How to remove Theyscan.com

What is Theyscan.com

Theyscan.com is a browser hijacker, also called a redirect virus. While it’s not a virus, nor is it a particularly malicious infection, hijackers are often referred to as viruses by users because of their behaviour. They install via software bundling, make unwanted changes to browsers and redirect users to questionable websites in order to make revenue. However, they don’t do serious harm to the computer as that is not their intention. They aim to generate traffic and revenue by redirecting users to certain websites. They are also able to modify search results in order to redirect. While hijackers do not directly harm the computer they can expose users to highly questionable content. Sites users are redirected to are not checked, which means they can expose users to malicious content, like malware and scams.

Hijackers are sometimes disguised to appear like they’re useful browser extensions so that users would keep them installed, but in reality they’re pretty useless. They also install without requiring explicit permission, which is one of the main reasons why you should delete Theyscan.com from your computer. We will explain this in more detail in the following section of the report, but in short, hijackers come attached to free software as extra offers and can install alongside.

Browser hijackers are distributed via software bundling

Because users would not install browser hijackers willingly since they’re pretty useless, they use software bundling to spread. Hijackers, adware and other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) come attached to popular free software as extra offers, which can install alongside when users install the freeware. The offers are also hidden during installation, which is why these kinds of infections take users by surprise.

In the future, when installing free programs make sure you pay attention to the process. When given the option, opt for Advanced (Custom) settings instead of Default. Default settings will hide the extra offers and allow them to install. In Advanced, you will not only see what has been added but also be able to deselect everything.

Using Advanced settings and deselecting the offers is recommended whenever you are installing freeware because otherwise, your computer will quickly fill up with junk.

Why you should remove Theyscan.com

As soon as the hijacker installs, it will make unwanted changes to your browsers, whether you’re using Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. These changes include Theyscan.com set as the homepage and new tabs, and a different search engine. These changes may be difficult to reverse while the hijacker is still present.

If you try to search for something, you will be redirected to a search engine that inserts sponsored content into results. Those results will redirect you to certain websites, usually ones that have little to do with what you searched for. These sites are not checked properly, meaning they could expose you to all kinds of dangerous content. You could be tricked into falling for a scam or downloading malware.

Browser hijackers also tend to collect information about users, including what they search for, what sites they visit, what content they engage with, their IP address and geographical location.

Theyscan.com removal

While it’s not a serious infection, it still is one, and the sooner you uninstall Theyscan.com, the better. You can do it both manually and automatically. For users without much experience in this, we suggest using anti-spyware software. Those programs are designed to deal with Theyscan.com and similar infection, so they will take care of everything.