Searchmaster.net

What is Searchmaster.net?

Browser hijackers are annoying and intrusive computer infections designed to replace a browser’s homepage address and often the new tab page and search provided settings. Searchmaster.net is a new hijacker that you ought to remove because it will do precisely what all hijackers were designed to do. Apart from this malicious action, this particular hijacker is known to feature promotional links in its search results. The links are supplied by advertising partners, but there is no way of knowing whether they are safe to click. So, you should refrain from using it as a regular search engine.

What does Searchmaster.net do?

What Searchmaster.net does is pretty simple. Software installers can inject it into your computer and, in turn, replace your browser’s default homepage address. Our researchers say that it can replace the homepages of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. The reason why this hijacker does that is to force you to use it as a regular search engine. However, it is everything but a regular search engine. It redirects search queries through Partnerads.ysm.yahoo.com and presents you with Yahoo search results that feature additional advertisements. The problem is that these advertisements come from unknown advertising partners, so the reliability of their promoted content is questionable. From the outside, however, this search engine looks aesthetically pleasing as it features beautiful cover pictures that you can select from the menu below. It also features the date and time in the middle of the search window, so you always know the current time and date. It also features a weather temperature gauge. However, all of this gimmicky stuff is irrelevant because this search engine is all about generating advertising revenue.

You might be interested to know that this particular browser hijacker has been configured to collect certain information about you. Our malware analysts have concluded that this hijacker was configured to gather information that such as your IP address, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), cookie information, and the webpage that you visit. This information might not look like much, but it is very helpful because it helps the developers present you with personalized advertisements that will make the developers more money. However, that does not mean that the ads become anymore safe when they are personalized.

Where does Searchmaster.net come from?

As mentioned, Searchmaster.net is distributed through software installers. Malware researchers say that these installers might have been designed not to disclose the presence of Searchmaster.net and other content and install it on your PC without your knowledge or authorization. You can encounter such installers if you visit low-grade software distributing sites that bundle several or more applications as a means of generating income per install.

Judging from the data we have acquired, it seems that most of Searchmaster.net’s users come from Germany, but it also has a significant user base in Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom. So it is reasonable to assume that the sites that distribute this hijacker are popular in these countries. Nevertheless, it is accessible to everyone around the globe and people should be careful not to get it because it might potentially jeopardize the system security of the computers.

How do I remove Searchmaster.net?

In closing, there is no doubt what Searchmaster.net is all about. Behind the colorful gimmicks lies an unreliable search engine that was designed to hijack your browser’s homepage address because its objective is to force you to use it for searching the web and subject you to promotional links if you do. Our malware analysts recommend that you remove it from your PC, but if you do not know to do that you can use guide presented below.

Google Chrome

1. Press Windows+E keys.
2. Enter C:\Users\{User name}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default in the address line and hit Enter.
3. Find Preferences, Secure Preferences and Web Data files.
4. Right-click each of them and click Delete.
5. Empty the Recycle Bin.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press Windows+E keys.
2. Type C:\Users\{User name}\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles in the address box and hit Enter.
3. Enter the {Unique ID} folder.
4. Find prefs.js and open it with Notepad.
5. Find and replace http://www.searchmaster.net in the user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://www.searchmaster.net"); string.
6. Save and Close.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Press the Windows+R.
2. Enter regedit in the box and click OK.
3. In the Registry Editor, go to each of the following locations.
   • HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\MAIN
   • HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\MAIN
   • HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AboutURLs
   • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
4. Find Start Page in each registry key, right-click it and click Modify.
5. Replace http://www.searchmaster.net/ with another search engine URL.
6. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.

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