.am from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.