Remove QuickTab Plus hijacker

QuickTab Plus is questionable browser extension, classified as a browser hijacker by anti-virus programs. It gets into computers via software bundling and tries to redirect to sponsored websites in order to generate traffic and revenue for said sites. It constantly redirects to tailsearch.com.

 

If you find that your browser constantly redirects to tailsearch.com whenever you perform a search, your browser has been taken over by the QuickTab Plus hijacker. It’s not a dangerous infection but as you probably already noticed, it’s quite annoying to deal with. Infections like browser hijackers and adware don’t directly harm the computer but they aren’t completely harmless because they can expose you to all kinds of potentially dangerous websites.

Once QuickTab Plus has hijacked your browser, it will change your browser settings and force you to get redirected to tailsearch.com every time you perform a search. The redirect only happens for a couple of seconds so you may not even notice it happening at first. After tailsearch.com, you’ll be redirected to a legitimate search engine like Google or Yahoo. This is done to essentially generate revenue.

Hijackers can install pretty sneakily so users are often taken by surprise when they suddenly notice their presence. They use a method called software bundling, which essentially allows programs like hijackers to install without explicit permission from users.

Browser hijackers install via software bundling

Because it allows programs to install essentially without your permission, software bundling is often used by adware, browser hijacker and potentially unwanted program (PUP) developers. The sneakiness is also why program that use it are usually classified as potential threats by a lot of anti-virus programs.

Software bundling is essentially adding additional offers to programs. Those offers are usually adware, hijackers and PUPs. The way they are attached allows them to install alongside the programs automatically, without requiring you to explicitly permit it. When a program you’re installing has something attached to it, it will be initially hidden so you don’t deselect it. This is why you need to opt for Advanced (Custom) settings when installing freeware. Default settings will hide the offers, while Advanced will make them visible and allow you to deselect everything. It’s strongly recommended to deselect all extra offers, even if they initially seem useful, because as we said already, it’s a rather sneaky method and programs that use it should not be permitted to install.

If you download programs from non-official websites, there is a high chance that something will be attached to the program. It’s better to avoid those sites and instead download programs from their official sites. And you should always pay attention when installing freeware, just to make sure you don’t install any of the junk that’s attached. It’s much easier to prevent unwanted installations than it is to later have to get rid of them.

Is QuickTab Plus dangerous for the computer?

When a browser hijacker installs, it will make change to your browser’s settings. This makes hijackers very noticeable infections, though not everyone will associate the bahaviour with an infection. It will change your homepage and default search engine, which will result in you getting randomly redirected when browsing. The hijacker can attach itself to popular browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and the changes would be irreversible while the infection remains installed.

The main symptom of this particular hijacker is you getting redirect to tailsearch.com for a couple of seconds when you try to perform a search via your browser address bar. In the end, you’ll be redirected to a legitimate search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing. The redirects to random sites are not only very annoying but also quite dangerous because you could be exposed to potentially harmful sites that hide malware or promote scams.

Lastly, we should mention that browser hijackers track your browsing and collect certain information. It does not collect personal information but it’s still pretty intrusive because it tracks what you search for, what sites you visit, your IP address, etc. The information would be used for advertisement purposes and shared with third-parties.

QuickTab Plus removal

If you have anti-virus software, that would be the easiest way to remove QuickTab Plus from your computer. Using a program like WiperSoft would not only delete QuickTab Plus but also undo the setting changes. However, you can also uninstall QuickTab Plus manually pretty easily.