Is Yandex Browser safe? Here’s what you need to know
Milan has been enthusiastic about PCs ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Read more
There are many great web browsers on the market, and one of them is Yandex we’re going answer how safe Yandex Browser actually online security is crucial, and if you want to learn more, visit our Cybersecurity Hub. A web browser is one of the most important applications on your PC, so visit our Browsers section.
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Yandex Browser is gaining great popularity, and it’s a browser of choice for many users around the world.
However, many users are wondering is the Yandex Browser actually safe to use? In today’s article, we’re going to find that out.
Is Yandex Browser safe to use?
1. What is Yandex Browser?
Yandex Browser is a web browser made by Russian web search corporation Yandex. The browser is available on all major desktop and mobile platforms.
It’s also worth mentioning that Yandex Browser is based on Chromium, so it offers similar features to Chrome and it works with Chrome extensions.
=> Download Yandex Browser
2. How secure is Yandex Browser?
The browser offers several security features such as DNS spoofing protection, DNSCrypt, and auto HTTPS support on insecure networks.
Despite these features, there are several privacy concerns with Yandex Browser. Users reported that Yandex is collecting their search queries and sending them to the Yandex server for analysis.
It’s also worth mentioning that the browser is a closed source project, so there’s no way for users to see the source code and analyze what the browser does in the background.
Some users claim that Yandex Browser has all the necessary permissions to collect your data and send them to authorities if needed.
There are also claims that the browser is affiliated with the Russian government, so you might want to think twice before using it.
If you want a more secure browser, Opera would be a better choice. The browser is also based on Chromium, it’s similar to Chrome and supports Chrome extensions.
The browser has its own free VPN that offers unlimited bandwidth. Opera also provides you with an ad-free browsing experience thanks to the built-in adblocker.
It’s worth mentioning that the ad blocker will block tracking scripts and make your pages load faster. As for additional features, there’s a built-in messenger and Instagram integration.
Overall, Opera is a fast and secure web browser, so you might want to try it out.
Opera
Browse websites, watche geo-locked streams, make purchases, and more all while knowing that you are completely safe thanks to Opera’s various security features.
Yandex is a solid web browser, but it has several privacy concerns, and if you’re worried about your privacy and security, you might want to try using a different browser.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yandex a virus?
No Yandex is not a virus, it’s a legitimate Russian search engine.
Which web browser is most secure?
All browsers offer some form of security, but thanks to its built-in VPN, Opera is one of the most secure browsers on the market.
Is Yandex better than Google?
Yandex is optimized for the Russian market, so it’s better in that regard. However, if you’re searching for something globally, Google is the better option.
Who uses Yandex?
Yandex is predominantly used in Russia, and the search engine holds over 50% of the market share in that country.
Yandex is predominantly used in Russia, and the search engine holds over 50% of the market share in that country.
How to remove Yandex browser hijacker (Virus Removal Guide)
If your browser homepage or search queries are being redirected through Yandex, then you have a browser hijacker installed that is causing these redirects.
What is Yandex?
Yandex (Яндекс) is a legitimate Russian search engine, however, there are plenty of browser hijackers which will change your browser homepage to without your consent. This browser redirect happens because a malicious browser extension or program is installed on your computer.
Let’s take a closer at the Yandex browser hijacker:
When Yandex is installed as a browser extension, it will change the browser homepage and default search engine to Whenever, you’ll open your browser, a new tab or perform a search query, your browser will be redirected to
When Yandex is installed as a program, it will install its own browser and docks a toolbar at the top of your Windows desktop. Most people will use the Yandex browser thinking it’s the normal Chrome browser. Similar to the Yandex browser extension, your homepage and search queries will be redirected through to
Yandex may also track your searches and display advertisements on
Here’s a short summary of the changes that the Yandex browser hijacker may perform on your computer:
Your web browser’s default homepage and new tab page are Yandex New Tab.
Your browser’s search queries are redirected through
The Yandex browser extension installed on your browser.
The Yandex browser is installed on your computer.
Why is my browser redirected to Yandex?
Your browser is being redirected to Yandex because a malicious browser extension or program is installed on your computer. Often, this type of program is offered through advertisements or bundled with other software, leaving the user puzzled where this software came from.
