Is mapsnow.co a Virus? Safety Guide & Apt Info

[yungman]

I installed mapsnow.co on my computer, is that a virus or just an apt?

 

[rbelli1]

Go to settings->Home

Adjust your home page as desired. about:blank is what you want for a blank page.

BoB

 

[Mark44]

I installed mapsnow.co on my computer, is that a virus or just an apt?

If you do a search for mapsnow.co, there are quite a few links to pages saying that it is at least malware.

 

[yungman]

If you do a search for mapsnow.co, there are quite a few links to pages saying that it is at least malware.

Thanks, I went to Control Panel, program and setting, I cannot find the mapsnow to uninstall. How do I uninstall it?

 

[Mark44]

Thanks, I went to Control Panel, program and setting, I cannot find the mapsnow to uninstall. How do I uninstall it?

If you can't find it in Programs and Features, under Control Panel, I'd advise downloading Malwarebytes. They have a trial version that is free, as well as a premium version. Go to malwarebytes.com to download the app, and then use it to scan your system.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

If you do a search for mapsnow.co, there are quite a few links to pages saying that it is at least malware.

Some websites say that it is a browser hijacker. First, the application will change the homepage, and will prevent any changes by the user. Next, it will collect the browsing habits and send it to their server, and then these will be shared with third parties, who may misuse it.

@yungman it seems that you have installed a browser extension. Is that so? If not, then do as suggested by Mark44 in post #5. Otherwise try to go to the extensions in chrome and remove it completely.

 

[yungman]

If you can't find it in Programs and Features, under Control Panel, I'd advise downloading Malwarebytes. They have a trial version that is free, as well as a premium version. Go to malwarebytes.com to download the app, and then use it to scan your system.

Thanks for your suggestion. I ran Norton Power Eraser, I then downloaded Malwarebytes and did the scanning, nothing came up! Could it be it's legitimate? I reset my Firefox and got back my page already and I can still open Mapsnow.

 

[sysprog]

Thanks for your suggestion. I ran Norton Power Eraser, I then downloaded Malwarebytes and did the scanning, nothing came up! Could it be it's legitimate? I reset my Firefox and got back my page already and I can still open Mapsnow.

It's not legitimate; it's a browser hijacker.

A simple way to get rid of it would be to run Windows System Restore (rstrui.exe from the command prompt will start the gui) from the last restore point before you installed it.

That would lose any other product installs you've run since then, but your data, including any downloads (presumably including the culprit install file and associated other files in an inactive state), wouldn't be impacted. Essentially, Windows System Restore swaps your current registry hive files for an older backup set, and if you don't like the result, it can be undone. If you run it, use a reliable power supply, because it can mess things up if it gets interrupted mid-stream.

 

[QuantumQuest]

Thanks for your suggestion. I ran Norton Power Eraser, I then downloaded Malwarebytes and did the scanning, nothing came up! Could it be it's legitimate? I reset my Firefox and got back my page already and I can still open Mapsnow.

Malwarebytes usually does a fairly good job in addition to the regular antivirus software installed but it's common to not recognize mapsnow.co as a threat. Resetting browser settings may temporarily fix things but the problem is still there. So, it's best to uninstall Maps Now. If, for any reason, you can't find it then you can proceed as @sysprog said.