MapsGalaxy by MW attempts to promote Ask search while collecting user interest dataMaps & Directions by MapsGalaxy permissionsThe purpose of similar browser extensions and their distribution methodsWays to remove MapsGalaxy
After installation of this browser extension, all your searches will be routed to int.search.myway.com, which delivers customized, or in other words, altered search results by Google. These results might contain more ads than usual. Some computer security experts classify Maps Galaxy Toolbar as a browser hijacker since it alters settings that typical browser hijackers aim at. In general, browser add-ons like this one is hardly useful and can silently collect data about you as a user, including your interests, search queries and browsing history. What is more, this extension has only 1 out of 5 starts rating by users on TrustPilot. It goes without saying that it is better to get rid of such extras without any regrets. Therefore, if you’re interested in ways to remove MapsGalaxy add-on and related components, see the tutorial provided below. If you accidentally added Maps & Directions, you probably do not know what privileges this sneaky hijacker has on your browser. Below, you can see the full list of them.
Maps & Directions by MapsGalaxy permissions
Read and change your data on a number of websites, including: All amazonaws.com sites; All mapsgalaxy.com sites; Anx.tb.ask.com; Hp.myway.com; Live.tb.ask.com; Mapsgalaxy.dl.myway.com; Replace the page you see when opening a new tab;Read your browsing history;Display notifications;Manage your downloads;Manage your apps, extensions, and themes.
The list isn’t really friendly-looking, and it just feels that the MapsGalaxy by MW extension is meant to collect certain data about the user for certain purposes. Therefore, we decided to dig deeper and check the extension developer’s privacy policy and terms of use documents for further information. It turns out that extension tracks keyword queries, search results you click, pages you view and search history. It also finds out what software is installed on your computer and devices connected to it, your IP address and even more. The data may be shared with third parties to deliver you ads, but if you do not want to be the one receiving personalized promotional material, it might be time to start thinking about MapsGalaxy removal. Do not get confused; MapsGalaxy virus is a fake label to scare you into thinking your computer is heavily infected. The add-on isn’t a potentially dangerous program, but rather an annoyance meant to customize and deliver ads.
The purpose of similar browser extensions and their distribution methods
Browser extensions like MapsGalaxy or Transit Maps Directions try to push the computer user towards certain search engines and force them to use their services. In parallel, the extension tracks user’s usage information and creates sort-of potential client profile, which consists of the user’s interests, demographic location, and similar data. Similar data sets along with unique user ID can be used or passed to third-parties with an intention to deliver customized ads. Consequently, this increases chances of making sales, which benefits both creators of such extensions and third-parties. It is not a harmful or somehow evil technique and it is widely used these days. The more important question is, do you want to keep hardly useful extensions in your browsers or not. They might slow down your computer a little bit, and cause annoyances such as pop-up notifications from various sites. When speaking about distribution of extensions like Maps Galaxy, they are mostly delivered in a bundle of other freeware, although they can be accessed via official websites or browser stores such as Google Chrome store. In our personal experience, the extension suggested installing yet another extension called Search Extension by Ask following Maps Galaxy installation. In general, you should be careful when installing third-party software or extras like extensions. They often tend to promote similar add-ons, and installing too many can overload and cause browser performance issues. Therefore, it’s best to uninstall MapsGalaxy and related add-ons.
Ways to remove MapsGalaxy
MapsGalaxy removal is an easy process since the program isn’t malicious and doesn’t root into the system deeply. You can uninstall it from your browser easily. Just like any other potentially unwanted program (PUP), you can remove it with the help of an anti-spyware or anti-malware program, or even your antivirus. In case you want to delete the unwanted extension manually, carry out the below-explained steps to enjoy a browser-hijacker-free browsing experience without unwanted redirections. OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here. To remove the unwanted program from your computer, use these instructions below to uninstall associated programs or apps from your Windows or Mac computer. Then scroll down for instructions how to clean each affected web browser individually.
Remove MapsGalaxy from Windows
Windows 10/8.1/8 users Click on the Windows logo to open Windows menu. In search, type control panel and select the matching result. Then go to Programs and Features. Windows 7 users First, open Windows menu by clicking on the icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Then go to Control Panel and find section called Programs. Click on the Uninstall a program option under it. Windows XP users In Windows XP, click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. Uninstall unwanted programs Once in Programs and Features, look through the list of installed programs. You can click on Installed on tab to sort the programs by their installation date. Right-click on suspicious programs you can’t remember installing and choose Uninstall. Follow instructions provided by the Uninstall Wizard, click Next and finally Finish to uninstall the unwanted program from your PC.
Remove MapsGalaxy from Google Chrome Remove suspicious Chrome extensions Change Start Page settings Change default search settings Remove push notifications from Chrome If you want to get rid of the annoying ads and so-called push-notifications viruses, you must identify their components and clean your browser. You can easily remove ads from Chrome by following these steps: Reset Google Chrome browser
Remove MapsGalaxy from Mozilla Firefox Remove unwanted add-ons from Firefox Change Firefox Homepage Alter preferences in Firefox Remove annoying push notifications from Firefox Suspicious sites that ask to enable push notifications gain access to Mozilla’s settings and can deliver intrusive advertisements when browsing the Internet. Therefore, you should remove access to your browser by following these simple steps: Reset Mozilla Firefox
Remove MapsGalaxy from Microsoft Edge Remove suspicious extensions: Change MS Edge Start Page and default search engine: Turn off push notifications in Edge If you keep receiving pop-up ads or other promotional content while browsing on Microsoft Edge, your browser might be corrupted by a potentially unwanted program (PUP). You have to clean it — follow these easy instructions: Clear browsing data
Remove MapsGalaxy from Safari Uninstall suspicious Safari extensions Change Safari Homepage and default search engine Remove push notifications on Safari Some suspicious websites can try to corrupt your Safari by asking to enable push notifications. If you have accidentally agreed, your browser will be flooded with various intrusive advertisements and pop-ups. You can get rid of them by following this quick guide: Reset Safari
Remove MapsGalaxy from Internet Explorer TIP: If you are still using IE, we strongly advise using Microsoft Edge or a different browser because Microsoft is no longer providing technical or security support for IE browser. Remove suspicious extensions from IE Change default search provider and remove suspicious ones Change IE Home Page Block pop-up notifications on Internet Explorer Suspicious websites can gain access to your Internet Explorer browser through push notifications. If you enable them even by accident, you will start receiving numerous annoying ads and other advertising content while browsing. The easiest way to remove push-notification viruses is by performing the following steps: Reset Internet Explorer
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