Do you know what Search.yourmapscenter.com is?
Finding Search.yourmapscenter.com in your browsers as your home page or default search engine can mean a couple of things, all of which may pose a threat to your virtual security. For starters, if this browser hijacker shows up it may indicate that your computer has already been infiltrated and infected by adware programs, but it may also be a sign that you installed it from a freeware bundle, which could have contained other malware infections. And that is just the beginning; it is also possible that this search engine will not provide you with reliable search results or other third-party services. You need to be very careful if this browser hijacker is on board. As a matter of fact, you should remove Search.yourmapscenter.com as soon as you notice it in your browsers. But let us give you a more detailed description about this malware infection so that you learn how you can protect your computer from similar threats in the future.
You would probably think that you can install this tool directly from its official website, yourmapscenter.com; however, if you are using Google Chrome, it may block this application. Most probably you will have no problem installing it in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Still, this is a rather pushy tool as you cannot even install it before you tick the checkbox that lets this tool set Search.yourmapscenter.com as your new tab page. However, according to our researchers who tested this infection in our internal lab, this browser hijacker is most likely to attack your browsers when you click on third-party banner ads and pop-up ads displayed by other malware programs, such as adware applications. This simply means that there must be at least one infection on your computer that can generate such ads for you to click on.
Search.yourmapscenter.com screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Obviously, this is not good news as you have to face multiple system security threats. It only gets worse if this infection sneaks on board in a freeware bundle that may be packed with a number of malware threats. Either way, there is a high probability that there are several malware programs on your computer right now. This is possible if you have landed on questionable torrent or other file-sharing websites recently and you clicked on a fake download button or a third-party ad there. That is why we urge you to always use reliable websites for downloading software. Otherwise, you will have to scan your computer for infections right after you remove Search.yourmapscenter.com.
But there is more about this browser hijacker that should make you let it go. You cannot trust its search results for a second. As a matter of fact, it simply redirects search results from Search.yourmapscenter.com through extsearch.maxwebsearch.com to a modified Yahoo! search results page. That is how it is possible for you to find potentially unreliable third-party sponsored links and ads among the search results; however, you will not be able to recognize them. There is no red warning sign saying: “Do not click on me because you may be redirected to a malicious website operated by criminals!” Therefore, you should forget about this search engine because its presence may expose you to dangerous websites. Not only through its search tool, but also about the quick links it offers on a fake toolbar. Do not ever trust any third-party service this or similar browser hijackers provide you since it is not guaranteed that you land on a reliable site.
The best and easiest way to provide cure for this infection is to reset all your browsers. That way all the changes will be set to default. Otherwise, some leftovers might remain, which could regenerate this infection and it could strike again through your browsers. Please follow our guide if you need assistance. If you are a security-minded person, we also advise you to use a reliable antimalware application to automatically detect all other threats and to remove them all because that is the only way that you can have peace of mind and a secure PC.
Remove Search.yourmapscenter.com from browsers
Internet Explorer
- Tap Alt+T and go to Internet Options.
- Click the Advanced tab and click Reset.
- Mark the Delete personal settings checkbox and press Reset.
- Press Close.
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Alt+H and open Troubleshooting Information.
- Click Refresh Firefox.
- Press Refresh Firefox in the confirmation pop-up.
- Click Finish.
Google Chrome
- Press Alt+F and choose Settings.
- Scroll down and click Show advanced settings.
- Scroll down again and click Reset settings.
- Press Reset.
In non-techie terms:
Search.yourmapscenter.com is a questionable search engine that may put your computer at risk. It has been labelled as a browser hijacker due to the fact that it changes your home page, default search engine, and new tab page settings in your browsers. This hijacker may introduce you to unreliable and manipulated search results. Clicking on these may expose you to cyber criminals and their scams. The presence of this hijacker is also a sign that there may be other malware infections on board. Therefore, we suggest that you delete Search.yourmapscenter.com and all the other threats you may find. In order to do a proper job, it would be best to use a trustworthy malware remover.