Search-startpage.com

Posted by Sarah Stewart on November 25, 2016

What is Search-startpage.com?

Search-startpage.com will be set as your homepage if your computer’s security gets compromised. This is a search engine that certainly does not deliver its promises. Basically, if your browser’s settings get changed without your permission, it is obvious that you have been infected with a browser hijacker.

This browser hijacker will try to make you think that Search-startpage.com is one of the best search service providers out there. In the midst of all this, this program will also try to expose you to potentially corrupted content. Unless you remove Search-startpage.com from your system right now, it is very likely that you will soon be infected with even more dangerous threats. test

Where does Search-startpage.com come from?

Unfortunately, Search-startpage.com is so generic that it is rather hard to say where exactly this program comes from. Not to mention, browser hijackers seldom have direct distribution sources. It is far more likely that they travel bundled in a software package through third-party installers.

We do know, however, that Search-startpage.com usually spreads in the United States. So if you download freeware from file-sharing sites that are hosted on American servers, you are at a greater risk to get infected with this browser hijacker.

Of course, you can always mitigate this risk by employing safe web browsing habits. First, you have to recognize that the Internet is not safe. There are crooks everywhere, trying to rip you off. It is no different from the actual real life. So if you need an application or some tool, it is for the best to get this application from its official website, rather than downloading it from a file-sharing source. Finally, before you launch the installer, you can scan the file with a security tool. If there is something wrong with the installer file, your security application will definitely let you know about it.

What does Search-startpage.com do?

There is a range of things this search engine can do. It can display commercial advertisements and collect information on what websites you visit. This is the most common thing about all browser hijackers. They monitor your online activity to find out more about you, so that they could customize the commercial content you see. If you encounter custom content that was created especially for you, there is a bigger change you may engage with that content (for instance, by clicking the ad), and this is exactly what the search engine wants. It needs your clicks to make money.

Is it safe to interact with this third-party content delivered by Search-startpage.com, however? Well, if we take a look at the engine’s EULA, we would get redirected to a Google document, which tells us some peculiar things about it. For example, from that document, we can see that the company responsible for creating this search engine is Bontio Inc. Also, the document contains a link to sweetlabs.com. From our previous researches, we know that Sweetlabs, a.k.a. Opencandy, encompasses a family of software publishers who are responsible for spewing such browser hijackers as startpage-search.com, webhome-page.com, and many others.

So the fact that Search-startpage.com comes from a group of potential computer security threats should be enough to convince that there is nothing good about it. Your main aim right now should be getting rid of it at once.

How do I remove Search-startpage.com?

This search engine does not leave an entry in the list of installed program. So it is obvious that you cannot delete it through Control Panel. However, that may not be necessary as our researchers at anti-spyware-101.com, say it should be enough to restore your browser settings to default to terminate Search-startpage.com for good.

Once you do that, you should also get yourself a licensed security application that would double-check your system’s status. As mentioned, there might be an entire throng of unwanted applications slowing down your PC and monitoring you.

When you remove all the unwanted applications, you have to make sure that similar intruders do enter your PC again. It is not just about the security application that you use. You have to steer clear from unfamiliar websites that offer you seemingly the best deals out there. Please remember that nothing comes for free! Think twice before you click that button.