Search.surfcanyon.com

Posted by Max Lehmann on April 7, 2016

What is Search.surfcanyon.com?

Search.surfcanyon.com claims to provide you with dynamic search pages instead of the traditional static lists of links, but our malware researchers at Anti-Spyware-101.com have found that this browser extension may appear in your Mozilla Firefox browser without your permission. Based on the fact that this tool is capable of changing your browser settings, it has been classified as a browser hijacker. This hijacker seems to only change your default search engine in Firefox. We do not recommend that you use this search page because the results it shows might not always be reliable. Unfortunately, it is also possible that this browser hijacker comes on board with other malware infections. It is important to understand the potential risks that this malware may hold if you want to protect your computer from additional malware invasions. We advise you to delete Search.surfcanyon.com and every other threat as well because leaving any infections on board may endanger your virtual security. test test test

Where does Search.surfcanyon.com come from?

Our specialists say that this browser hijacker mostly spreads with a potentially unwanted application (PUP) called FVD Suite (fvdsuite.com). This application is also available through flashvideodownloader.org, which is the official website of Flash Video Downloader, another PUP for that matter. Statistics show that this hijacker is most “popular” in the following countries: United States (14.7%), United Kingdom (8.5%), and Turkey (6.3%). But it does not mean that this infection cannot show up anywhere in the world; mostly, because this is not the only distribution method.

It is also possible that this tool is distributed via free software bundles containing malware infections. Such a package may carry a number of malware threats, including browser hijackers, ad-supported programs as well as PUPs. Installing such a bundle may seriously endanger your computer’s security. Therefore, you should know that these bundles are mainly promoted through suspicious dating and file-sharing websites, including torrent and freeware pages. If you want to prevent malware threats from entering your PC, you should avoid visiting such websites and clicking on third-party ads. If you are not sure how this browser hijacker appeared on your system, you should not hesitate to scan your computer with a reliable malware scanner right after you remove Search.surfcanyon.com.

How does Search.surfcanyon.com work?

This browser hijacker works exactly the same way as chartreusetaco.net, which is another questionable search engine that can be found on the same server. This search engine offers you its own technology to search the web more effectively. Unfortunately, the Eula and Privacy Policies are unavailable, i.e., you land on an HTTP Status 500 error page if you want to read them. Therefore, there is no official information about third-party involvement and promotion. Our researchers say that it is possible that this hijacker collects information about you and your browsing activities in order to send customized links and possible commercials to your screen through modified search results. If you click on potentially unreliable links or ads, you may find yourself on unsafe websites. A corrupt ad may also open malicious pages on new tabs. Landing on malicious websites is always risky. You may be tricked into downloading fake driver updates or buying non-existing products on a fake webshop site and so on. If you want to avoid such unfortunate scenarios, we suggest that you remove Search.surfcanyon.com from your browser.

How can I delete Search.surfcanyon.com?

Since this questionable browser hijacker only appears to affect Mozilla Firefox, it is a simple task to eliminate it. Even if you are not an expert, you can do it in a few seconds really. However, if you have never removed extensions, you may find our guide below quite useful. You should not forget about the possibility that this is not the only threat source on your computer. There may be other malware infections as well that may cause more severe exposure to unsafe web content and to cyber criminals as well. The protection of you operating system is vital if you want to use your computer safely. That is why you should not leave even potentially unwanted applications on board. If you want to find possible threats manually, you can skim through the list of installed programs in your Control Panel or check the extension lists in your browsers. Of course, there may be more sophisticated and stealthy infections that you cannot detect this way. For the best and most effective protection of your PC, we recommend that you install a reputable malware removal program.