You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.
To remove the Yandex browser hijacker and check your computer for other malicious programs, please use the free malware removal guide below.
How to remove Yandex redirect (Virus Removal Guide)
The below instructions are for Windows users, however, we also have an Android Guide and a Mac Guide which should help clean up your device.
This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the number of steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy to understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubts at any point, stop and ask for our assistance.
To remove the Yandex redirect, follow these steps:
STEP 1: Uninstall malicious programs from Windows
STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove Yandex redirect
STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove for malware and unwanted programs
STEP 4: Double-check for malicious programs with AdwCleaner
STEP 5: Reset the browser settings to remove Yandex
STEP 1: Uninstall Yandex from Windows
In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.
Go to “Programs and Features”.
Windows 10
Windows 8
Right-click on the Start button in the lower-left corner and select “Programs and Features”. This will take you directly to your list of installed programs.
If you can’t find the Programs and Features in the Start menu, type “programs and features” into the search bar at the bottom of the Start window, then click the “Programs and Features” result.
If you don’t have a Start button, you are likely running Windows 8 instead of Windows 8. 1. Press the Windows key + X to open the menu instead and select “Programs and Features”.
Windows 7
Click on the “Start” button, then click on “Control Panel”.
If you don’t see “Control Panel” here, type control panel into the search bar at the bottom of the Start window, then click the “Control Panel” result.
When the “Control Panel” appears, click on “Uninstall a Program” from the Programs category.
Find the malicious program and uninstall it.
The “Programs and Features” screen will be displayed with a list of all the programs installed on your PC. Scroll through the list until you find the malicious program, then click to highlight it, then click the “Uninstall” button that appears on the top toolbar.
Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program.
Here are some known malicious programs:, Turbo APP, Discreet Lite, Genius App, XP, APP, PDFPoof, BatBitRst, MessengerNow, SearchAd, MyPrintableCoupons, Reading Cursors, ProMediaConverter, PDFOnline-express, See Scenic Elf, Clickware, Easy Speedtest, or WebDiscover.
The malicious program may have a different name on your computer. If you cannot find any malicious programs on your computer, you can continue with STEP 2.
Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall the program.
In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes, then follow the prompts to uninstall the program.
Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.
If you are having issues while trying to uninstall a program, you can use Revo Uninstaller Free to completely remove an unwanted program from your computer.
STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove Yandex redirect
Malwarebytes Free is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Free will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.
Download Malwarebytes Free.
You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.
MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)
Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.
When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the MBSetup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the Malwarebytes installation.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes setup wizard which will guide you through the installation process. The Malwarebytes installer will first ask you on what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
On the next screen, click “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your computer.
When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.
Select “Use Malwarebytes Free”.
After installing Malwarebytes, you’ll be prompted to select between the Free and the Premium version. The Malwarebytes Premium edition includes preventative tools like real-time scanning and ransomware protection, however, we will use the Free version to clean up the computer.
Click on “Use Malwarebytes Free“.
Click on “Scan”.
To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.
When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.
Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.
STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for malware and unwanted programs
HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to their clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.
Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24. 95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is actually no limit in scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one time 30-days trial to enable the cleanup.
Download HitmanPro.
You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.
HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
Install HitmanPro.
When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Follow the on-screen prompts.
When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.
Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.
HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs. This process will take a few minutes.
Click on “Next”.
When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that the program has found. Click on the “Next” button to remove the malicious programs.
Click on “Activate free license”.
Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your PC.
When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.
AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner which can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find.
While the Malwarebytes and HitmanPro scans are more than enough, we’re recommending AdwCleaner to users who still have malware related issues or just want to make sure their computer is 100% clean.
Download AdwCleaner.
You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.
ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)
Double-click on the setup file.
Double-click on the file named “” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Click on “Scan Now”.
When AdwCleaner will start, click on the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan.
Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to complete.
AdwCleaner will now scan your PC for malicious files. This process can take a few minutes.
Click on “Clean & Repair”.
When AdwCleaner has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found. Click on the “Clean & Repair” button to remove the malicious files from your computer.
Click on “Clean & Restart Now”
When the malware removal process is complete, AdwCleaner may need to restart your device. Click on the “Clean & Restart Now” button to finish the removal process.
