How to Get Rid of Mapsanddrivingdirections.com (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is Mapsanddrivingdirections.com? And how does it function?

Mapsanddrivingdirections.com is a browser extension that is promoted as a “web mapping service” that provides users with maps. However, several users reported that when they use this browser extension, they get tons of ads from sponsored sites and it also changes the default settings of their browsers which is why security experts categorize Mapsanddrivingdirections.com as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program or PUP.
Once installed, Mapsanddrivingdirections.com will change the default homepage, new tab page and search provider of the browser without any permission from the user. As a result, you will have no choice but to use this browser hijacker each time you browse the internet. You will also be seeing more and more sponsored content no matter what website you visit. In fact, it can even redirect you to unknown and suspicious websites like gaming websites, movie streaming sites, and many more. Aside from that, this browser hijacker can also track and monitor your browsing activities in order to harvest your browsing-related information such as websites you visit often, search queries, browsing history, and many more. It might even also collect personal details like email address, passwords, IP address, etc. which makes this browser hijacker a threat to your privacy.
How is Mapsanddrivingdirections.com distributed over the web?
Like other browser hijackers, Mapsanddrivingdirections.com is distributed using several methods but it can mostly be found bundled among other unknown and unwanted programs in a software package. It is added as one of the extra components, which isn’t visible unless you select the Advanced or Custom setup. This is why when installing any software bundle, especially when it came from a third party source, you must use the aforementioned setup instead of the quick one so that you can have the option to remove all the extra programs added in the package before you proceed with the installation.
Make sure to follow the instructions given below to get rid of Mapsanddrivingdirections.com from your computer.
Step 1: Start the removal process by closing all the browsers infected with Mapsanddrivingdirections.com. If you’re having a hard time closing them, you can close them using the Task Manager just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step 2: After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the infected browser’s process and end it.
Step 3: Then close the Task Manager and open Control Panel – to do so, tap the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.
Step 4: After pulling up Control Panel, from the list of installed programs, look for Mapsanddrivingdirections.com or any suspicious program you don’t remember installing and then Uninstall it.

Step 5: Edit your Hosts File.

Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
Go to System32/drivers/etc.
Open the host’s file using Notepad.
Delete all the entries that contain Mapsanddrivingdirections.com.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 6: Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome

Launch Google Chrome and then tap the Alt + F keys.
After that, click on Settings.
Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up the option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
Now restart Google Chrome.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
Click OK to save the changes.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Step 7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 8: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated with the browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 9: Close the File Explorer.
Step 10: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Refer to the advanced instructions given below to ensure the removal of Mapsanddrivingdirections.com as well as all the file residues it left behind.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.