What is Searchprotector.net?
Searchprotector.net is a new search engine that raise a few questions. Our malware experts at anti-spyware-101.com have tested this search engine and concluded that it can appear in your major browsers when a browser hijacker sets it as your homepage, new tab, and default search provider. We have also found that this search engine is very similar to other potentially risky ones, including Startme.today and Startme.online. This service is supposed to present to you modified search results that could contain potentially unreliable third-party advertisements and promoted links; however, it seems that the server is temporarily down or the script for this page is not finished because right now the search part does not seem to function at all. This is also quite suspicious, not to mention the possibility that this search engine appears in your browsers without your knowledge after installing a free program. Since there could be several malware infections on your system right now, we believe that it is not enough for you to remove Searchprotector.net alone to make your virtual place a secure one. Please read on to find out more about this search engine and how you can avoid similar infections entering your computer.
Where does Searchprotector.net come from?
The most likely way for you to come across this search engine in your browsers is to either install it directly by clicking on a corrupt third-party ad or a link that was present to you by a browser hijacker or an unsafe search engine. The worse case is when you install this search engine when installing a freeware bundle because this means that you may not even realize or notice this change and other threats that you allow onto your system. Such a bundle can pack a bunch of potentially unwanted programs as well as malicious threats, including browser hijackers, Trojans, adware applications, fake alerts, and more. This is why extra care should always be taken whenever installing a bundle even if it is a legitimate one. You can download such a software package every time you try to download a free or cracked file from the wrong P2P website (torrent or shareware). These pages generally promote questionable third-party installers packed with all kinds of potential and malicious threats. But you can also download a bundle when you click on the wrong third-party ad or any other content that is corrupt on a page. Such content can also be provided by malware infections, such as adware programs. This is why we always say that you should scan your system with a proper online malware scanner to be able to identify all possible threat sources after you delete Searchprotector.net from your browsers.
How does Searchprotector.net work?
This search engine looks like a totally legitimate search engine that, of course, claims to provide you with the best possible search results using ground-breaking technology. This search page has a toolbar with four links: Search, About, Customize, and Back to default. The About page has a couple of subpages that include the legal documents (Terms of Use and Privacy Policy), which are usually disclosed on the main page, at the bottom. By clicking on the Customize link, you can set up a background picture for your search page choosing from a limited set. We can say that these pages and links work just fine, nothing suspicious. However, the search service itself could take you to modified Yahoo pages that could contain potentially unreliable third-party advertisements and sponsored links as well. Clicking on these contents could put your virtual security at risk. It is possible that you may drop infections or open malicious pages in new tabs. Nevertheless, it seems that right now this search engine does not even function properly, or at all. This could be due to a temporary shutdown of this service but we cannot confirm this yet. In any case, we believe that you should remove Searchprotector.net from your computer as soon as you notice it in your browsers.
How can I delete Searchprotector.net?
We cannot confirm yet but it is possible that the browser hijacker that installs this search engine also changes the Target lines of your browser shortcuts, which need to be checked before you move on resetting your browsers. If the Target lines are changed, any browser setting change or reset would be futile. We have included the necessary instructions for you below this article. If you want to use a secure computer, it is vital that you make sure that there is not one single threat on board and keep it that way. If you do not think that you can cope with this alone, we suggest that you install a trustworthy malware removal application like SpyHunter. Of course, you should not forget about updating all your programs and drivers regularly to do everything you can for a safe virtual world.
Restore your Target lines
- Right-click on your browser shortcut on your desktop.
- Open Properties.
- Select the General tab.
- Tick the Read-only checkbox and select the Shortcut tab.
- Make sure that your Target line only contains the location of your browser and nothing else after the quotes. Press OK.
- Right-click on the shortcut on your Taskbar to display the menu.
- Right-click on the browser name option at the bottom.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 to restore the Target line.
Remove Searchprotector.net from browsers
Mozilla Firefox
- Tap Alt+H and go to Troubleshooting Information.
- Press Refresh Firefox and click Refresh Firefox in the pop-up.
Google Chrome
- Tap Alt+F and navigate to Settings.
- Click Advanced at the bottom.
- Click Reset at the bottom.
- In the pop-up window, press Reset.
Internet Explorer
- Tap Alt+T and access Internet Options.
- On the Advanced tab, click Reset.
- Mark the Delete personal settings checkbox.
- Press Reset and click Close.
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