Getofficex.org is a website of a browser hijacker that installs as an OfficeX extension on Chrome browsers and sets Newtab.getofficex.org as the main homepage and New Tab. At first glance, Getofficex.org and its offered services don’t come off as questionable or malicious, on a contrary, it seems like every other plugin that enhances the browser’s capabilities. But this good impression doesn’t last long and once you actually add OfficeX into your Chrome, shady behavior emerges, which leaves no other option than to remove it.
Getofficex Org Browser Hijacker quicklinks
- What is Getofficex.org browser hijacker
- How does OfficeX infect browsers
- How to remove Getofficex.org browser hijacker
- Automatic Malware removal tools
- How to uninstall OfficeX extensions
(Win)
Note: Spyhunter trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions,
(Mac)
Note: Combo Cleaner trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions, Refund Policy ,
Nice and professional looking design of Getofficex.org engine, often deceits victims and manipulates them into keeping the malicious extension even if it installed without user’s knowledge, allowing crooks to abuse the given permissions for their own benefit. While it isn’t completely right to call OfficeX services a complete scam, since they do perform their promised operations, yet it’s only done to a ridiculous extent which you will discover in this article.
All in all, our research showed that Getofficex.org browser hijacker is not going to bring you anything advantageous, and on the contrary, will expose you to dangerous situations, that in the long-term can take its toll on online identity, personal privacy, computer’s performance, and efficiency. This is why, if you are still having doubts about Getofficex.org hijacker, keep on reading to find out why is it harmful and how to get rid of it and all other services successfully.
What is Getofficex.org browser hijacker
Getofficex.org is a browser hijacker type of malware just like Search.htemplatehub.co, News.mysearches.co, Search.hquickmapsanddirections.com. It is developed by the infamous company Tightrope Interactive Inc., which is also known for other browser viruses, such as FileConvertor, Search Tab New, Search Private and etc. Since the creators are not newbies in the malware world, they know exactly how to find their way into victims’ computers and make the best out of the given privileges as an extension. The main idea behind all of the browser hijackers, and not just OfficeX virus, is to make developers money by abusing Online advertising means via the infected browser. Although virtual marketing can be seen on every website nowadays, which is a regular way of income for many domain owners, Getofficex.org browser hijacker takes it to a new level and excessively displays own sponsored content that benefits the virus anywhere it wants.
Continuous offers from third-party services, online-promotions, advertisements, redirect links and etc. is what all almost the users who allow Getofficex.org extension into their Chrome has to experience. Mind you, OfficeX developers do not care what content to show as long as they get paid from doing so, therefore very easily a ransom malware installer can be displayed as an innocent banner, which potentially can infect your computer and make serious changes in the system overall, not just the browser.
The authority to control what user sees on the internet is achieved by running Altered script codes when the OfficeX extension is being added to the browser, and then changing default settings to the ones that would create a favorable environment for getofficex.org engine to flourish. This is why your regular homepage becomes newtab.getofficex.org and the search provider gets set to Yahoo Search.
As for the promised functions of using Microsoft Office straight from the browser, Getofficex.org browser hijacker really fulfills the pledge, just how you’d expect. Just as it doesn’t have its own search engine, OfficeX virus doesn’t provide the unique access to MS document editing services but instead uses a rerouting link to the official Microsoft’s website – https://office.live.com, which users can easily find themselves online, without having to deal with promotions, privacy concerns and etc. But probably the worst part of Getofficex.org hijacker is that it can monitor your browsing and online activity, tracking data that’s being shared with major corporations for improved targeted advertising, statistics or something worse since the data that goes through our browsers nowadays can be very sensitive, like logins, bank account passwords, credit card numbers and etc.
Right now the most infected countries with Getofficex.org browser hijacker are India, United States, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Canada, but that doesn’t stop the virus from spreading further. We highly urge you to eliminate this threat from your Chrome without the remorse because you can easily find the offered benefits online and there’s already enough danger that you have to go though automatically when surfing on the World Wide Web.
