What is Search.weather-genie.com?
Interacting with third-party installers is risky business because you might unknowingly install malware. Although Search.weather-genie.com is not classified as a threat of critical level, it is a browser hijacker, trusting which might be dangerous. Anti-Spyware-101.com malware researchers also warn that this hijacker is most likely to be active on your PC along with other threats, some of which might be much more aggressive and dangerous. Since an official installer does not appear to exist, the threat must be spread by third-party distributors. While you might be able to use the hijacker without facing a single risk, there are plenty of dangerous threats that can initiate malicious processes without you even noticing it. Due to this, the first thing you should do right now is scan your operating system using a legitimate, trusted, and up-to-date malware scanner. A free malware scanner can be downloaded by clicking the yellow button below. Hopefully, this scanner informs that you only need to delete Search.weather-genie.com; however, if other threats are found, you should not ignore them.
How does Search.weather-genie.com work?
It appears that Search.weather-genie.com was created by Linkury, which is also associated with TappyTop, Search.SafeFinder.com, and other suspicious, potentially unwanted programs. Since this company does not have the best reputation, the first thing you should do – if you encounter a product created by it – is check the Privacy Policy. This document reveals a few interesting things. First of all, we find information regarding the collection of personally-identifiable information, which is something you always have to be careful about. Yes, the hijacker allegedly records personal data only to improve services, as well as to “perform research,” but that does not mean that you have to put up with it. Do you trust Search.weather-genie.com enough to be okay with it recording private information? The chances are that you do not, considering that you are reading this report. Another statement that we want to bring to your attention regards the advertising that is associated with the hijacker. As stated in the Privacy Policy, third-party content can be displayed, and it is most likely that the search tool represented by the hijacker will be employed for that. Needless to say, you have to be cautious about these ads.
The search results represented via Search.weather-genie.com are unique, which is a surprise, considering that most hijackers nowadays redirect to more popular search engines, such as Google and Yahoo. By redirecting to these search engines, the hijackers can slip in sponsored content without the users’ notice. While that is not the case with Search.weather-genie.com, it can showcase advertisements that belong to unknown third parties, and that is what we are concerned about. We cannot confirm or deny that every ad shown to you is malicious, but the risk is there, and it is up to you to decide whether you want to take or avoid it. Of course, our research team recommends refraining from interacting with the suspicious ads.
How to delete Search.weather-genie.com
If you find Search.weather-genie.com to be highly useful, you have to remember that this hijacker can record personal information, as well as introduce you to suspicious third-party ads whenever you are using its search tool. These are the main reasons you should remove this hijacker from your browser, and you should not take them lightly. Sure, even reliable search tools can show ads and record private data, but some are more reliable and reputable than others, and, at the end of the day, you do not even fully know who the developer of the hijacker is. Also, if it has slithered into your operating system via an unreliable installer, it is clear that its developer is trying to distribute it even using potentially unreliable sources. If you find out that you need to remove Search.weather-genie.com along with third-party malware, we advise trusting a legitimate anti-malware tool. If you want to get rid of malicious threats yourself, use the manual removal guides that are available on this site.
Removal Instructions
Internet Explorer:
- Tap Win+R keys on the keyboard to launch RUN.
- Enter regedit.exe to open the Registry Editor utility.
- Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
- Right-click the value named Start Page and choose Modify.
- Replace the hijacker’s URL with the desired one and click OK.
Google Chrome:
- Tap Win+E on the keyboard to launch Windows Explorer.
- Enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ (Windows Vista and up) or %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\ (Windows XP) into the bar at the top.
- If several profiles are registered, open your {Chrome profile name} folder, or open the Default folder.
- Delete the files named Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
Mozilla Firefox:
- Tap Win+E on the keyboard to launch Windows Explorer.
- Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top.
- Open your {Firefox profile name} folder.
- Find the file named prefs.js and open it using a text reader (e.g., Notepad).
- Replace the hijacker’s URL with the desired one and then save the file.
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