Do you know what Search.smacklek.com is?
Search.smacklek.com is a browser hijacker that some Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox users might notice on their browsers. Our researchers report that this search engine may hijack a browser by replacing its homepage. Also, it appears if you search the Internet through it, the website might redirect to a modified Yahoo search engine. This means the results could be influenced by the browser hijacker, even though Yahoo might have collected them. To be more precise, it is possible the results shown with a modified search engine could contain material from Search.smacklek.com third-party partners. Needless to say, it might not be safe to interact with third-party content coming from unreliable or unknown sources. Therefore, our computer security specialists recommend being careful while using the website in question. If you want to know about it more, we encourage you to read the rest of this article, as for users who wish to erase Search.smacklek.com at once, we can offer our removal guide placed below.
First things first, we ought to discuss where Search.smacklek.com might come from. Our researchers think the search engine should be spread the same as other similar browser hijackers. For instance, it could be bundled with unreliable browser extensions, plugins, and so on. Installers carrying it might be spread through questionable file-sharing websites, such as filewon.com, descargar.es, and so on. Therefore, for anyone who wishes to avoid browser hijackers and other similar threats, we highly recommend staying away from untrustworthy file-sharing web pages. Plus, users should be careful when picking new software to install, as well as during the installation process. Some installers are bundled with various tools that, in some cases, can be deselected if a user picks advanced/custom installation settings. As an extra precaution, we also advise keeping a reputable antimalware tool of your choice to help you recognize potentially dangerous content and guard your system from threats.Search.smacklek.com screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
The browser hijacker should change a browser’s homepage as soon as it enters a system. As we mentioned earlier in the article, one of the main problems with Search.smacklek.com is that the application might use a modified version of the Yahoo search engine to gather and display results. Unfortunately, there is a chance the results presented through a modified searched engine could contain third-party advertisements that may come from various third parties. As we explained earlier, such material should not be trusted if you are not sure it comes from a reliable source. For instance, third-party ads coming from suspicious sources could promote other browser hijackers like Search.smacklek.com, fake surveys or lotteries, and so on. If you do not like the idea such content could be displayed on your browser, we advise removing Search.smacklek.com and employing a more reliable search engine.
Getting rid of the browser hijacker manually is possible, although it could be a bit challenging. As you see, to remove Search.smacklek.com from Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, you would have to modify or erase files belonging to such browsers. Of course, the process is explained in the removal guide available below, and if you feel up to the task, we invite you to follow the provided steps. However, if you find the task difficult, do not forget you can delete Search.smacklek.com with an antimalware tool too. Just pick a reputable security tool, perform a full system scan with it, and wait for the results.
Erase Search.smacklek.com
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Windows Key+E.
- Go to the provided directory: C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla ID}
- Search for Prefs.js and launch this file as a Notepad document.
- Find the mentioned line: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.smacklek.com").
- Instead of http://search.smacklek.com place a link you prefer and press Ctrl+S to save changes.
- Close the document.
Google Chrome
- Tap Windows Key+E.
- Find the given path: C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
- Locate files named Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
- Right-click these files and press Delete.
- Exit File Explorer.
In no-techie terms:
Search.smacklek.com is a search engine that can hijack browsers by replacing their homepages. If it happens for you, you should know that the website could show you third-party advertisements and similar content that may not be entirely reliable. If you notice such material while browsing with this search engine, we recommend being extra careful. On the other hand, if you do not want to risk encountering it, we advise changing your homepage with a more trustworthy website. If you prefer having a search engine as your start page, you should find yourself a reliable tool, such as google.com or search.yahoo.com. To eliminate this browser hijacker you could either follow the removal guide provided a bit above this paragraph or get a reputable antimalware tool that would erase the untrustworthy search engine for you. Lastly, should you have any questions, know that you can leave us a message at the end of this page.