I wrote this article to help you remove Startpageing123.com. This Startpageing123.com removal guide works for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Startpageing123.com is an alternative search engine. The platform promises to enhance the browsing results by deploying a different technique to finding information on the Internet. The website has a number of classic features, including tabs for advanced search and language settings. There are filters for images, videos, and news. Startpageing123.com can be used in 20 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Dutch, Turkish, Hindi, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Vietnamese, and Thai. The domain gives the impression that it is a reliable search provider, but this is not the case. Startpageing123.com is connected to a browser hijacker.

The clandestine program uses the website to get control over the web browser. It can penetrate all established browsing clients, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and others. The hijacker resets Startpageing123.com as the homepage and default search provider. This allows the covert program to render the search results. It inserts supported pages amid the regular results. While the act of promoting third party content is regular, it is required to abide by certain rules and regulations. The owners of the Startpageing123.com hijacker do not assure users’ security as they should. Some of the sponsored websites could be malicious.

The hijacker uses the pay-per-click system to raise revenue. A small sum is paid for every time a user clicks on a supported link. Since not all people are accustomed to looking up information on the web frequently, the shady tool uses a more direct approach to supported advertising. It generates ads in separate browser windows. They will appear at random and interrupt your work. The full-screen ads will cover your active tabs. The pop-under formats are less intrusive and more deceptive. They could pass as suggestions from the sites they are embedded into. Examples for pop-unders include banners, in-text links, contextual, interstitial, floating, and transitional ads. The last two types from the list are closer to the pop-ups in terms of presentation. They move around, following the user’s scrolls.

Keep in mind that the Startpageing123.com hijacker does not scan the content it forwards to the end user. Any of the advertisements and the sponsored search results may lead you to malicious domains and get your computer infected with malware. The proprietors of the Startpageing123.com website have taken measures to avoid encountering legal problems. In their terms of use, it is stated that the entity exercises the right to disclaim warranties in their entirety. The company has also published a limited liability statement. You will notice that the entity is not named in any section of the website. This is a major red flag. There should be information about the registrant behind the domain.

The Startpageing123.com hijacker also has tracking capabilities. This poses an even bigger security threat. The insidious program can collect personal and financial details on you. It records the users’ browsing history, keystrokes, IP address, geographic location, area code, email, phone number, user names, passwords, and the data they have entered into their online accounts. The developers of the hijacker trade the gathered input on darknet markets. The people who obtain your private details can use them to hack your accounts and withdraw your funds.

The best way to handle cyber security issues is to prevent them from happening. You do not need to read up on malware, just be attentive when processing information online. By this, we mean that the Startpageing123.com hijacker has a few simple tricks up its sleeve. Once you become familiar with them, you will be able to avoid all infections which use them. The most common way for the furtive program to enter your computer is through a software bundle. The hijacker will be listed as a bonus with the host program. You will have to deselect it. Take the time to review the terms and conditions.

The other propagation vector the Startpageing123.com hijacker makes use of is spam emails. The secluded tool hides behind attachments, waiting for the user to open them. Accessing the file can be enough to prompt the download and install of the malicious program. The person behind the bogus message will do his best to make it appear genuine. He can write on behalf of a legitimate entity, like the national post, a courier firm, a bank, a government branch, a social network, or the local police department. To check whether a given email is reliable, proof the listed contacts.

Startpageing123.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 Startpageing123.com from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.