Search.hlocalweatherradar.co

Posted by Max Lehmann on July 19, 2017

What is Search.hlocalweatherradar.co?

According to our cyber security experts, Search.hlocalweatherradar.co is one search engine that you should avoid getting on your PC because its search results can be ad supported. However, the primary reason to remove it is that it can end up as your browser’s homepage as a result of installing a malicious software bundle. Its creators use this deceptive and dishonest distribution tactic because you would not use this search engine otherwise. While Search.hlocalweatherradar.co is, for the most part, usable, it redirects entered search queries to a modified Yahoo search engine that can show you ad-supported search results. To learn more about this hijacker, please continue reading. test

What does Search.hlocalweatherradar.co do?

According to our malware analysts, Search.hlocalweatherradar.co is nothing more but a malicious search engine that they classified as a browser hijacker due to the fact that it can replace the homepage address of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox without your authorization or knowledge. Its developers claim that it offers useful weather-related functions such as providing you with temperature reading in your area, and so on — nothing groundbreaking for sure.

Researchers say that the true intention of this hijacker is to flood your search results with commercial ads. This hijacker redirects all entered search queries to a modified Yahoo search engine that provides you with legitimate Yahoo search results. However, the bad news is that Search.hlocalweatherradar.co can modify them to include additional promotional links that may look like ordinary search results. The promoted websites can be unreliable as they can subject you to malicious content such as adware, spyware, fake anti-virus programs, and so on.

In order to present you with relevant ads in the search results, this hijacker was set to collect anonymous information about you and generate more ad revenue in the process because you have to click the promoted links for this hijacker’s developers to get paid. The collected information can include your approximate geographical location, IP address, browsing history, search queries, Internet Service provider domain name, browser type, and operating system type. The information is collected via web beacons and browser cookies. However, we want to note that the collection of this information is legal and all the peculiarities are covered in this hijacker’s privacy policy.

Where does Search.hlocalweatherradar.co come from?

Researchers have concluded that this particular browser hijacker is part of the Polarity Technologies browser hijacker family and is similar to the likes of Search.htrackyourpackages.co, Search.searchquickm.com, Search.searchlivesportson.com, and many others. They work similarly and distributed in much the same way as well.

This new browser hijacker is said to come bundled with malicious software bundles that have been set to inject it into your browser without your knowledge or consent. You can encounter bundles that feature this hijacker if you go to Filewon.com, Filewin.com, Malavida.es or Descargar.es, which are freeware sharing websites that, apparently, do not shy away from bundling freeware with malicious search engines.

How do I remove Search.hlocalweatherradar.co?

We hope you found this description insightful because it may not be apparent that Search.hlocalweatherradar.co is a browser hijacker, in fact. It comes from a shady background as is distributed using a deceptive tactic. It redirects search queries to Yahoo and features shady search results with promotional links. Nothing good can be said about it, so if you want to remove it, then please use our featured guide on how to change the homepage address.