Search.searchlen.com

Posted by Sarah Stewart on August 10, 2016

What is Search.searchlen.com?

Once again, we have another newly released browser hijacker that comes from the SaferBrowser family of browser hijackers. Like its predecessors, Search.searchlen.com is a malicious search engine that you ought to remove as soon as possible. According to our malware researchers, it is set to hijack your browser’s homepage address and search provider settings. The purpose of this is to redirect web traffic and subject you to promotional links presented in this hijacker’s search results. As a result, the developers and their clients make money, but you run the risk of your computer becoming infected with malware, and there is no way to validate the legitimacy of the promotions. test test test

Where does Search.searchlen.com come from?

This hijacker is a product of SaferBrowser, a company dedicated to making browser hijackers that, in turn, make the company a healthy profit. SaferBrowser is a notorious developer that has set up hundreds of browser hijackers, and Search.searchlen.com is by far not the only one currently being distributed. Our malware analysts say that, currently, Search.yourweatherhub.com, Search.youremailnow.com, and Search.searchtrmypa.com are still active and available for download.

Like the hijackers released before it, Search.searchlen.com also has a dedicated distribution website that is hosted at Loginemailnow.com. This site features a browser extension called Login Email Now that is compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. When you install this extension, the offers you deselect the installation of Search.searchlen.com, so this distribution method is entirely legitimate. However, our researchers have found that it has another less known distribution method. They say that you can accidentally download Login Email Now by clicking pop-up advertisements shown by ad-supported applications. So if you think that you got this hijacker accidentally, then you should scan your PC for malware.

How does Search.searchlen.com work?

It must be said that Search.searchlen.com works like any legitimate search engine. However, it does not have its own search algorithm, so it uses a third-party search engine to process the search queries. Researchers say that like previous hijackers this one is also set to make use of Yahoo.com that does all of the work, but do not be deceived because Search.searchlen.com is configured to alter Yahoo’s search results and inject them with additional promotional links that can pose a danger to your computer and your privacy. This hijacker's privacy policy states the following:

The anonymous information we may have access to, obtain, retain and use may include: • Information about your use of our Services, such as the frequency with which you use them, how you use and interact with them, when you visit them, and your responses to the offerings and advertisements made available to you through them, among other things

So there is no doubt that Search.searchlen.com can expose you to commercial advertisements. Not only that but it is also set to collect information about you to tailor the ads based on your browsing habits. The privacy policy also states that this hijacker will collect information that includes but is not limited to your IP address, your geographic location, the domain name of your ISP (Internet Service Provider), browsing history, and entered search queries. Since this browser hijacker is part of a web monetization scheme and its presented content may not be safe you should not allow it to collect information about you. So if you want your old search engine back, then follow the instructions at the end of this article.

How to remove Search.searchlen.com

In truth, nothing has changed since the release of SaferBrowser’s last browser hijacker. This company still uses the same formula to generate advertising revenue at the expense of your computer’s security. If you want to delete it, then we very much encourage you to do so. Testing has shown that you have to uninstall LoginEmailNow from Control Panel if you installed in on Internet Explorer and remove it from the browser’s list of extensions if you installed it on Chrome or Firefox.