How does OfficeX infect browsers
There are two main sources that allow Getofficex.org virus to sneak into the browsers. One is based on the voluntary installation by the user who’s tricked into believing the benefits of the extension and its ability to manage MS Office documents online. To access these benefits victims are told to install the OfficeX extension themselves from Chrome Web Store. Users can discover the official plage on their own by just browsing or get redirected from other self-promoting websites that Getofficex.org creators have placed around the net (sometimes with the help of other viruses, e.g. pop-ups) in order to gain greater traffic, such as officex.org. The page contains another link that transfers victims to Chrome’s add-ons panel. While this seems like a decent proliferation method it is not that effective since the user has to agree to set up the hijacker in their browser, which a lot of people simply don’t, after noticing red flags.
What brings the most success in Getofficex.org browser hijacker distribution is bundling. This is a technique that allows the Malicious extension to be added without directly demanding the consent from the user after being hidden in some other software’s installer. OfficeX extension developers pay free software spreading vendors to compile Getofficex.org virus with other popular applications and then when someone downloads that installer and runs it in Recommended mode, it automatically adds additional unwanted programs together with the main one. Since everyone is used to skipping through Setup Wizards as quickly as possible, they don’t see the warning and agree to everything being offered, later getting surprised by OfficeX search engine. That’s why it’s always adviced not using freeware/shareware sites, torrents, or running Setup Assistants in Recommended mode.
How to remove Getofficex.org browser hijacker
Fortunately, Getofficex.org browser hijacker can be fully removed from your browser and it doesn’t require a lot of effort. Basically, there are two techniques that you can go with – elimination with a malware removal tool automatically or uninstalling OfficeX virus yourself. Both of these methods work just fine, but we recommend combining them both for the best effect. Manual removal is a great primary way to discontinue the malevolent features of Getofficex.org hijacker and stop the annoying interruption, but it only takes care of that one extension and doesn’t solve other issues in the whole system. It is known that malware very often spread with other viruses, especially if it comes from bundled installers, therefore only a sophisticated anti-spyware tool can determine whether there is another potential infection, were other files apart from the browser harmed by Getofficex.org hijacker and etc.
We advise getting Spyhunter or Malwarebytes, which are trustworthy security programs, known for years as helpful virus hunters. The great part about them is that they offer free scans, which reveal the true state of your computer and if there is anything that might be harmful. If you wish to continue with your own antivirus application, make sure that they are legitimate and not just rogue programs, additionally, take a look at our list of Security Application Reviews for other options.
Automatic Malware removal tools
(Win)
Note: Spyhunter trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions,
(Mac)
Note: Combo Cleaner trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions, Refund Policy ,
How to uninstall OfficeX extensions
If you decide to continue with the manual removal of Getofficex.org browser hijacker, you will have to eliminate the extension from the infected Chrome first. You can see the exact steps on how to delete this plugin below. Mind you, make sure that both ‘OfficeX New Tab’ and ‘Search by OfficeX’ add-ons are gone, as well as their URLs are not added to the list of allowed notifications. Once all the malicious files are taken care of, you can set your browser’s default settings back to your regular preferences. If for some reason the hijacker keeps coming back, there might be a deeper issue which will require a special anti-malware application to solve it.
TopHow To remove Getofficex.org browser hijacker from Google Chrome:
- Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
- Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
- Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
- Select Manage Search engines
- Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
- Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
- If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
- Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings
If you are still experiencing any issues related to Getofficex.org browser hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.
- Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
- Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
- Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.
TopHow to remove Getofficex.org browser hijacker from Google Chrome on Mac:
- Open Chrome browser.
- Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
- Find Getofficex.org browser hijacker on the extensions list and click on the recycle bin icon next to it.
- Click on 'Chrome' button at the top left corner. Select 'Preferences' on a drop-down menu box.
- Find 'Search' options on Settings tab. If your search engine is changed, click 'Manage Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
- On the same page find 'Show home button' checkbox and change your homepage.
- On the 'Preferences' menu window, scroll down to the bottom and find 'Reset settings' button. Click it.
- Confirm your selection and click 'Reset' on the following window.