When the process is complete, you can close Adwcleaner and continue with the rest of the instructions.
STEP 5: Reset the browser settings to remove Yandex redirect
If your computer is still being redirected to Yandex, we will need to reset the web browser settings to their original defaults. This step should be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.
Google Chrome
Resetting your browser settings will reset the unwanted changes caused by installing other programs. However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be cleared or changed.
To reset Google Chrome and remove the Yandex redirect, follow these steps:
Click the menu icon, then click on “Settings”.
In the top right corner, click on Chrome’s main menu button, represented by three vertical dots. When the drop-down menu appears, click on “Settings“.
Click “Advanced”.
Chrome’s “Settings” should now be displayed in a new tab or window, depending on your configuration. Next, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link.
Click “Reset settings to their original defaults”.
Scroll down until the “Reset and clean up” section is visible, as shown in the example below. Click on “Reset settings to their original defaults“.
Click “Reset Settings”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue on with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, click on the “Reset Settings” button.
Mozilla Firefox
The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill information, browsing history and open tabs.
To reset Firefox and remove the Yandex redirect, follow these steps:
Click the menu icon, then click on “Help”.
Click on Firefox’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled “Help“.
Click “Troubleshooting Information”.
From the Help menu, click on “Troubleshooting Information“.
Click on “Refresh Firefox”
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
Confirm.
To continue, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
Click “Finish”.
Firefox will close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on “Finish“.
Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.
Microsoft Edge
This will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history and saved passwords will not be cleared.
To reset Microsoft Edge and remove the Yandex redirect, follow these steps:
Open the “Settings” menu.
In the top right corner, click on Microsoft Edge’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal dots. When the drop-down menu appears, click on “Settings“. ”.
Click on “Reset Settings”.
On the left side of the window, click on “Reset Settings”.
Click on “Restore settings to their default values”.
In the main window, click on “Restore settings to their default values”.
Click “Reset”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue on with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, click on the “Reset” button.
Internet Explorer
You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your computer.
To reset Internet Explorer and remove the Yandex redirect, follow these steps:
Go to “Internet Options”.
Open Internet Explorer, click on the gear icon in the upper right part of your browser, then select “Internet Options“.
Select the “Advanced” tab, then click “Reset”
In the “Internet Options” dialog box, select the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
Click on “Reset”.
In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” checkbox, then click on the “Reset” button.
Click on “Close”.
When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box.
Close your browser and then open Internet Explorer again.
Your computer should now be free of the Yandex malicious program. If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future.
If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Run a system scan with Zemana AntiMalware Free
Ask for help in our Windows Malware Removal Help & Support forum.
14 Reviews of Yandex.ru | Sitejabber
They, Yandex, find some fake reason, while their AI run algorithms supposedly had noticed that your account had been compromised, etc… to Lock you out of your account when it is obvious that there was no hacking or other crap they claim as such reason to lock you out – for “the account owner’s own good” of course and then they begin to demand your phone number and very private info, including passports, driving licences, photos of yourself etc, doesn’t matter how well you can prove to them that it is you who is the owner, it will not work unless you give them all your intimate details, legal documents and photos that even your ex GF or BF is hardy aware of… is aware of course of the fact that most people will use short names, nicknames, or just a temp e-mail name when they open accounts, so they would jump at you later on with the insane request, based on the fake “compromised account” claim by the “bad guys”, so that you need now to send them a photo of yourself and your real documents, since, yeah: you guessed it: you have given them already your name… and they also use other tricks from the antique IT books, etc… so yeah, stay away from them, if you value your privacy, data, etc. they are some sort of legitimate fraudulent scammers running e-mail and search engine etc… business. If that description make sense!
Frequently Asked Questions about yandex safe
Is Yandex RU a virus?
Yandex (Яндекс) is a legitimate Russian search engine, however, there are plenty of browser hijackers which will change your browser homepage to https://www.yandex.ru/ without your consent. This browser redirect happens because a malicious browser extension or program is installed on your computer.Jan 29, 2020
Is Yandex reputable?
Yandex.ru has a consumer rating of 2.43 stars from 14 reviews indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Yandex.ru ranks 36th among Email sites.