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

Tavanero Search is an alternate search engine. According to the description on the website, it provides custom results from Google. The platform’s design and color scheme are similar to the interface of the established search engine. There is no merit to the claim that Tavanero Search is associated to Google. The search results the platform brings are not reliable. There is a browser hijacker involved. Tavanero Search is a pawn of the clandestine program. The hijacker uses it to conduct its malicious activities.

What makes Tavanero Search dangerous?

The hijacker behind Tavanero Search interferes with the browser’s settings and tasks. It can affect the most common browsing programs: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge. The furtive tool changes the homepage and default search engine to tavanero.info/tavanero/tavanero.php. It is not advised to use this engine to conduct your searches. The hijacker manipulates the results by inserting sponsored websites amid the pages which genuinely match the entered queries. The supported content is not guaranteed to be reliable. Any of the fake results could redirect to malicious websites.

Manipulating the search results is not the only way to promote third party content. The shady program has been assigned to generate commercial advertisements. This is a direct form of internet marketing which can involve risks. A lot of online advertisers engage the service of various websites, offering to promote third party content. If the collaborators do not run a scan of the sponsored pages, the end user would be at risk.

This is the case with the Tavanero Search hijacker. The only objective of the shady program is to raise revenue. The developers of the hijacker receive commissions for having users follow supported links. This monetizing technique is called the pay-per-click system. The amount the creators of the hijacker make depends on the number of ads the users follow.

Apart from the threat of contacting malware, there is a possibility to have your personal and financial details recorded. The Tavanero Search hijacker has tracking capabilities. It can follow you and gather information from your browsing sessions. The covert tool records the details, stored in the browser by default. This includes the user’s IP address, geographic location, system and browser type and version. The Tavanero Search hijacker is set to seethe through your history, tracking cookies and keystrokes in search of user names, passwords, personal data, financial details and other important entries.

How can your computer get infected with the hijacker behind Tavanero Search?

The most common way to contact the Tavanero Search hijacker is by installing an unreliable piece of software. The rogue program gets attached to pirated utilities, freeware and shareware tools. To avoid granting it access to your system, you just need to read the terms and conditions of the programs you install. The hijacker would be offered as a bonus tool you can get together with the software you have decided to make use of. You should either untick the option for it or terminate the install.

Spam emails are the other entry point for the Tavanero Search hijacker. The secluded program travels through attachments. Opening a file from an email can infect your system without any further actions. A malicious macro or a corrupt script can initiate the download and subsequent install of the hijacker. This process could happen on the background, leaving you obvious. Be advised that a spam email can look legitimate. The sender can misrepresent a reliable company or entity to make you believe so. It is best to proof the reliability of all emails you receive. Check the contacts the sender has provided.

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