Search.searcheazel.com

Posted by Max Lehmann on March 2, 2017

What is Search.searcheazel.com?

Search.searcheazel.com is a potential computer security threat. It is a browser hijacker, and as such, it will try to expose you to potentially harmful content. That is not to say that the program does that on purpose. Its main purpose is to make a financial profit, and it simply does not check the third-party content it promotes, thus leaving the door open for the cyber criminals to exploit it. You should not take such risks because sometimes malicious infection could be hiding behind the closest corner. Do yourself a favor and remove Search.searcheazel.com immediately. You will definitely prevent other unwanted programs from entering your PC. test

Where does Search.searcheazel.com come from?

From our perspective, writing about this browser hijacker is already slightly redundant because it comes from a very big group of identical applications. The program is created by Polarity, LTD, and so it is just another clone of Search.directionsandmap.com, Search.searchlttrn.com, Search.yourpackagesnow.com, and many other browser hijackers that have been detected over the past year. All these programs share the same interface, so it is obvious that their developers do not intend to spend a lot of the looks. It is the quantity they are concerned about.

Needless to say, the browser hijacker does not have a direct distribution source. Instead, it will probably enter target computers in software packages. For instance, if you are about to download some codec or a file converter from a file-sharing site, you have to be sure to read the installation steps one by one. Freeware apps are distributed via third-party installers, and these installers often bundle several apps together. So if you skip the installation steps, you may add Search.searcheazel.com accidentally without even realizing it. To protect your computer and your personal information from malicious exploitation, you should definitely pay more attention to the programs you download and install.

What does Search.searcheazel.com do?

Since the program is a browser hijacker, it will do everything a genuine hijacker would. First, it will change your homepage. The program affects Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox, so it might have a wide reach. Although it is easy to switch it back to your usual homepage, some users might feel flustered to see an unfamiliar domain on their browser. What’s more, Search.searcheazel.com will also change your default search engine, and it will use a custom Yahoo! Search engine to display modified search results. It might look as though the program can provide you with relevant search suggestions, but that is highly doubtful.

Any browser hijacker out there will engage in monitoring activities. This program will employ tracking cookies and other techniques to track your online activity. While the program is not sophisticated to the point it could log your keystrokes, it can still collect personally non-identifiable information for affiliate marketing. After all, the homepage already contains random links to news.mynewswire.co, filebistro.com, online-convert.com, and so on. Third parties use this domain to promote their websites, and Search.searcheazel.com does not even check whether those sites are safe or not!

So there is a chance that this browser hijacker could accidentally redirect you to a malicious website, and from there, you could get infected with malware. Of course, this is the worst-case scenario that does not play too often, but if there is a possibility, you should not ignore it.

Finally, when a program enters your computer, and you do not want it, it should be enough of a proof that the application cannot be trusted. And when a program cannot be trusted, you delete it.

How do I remove Search.searcheazel.com?

Removing the browser hijacker from your computer is not as complicated as you might think. You just need to follow the instructions below, and the browser hijacker will disappear from your system for good.

On the other hand, if you are not sure you can get rid of this program on your own, you can always rely on a licensed antispyware tool that would help you terminate Search.searcheazel.com automatically. What’s more, a computer security tool of your choice would detect other potential threats (if any), thus successfully safeguarding you against other issues. After all, this browser hijacker seldom comes alone, so if you need to remove more than one unwanted application, it is best to do it all at once.

Manual Search.searcheazel.com Removal

Internet Explorer

Press Win+R and the Run prompt will open.
Type regedit into the Open box and click OK.
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
Right-click the Start Page value on the right pane.
Select Modify and change your homepage address. Click OK.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}.
On the right pane, modify the following values:
FaviconURL
FaviconURLFallback
TopResultURL
URL

Chrome

Press Win+R and type %LocalAppData%. Click OK.
Open Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.
Find and delete the Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data files.

Firefox

Press Win+R and type %AppData%. Click OK.
Go to Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[User ID].
Find and open the prefs.js file with Notepad.
Find and delete the following string: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://Search.searcheazel.com);
Save changes and close the file.