Initialpage123.com Removal Guide

Do you know what Initialpage123.com is?

If you have Initialpage123.com as your browser’s homepage, then you should be aware that it is not what you think it is. Our malware analysts have classified it as a browser hijacker because its developers chose to distribute it in a highly malicious fashion. Hence, this hijacker can end up on your computer without your authorization, and that is why you might want to remove it. Apart from hijacking the browser, you should also be concerned with its ability to show promotional links in its search results. In other words, this search engine is bad news and will not improve your browsing experience in any way.

Initialpage123.com comes with a browser extension called Initialpage123 that should be compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. This extension serves as the means to inject Initialpage123.com into your web browser. If it is successfully installed, then it will replace the homepage address. As a result, you will see this hijacker’s main page each time you open your browser. Hijacking your browser is the primary objective here because its search results feature commercial advertisements that come from unknown sources. The advertisements are presented as links that are included in the search results.

You should know that this hijacker can obtain certain information about you and use it to show you personalized advertisements. It is capable of collecting both personal and non-personal information. The non-personal information is collected automatically and includes your search history, search queries, browser type, operating system type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), Internet Protocol (IP) address, and so on. Interestingly, this malicious search engine can also collect information of personal nature. We have found that it can obtain information such as your name, gender, country, and date of birth. It collects this information, provided that you provide it voluntarily. Once of the ways you can provide it is by taking part in is by filling out online forms, ordering products, and so on.Initialpage123.com Removal GuideInitialpage123.com screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions

Our malware analysts have concluded that Initialpage123.com is similar to Maniihome.com, Funnysiting.com, and Eversearches.com. Now, all of them come from the ELEX browser hijacker family, so there is no doubt that Initialpage123.com belongs to it as well. It even looks the part as most ELEX hijackers have a white background image with a black bar at the top of the page. Furthermore, all of them redirect search queries to a modified Yahoo search engine to present users with search results because Initialpage123.com and its counterparts do not have their own search algorithms.

As far as Initialpage123.com’s distribution methods are concerned, we mentioned that it comes with a browser extension named Initialpage123. This extension serves as a vehicle for setting this hijacker as the browser’s homepage address. This extension is known to be distributed via malicious software bundles that install it on computers secretly and does not allow users to deselect the installation either. Our malware analysts say that Initialpage123.com was created to replace Youndoo.com in software bundles. Therefore, you can get it on your PC accidentally if you download software from unreliable sources.

In summary, Initialpage123.com is a malicious search engine that was created with the sole intention of hijacking your browser’s homepage so it could show promotional links in the search results. The ads make its developers money, so this hijacker also collects information about the users to personalize the ad campaign. However, you should not trust this hijacker to deliver you reliable search results. So you should consider removing the browser extension and replacing the hijacker with a reliable search engine.

Removal Guide (for Internet Explorer users)

Windows 10

  1. Right-click the Start menu.
  2. Click Control Panel and go to Uninstall a program.
  3. Locate and Uninstall the application.

Windows 8 & 8.1

  1. Open the Start screen.
  2. Type Uninstall in the search box and then go to Settings.
  3. In the search results, click Uninstall a program.
  4. Locate the unwanted program.
  5. Click Uninstall.

Windows 7 & Vista

  1. Click Start.
  2. Select Control Panel.
  3. Click Uninstall a program.
  4. Locate the application.
  5. Click Uninstall.

Windows XP

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Click Control Panel.
  3. Select Add or Remove Programs.
  4. Locate the malicious software.
  5. Click Uninstall.

Change the homepage address

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+A.
  2. Click Extensions.
  3. Identify the application.
  4. Click Remove.
  5. Then, hold down Alt+T keys.
  6. Select Options.
  7. Erase Initialpage123.com
  8. Enter a new address in the home page line.

Google Chrome

  1. Hold down Alt+F keys.
  2. Select More tools and click Extensions.
  3. Find the extension and remove it.
  4. Press Alt+F keys again.
  5. Click Settings.
  6. Select Set pages.
  7. Erase Initialpage123.com
  8. Enter new homepage URL.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

  1. Hold down Alt+T keys.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. Erase http://initialpage123.com/
  4. Enter a new URL in the home page address line.
  5. Click OK.

In non-techie terms:

Initialpage123.com is nothing more than a browser hijacker that only appears to look like a reliable search engine. It is part of the infamous ELEX browser hijacker family which means that its search results are bound to feature promotional links on unverified legitimacy. This search engine is distributed in a deceptive manner so it can replace your browser’s homepage by force and without your knowledge. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you remove it from your PC as at your earliest convenience.