How to remove DigitalIncognitoSearch browser hijacker

DigitalIncognitoSearch is a very typical browser hijacker that hijacks your browser and sets portal.digitalincognitosearch.com as your browser’s homepage. It’s not a particularly dangerous infection but it can expose you to highly questionable content.

 

If you install DigitalIncognitoSearch, it will change your browser’s settings and set its promoted portal.digitalincognitosearch.com website as the homepage and new tabs. In addition to that, mybrowser-search.com will be set as the search engine. These changes to browser’s settings are done to make it easier to redirect you to sponsored websites. Redirecting to certain sites to generate traffic and revenue is one of the main purposes of browser hijackers.

The site set as your homepage will be promoting a questionable search engine, which if used would insert sponsored content into search results. This is how hijackers redirect users. In most cases, the redirects will be harmless enough. However, in some cases, you could be redirected to websites that conceal malware or promote scams. The redirects are also very annoying, which is reason enough to remove DigitalIncognitoSearch browser hijacker immediately.

If you’re wondering how the hijacker managed to enter your computer, it likely came alongside some free program you installed. These kinds of infections usually use software bundling to infect users’ computers without being noticed. We highly recommend you continue reading to learn how to correctly install free software, if you want to avoid these unwanted installations in the future.

Software bundling is how browser hijackers usually install

Because no one would install them otherwise, browser hijackers, adware and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) use software bundling to install unnoticed. Software bundling is essentially adding additional offers to programs and allowing them to install alongside automatically. It’s a pretty sneaky method, which is why anti-virus software usually detect programs that use it as potentially unwanted.

When installing freeware, it’s important that you pay attention to the process. If anything has been added to the program you are installing, it will be initially hidden. If you want to make it visible, you need to opt for Advanced (Custom) settings during the installation process. In addition to being able to review what has been added, you will also be able to deselect everything, preventing unwanted installations. All you really need to do is uncheck a couple of boxes.

Keep in mind that all free programs you download from non-official websites will have something attached to it. So unless you want your computer to be filled with junk programs, always pay attention to what programs you install and how you do it.

Hijackers mainly focus on redirecting to sponsored websites

As soon as a browser hijacker installs, it will be immediately obvious. It will attach itself to popular browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and change their settings. portal.digitalincognitosearch.com will load as your homepage, and mybrowser-search.com will be set as your default search engine. You will be stuck with these changes until you uninstall DigitalIncognitoSearch hijacker from your computer.

The site that gets set as your homepage is very typical. It’s practically identical to countless other hijacker promoted sites. The site has a PDF converter, a cryptocurrency and currency converter and a calculator feature. It will also have a search engine box. If you use that or perform a search via your browser address bar, you will be redirected to a couple of websites for a few seconds and then to mybrowser-search.com. You will immediately notice that search results are different from ones that would be displayed by search engines like Google or Bing. Sponsored content will be inserted among legitimate search results in order to redirect you to certain sponsored websites. Avoid clicking on those search results because you could be redirected to potentially dangerous pages.

Browser hijackers are also know to collect information about browsing activities. It will track what you search for, what content you interact with, what sites you visit, your IP address, etc. It’s quite intrusive behaviour, and you certainly do not have to put up with it.

DigitalIncognitoSearch browser hijacker removal

Browser hijackers aren’t serious infections but they should be removed as soon as possible. It would be easiest to remove DigitalIncognitoSearch hijacker using anti-virus software such as WiperSoft. The program would not only delete DigitalIncognitoSearch but also undo the setting changes it has implemented. Once the hijacker is gone from the computer, your browsing will go back to normal.