Search.searchfdd.com

Posted by Max Lehmann on December 2, 2016

What is Search.searchfdd.com?

Search.searchfdd.com will change your browser’s settings, and you will be forced to perform your web search queries through this third-party domain. The program is a browser hijacker, so it means that it arrives at your system with the intention to make some money.

It is true that browser hijackers do not steal money from users directly. However, they might as well expose you to a variety of dangerous threats, and you cannot afford that. It is important that you remove Search.searchfdd.com from your computer at once. The longer you wait, the more damage this infection may cause. Most of the damage will be indirect, but you will definitely feel it. test

Where does Search.searchfdd.com come from?

This browser hijacker does not have one particular distribution source, so it presents us with a challenge when we want to explain to users how to protect their computers from this threat. What’s more, it is very likely that users install Search.searchfdd.com and other similar threats willingly, albeit unwittingly.

Of course, you would never want to have this type of infection on your computer, but they often employ sly distribution methods that trick unsuspecting users into installing such apps without any second thought. Researchers at anti-spyware-101.com say that this browser hijacker probably comes bundled with freeware.

It is not surprising because it is probably the most common freeware and adware distribution method. It is possible to say that there is the gray area on the Internet, when a program or some activity is not downright malicious, and yet it is not 100% legal either. This is where the freeware distribution methods stand in. They are in between.

How do users encounter freeware apps? Usually, they get redirected to some third-party file-sharing website after a web search. If you are looking for some codec, a video cutter, or a similar freeware application, the chances are that you will find links to third-party sources as well, not only the official websites. Sometimes it is also easier to find a program on a third-party website.

However, when you are about to install such a program, please have in mind that the third-party installer probably has a few other applications bundled in the same package, and Search.searchfdd.com might as well be one of them. So by going through the installation negligently, you basically expose your computer to unwanted apps and potential malicious exploitation.

What does Search.searchfdd.com do?

Technically, there is nothing unexpected about this browser hijacker. It behaves just like most of the programs from the same category. When it gets added to your main browser, it will change your default search engine to search.searchfdd.com, and your homepage to home.searchfdd.com. It will try to look like a regular search provider, but all of your search queries will be redirected through the Yahoo! Search.

Then it will seem as though Search.searchfdd.com has something to do with Yahoo! Search, but that is not true. The hijacker is simply using the popular search provider to fool you into trusting it. What’s more, it will also monitor your online activity, logging the search keywords you use and the websites you visit.

As a result, the hijacker will be able to generate customized content to the outgoing links and ads it promotes. The content will be tailored especially for you, so that you would click the links, thus increasing the traffic on the affiliated websites. That is how Search.searchfdd.com and other similar programs manage to make some money, but you get nothing in return. Worse, you could get infected with malware because the hijacker is not responsible for whatever you encounter on the other end of the outgoing link.

How do I remove Search.searchfdd.com?

The bottom line is that you should not take your chances. The best way out of this situation is removing Search.searchfdd.com for good. It should also be pointed out that you have to locate other unwanted apps that are probably installed on your system.

If you find it hard looking for these programs, you can rely on a security application that will detect and terminate the potentially dangerous software for you automatically. After that, you will only have to protect your computer from similar intruders, and that involves not only investing in a security tool, but also staying away from unfamiliar and possibly harmful websites.