What is Search.searchmabb.com?
Search.searchmabb.com was classified as a browser hijacker after it was discovered that the application could set itself as user’s default search engine or alter other preferences. Also, our researchers at Anti-spyware-101.com noticed that the search engine could be installed without the user realizing it. If you have in fact received the threat accidentally, we would recommend removing it as quick as possible, because if it is left unattended, the hijacker might cause some troubles. Clearly, deleting the application could be quite a challenge if you have never encountered such software before and for this reason, our researchers prepared removal instructions too. You can find them just a little below the article, but at first, it might be a good idea to read some more and get to know Search.searchmabb.com better provided you do not want to come across similar threats in the future.
Where does Search.searchmabb.com come from?
Search.searchmabb.com might have been developed by the same creators who brought us applications like Search.searchwfaa.com, Search.searchtaccess.com, Search.searchlrom.com, and so on. What makes us think this way is the resemblance between these browser hijackers as they look like identical clones. Over time we have encountered quite a lot of them, but it is still unknown what the real name of their publisher is. However, what we do know is that usually these applications are distributed with bundled installers. Thus, to stay away from such hijackers we would advise you to download setup files only from reliable sources (e.g. official publishers' websites). Also, besides reading the description that could be exaggerated, it is important to read some reviews or look for other information about the program to ensure it is reliable and safe to use.
How does Search.searchmabb.com work?
Search.searchmabb.com can hijack browsers like Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox. The application should do so by changing your homepage, new tab page, or default search engine. The problem with this threat is that it might promote suspicious third-party content, which could be advertised through pop-ups, banners, etc. Some of the ads might be displayed just below the search box, while others could appear with search results.
The reason you may want to stay away from such advertisements is because some of them could originate from malicious web pages. In other words, if you click such ads, you might be redirected to harmful web pages yourself. Visiting such sites might be a bad idea, especially if your computer is not protected by a reliable antimalware tool as it could be vulnerable to threats. Malicious third-party web pages may cause you trouble since they could be distributing potentially unwanted programs, adware, different browser hijackers, or even malware (e.g. Trojans, viruses, worms, and so on). Therefore, our specialists recommend removing the application from the browser before anything bad happens.
How to erase Search.searchmabb.com?
To change some of your browser settings the hijacker might have altered particular data, so to get rid of it, modified files should be either erased or modified as it is shown in the instructions available below the text. Another way to eliminate Search.searchmabb.com is to get a legitimate antimalware tool that could delete the application for you. Just launch the tool and set it to scan your system. If there are any other suspicious programs or files on the computer, the antimalware software might show more detections on its report, so wait till it finishes the scan and press the removal button to eliminate all detected threats at once.
Delete Search.searchmabb.com
Internet Explorer
- Press Windows key+R.
- Insert Regedit and click OK.
- Go to the specific location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
- Choose a value name called Start Page and right-click it.
- Press Modify and instead of http://search.searchmabb.com insert a link you prefer, then select OK.
- Find a particular directory: HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}
- Right-click value names called FaviconURL, FaviconURLFallback, FaviconURLFallback, and URL separately.
- Select Modify and instead of their current value data insert URL addresses of websites you like, then click OK.
- Exit the Registry Editor.
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Windows key+E.
- Look for the provided directory: %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{user profile}
- Select a file named as prefs.js and open it with Notepad.
- Find the following line: user_pref(“browser.startup.homepage”, “http://search.searchmabb.com”).
- Instead of http://search.searchmabb.com insert another website and click Ctrl+S.
- Close prefs.js. and exit the Explorer.
Google Chrome
- Press Windows key+E.
- Find the exact same path: %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
- Search for files titled as Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
- Right-click them one by one and click Delete.
- Close the Explorer.
tested removal of Search.searchmabb.com*
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