What is Search.searchw3m.com?
Search.searchw3m.com is a browser hijacker, so it might appear on your browser unexpectedly. Our specialists at Anti-spyware-101.com say it could enter the system via bundled software installers downloaded from unreliable sources. The good news is it not a malicious threat so it should not cause you a lot of trouble. Nonetheless, the application may provide you with a questionable search engine, and through it, the software could be displaying annoying and possibly potentially dangerous third-party advertising content. Under such circumstances, we recommend not to waste any time with Search.searchw3m.com, especially if you downloaded it unknowingly and would rather use a search engine of your preference. If this is the case, we offer users our deletion instructions available at the end of the article. Also, we invite reading the rest of the text because it might help you keep away from threats alike in the future.
Where does Search.searchw3m.com come from?
It appears to be Search.searchw3m.com could travel with bundled software installers found on untrustworthy torrent or other file-sharing web pages, such as malavida.es, descargar.es, and so on. No doubt, if you wish to stay away from browser hijacker, potentially unwanted programs, adware, or even malicious applications, it would be wise to choose more reliable websites. However, it would be even best to exchange such sites with legitimate web pages. Another way to avoid possible threats and maintain the computer clean is to place a legitimate antimalware tool on it. Besides, we could advise users to spend more time while reading information and terms provided on configuration wizards since often users install unreliable software just because they overlook it.
How does Search.searchw3m.com work?
This browser hijacker appears to be compatible with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. According to our researchers once it settles in on the mentioned browsers it should replace user’s homepage with a search engine with Search.searchw3m.com. Some users might see it as an ordinary search engine, but during our tests, we discovered it might use a modified google.com or search.yahoo.com version. It means the results you see could be influenced by the browser hijacker. In other words, Search.searchw3m.com may inject them with additional third-party advertising. The purpose of doing so could be simply to generate advertising revenue from user’s clicks. Unfortunately, to gain more revenue, the application might show advertisements coming from anywhere, including scam web pages, sites distributing malware, adware, etc. Of course, we cannot be one hundred percent sure, but given the software's creators claim they do not take any responsibility for the third-party content in their End User License Agreement and Privacy Policy documents, makes us doubt they review the ads or put any effort to ensure their safety.
How to remove Search.searchw3m.com?
If you decide not to take any risks with Search.searchw3m.com, we encourage you to erase it at once. For starters, users who feel up to the task could try to eliminate the browser hijacker manually. The whole process will be explained in the instructions available below, so all you have to do is follow the given steps. Naturally, if this task appears to be a bit too difficult for you, it would be smarter to acquire a legitimate antimalware tool and do a full system scan. Afterward, you should be able to delete the threat by just pressing the removal button.
Get rid of Search.searchw3m.com
Internet Explorer
- Tap Win+R.
- Type Regedit and click OK.
- Search for this given path: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
- Find a value name titled Start Page.
- Right-click the value name and select Modify.
- Replace its value data (http://Search.searchw3m.com), for example, with google.com.
- Click OK.
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Win+E.
- Find the path: C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{UniqueMozillaID}
- Locate file Prefs.js and open it with Notepad.
- Search for the given line: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://Search.searchw3m.com").
- Replace http://Search.searchw3m.com with a website you like.
- Tap Ctrl+S.
- Close the file.
Google Chrome
- Launch File Explorer (Win+E).
- Search for the following path: C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
- Find data named as Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
- Right-click these files separately and select Delete.
- Close the Explorer.
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