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

Footybase.com is a platform which documents the latest news and scoops from the world of football. The website maintains a news feed. It also features individual sections for lists, quizzes, transfer news and videos. A search provider is connected to the website, though this is not mentioned anywhere. The engine is located at the URL address footybase.com/search.php. The platform is supposed to provide custom results from Google. In reality, the engine is subservient to a browser hijacker. The rogue tool manipulates the search results and monitors the user’s online activity.

What threats does the hijacker behind Footybase.com expose my computer to?

The hijacker has its own agenda. It disregards the security of the end user and blatantly spies on him. The shady program will change your web browser’s settings, making footybase.com/search.php your homepage and default search engine. The results this provider gives are fake and potentially harmful. The hijacker behind Footybase.com chooses which websites will appear in your search result pages. The only criterion for the rogue program is payment. The people behind the hijacker have developed it to make revenue. They get paid by online advertisers, seeking to attract more people to their websites. This monetizing technique is called the pay-per-click system.

The hijacker behind Footybase.com carries out supported advertising campaigns in a couple of ways. Apart from tampering with your search results, the covert tool will display pop-up ads on your screen. The advertisements focus on bargain shopping deals to get users interested. To set the record straight, supported advertising is a legal practice. A lot of reputable companies use this trade to raise proceeds. The problem in this instance is that the owners of the Footybase.com hijacker do not do a scan of the web pages they bring to the end users. Cyber criminals take advantage of hijackers to conduct hacker attacks. They can infect your machine with malware and record your personal information.

Having your private details accessed by third parties is what you should be concerned about the most. The people who obtain your personally identifiable information (PII) can use it to hack your accounts. If you use online banking, credit cards and other financial services through the Internet, your deposits can be stolen. Be advised that the hijacker behind Footybase.com has the ability to record information on you, as well. At the very least, the clandestine program will get access to your browsing history, IP address, geographic location, demographic details, email and other basic information.

How did the hijacker behind Footybase.com penetrate my system?

There are two ways to contact the Footybase.com hijacker. Most victims get infected through another program. Freeware, shareware and pirated copies of paid applications are the most common download clients for the hijacker. The secluded tool tries to get installed with the host software without formally announcing its presence. The option to have the unwanted program included in the installation process would only be mentioned in the terms and conditions. To prohibit the hijacker from getting installed, you have to find where it is listed and deselect it. Be sure to get acquainted with the end user license agreement (EULA) of the tools you add to your system.

The other way for the Footybase.com hijacker to sneak into your computer is through a spam email. The clandestine program hides behind attachments to fake email notifications which are usually stated to be important. The sender will tell you that the attached file is an important document, like a letter, a receipt, an invoice, a bill or a fine. Opening the carrier file would infect you on the spot. Make sure an email message is genuine before following instructions from it. Check the sender’s name and contacts.

Footybase.com Removal

Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you are familiar with this task, 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.

Here are the steps you must perform to remove the hijacker 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 Footybase.com from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.