Do you know what Twisted Search is?
Twisted Search is a so-called “single purpose extension” that was created for the sole purpose of assisting Google Chrome users with web searches. That alone lets us know that this extension is very limited to how it works. That is not all. According to our researchers, the suspicious add-on also employs a well-known search engine to provide you with a web search service. That makes it completely useless. Not only that. It is possible that using the extension could also be dangerous because it might show sponsored links from unknown parties when you search the web. These are the reasons we classify this extension as a PUP (potentially unwanted program) and why we recommend deleting it from Google Chrome. If you find that you need to delete Twisted Search from a different web browser, let us know in the comment section.
Twisted Search was created by webcoapps, just like SearchZilla, Vista Search, Searchsio, and other PUPs. The Privacy Policy of this company can be found at webcoapps.com/privacy.html, and the statement informs that third-party advertisers can show sponsored links via the search provided by the PUP. It is also stated that data-tracking technologies can be used to determine what kinds of links you are more likely to interact with. If you did your research before downloading Twisted Search, there is a good chance that you would not have let it in at all. Speaking of downloading this PUP, how did you acquire it? Officially, the extension is presented at install.twistedsearch.com and can be installed from the Chrome Web Store (chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/twisted-search/mkclgclbnocabeapedfmpefjopfgcaof). However, you also could have downloaded it from a third-party source, attached to other suspicious programs and extensions. If that has happened, check whether these additions require removal.
Once you download Twisted Search, you give it the permission to read your browsing history and also change your default search provider to feed.twistedsearch.com/?q. All keywords entered into the search tool are rerouted to search.yahoo.com. You are informed that Yahoo Search is employed by the PUP right away. For example, the Chrome Web Store installer informs this via the description. Of course, just because you know a search tool, it does not mean that you can trust it blindly. The thing is that Twisted Search “optimizes” the engine by including its own results, and that is where the sponsored third-party links come in. That is the only feature of the PUP, and because you are unlikely to gain anything from these additional links, we are sure that you want to delete the extension. Can you use the tool to your own benefit? Truthfully, we do not know who webcoapps works with, and so we cannot guarantee that the sponsored links you are introduced to could be trusted.
Twisted Search screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
If you have come this far, it is likely that you want to remove Twisted Search from your browser. If you can follow basic instructions, you should have no trouble following the guide below. Once you are done erasing unwanted extensions and clearing browsing data, you should have no trace of the PUP left behind. In case you downloaded the PUP by accident along with real threats – which could happen if you use untrustworthy download sites – you might want to use the help of an automated anti-malware tool. Another reason to install it is to have your operating system guarded against PUPs and malware in the future.
Delete Twisted Search from Google Chrome.
- Open the browser.
- Tap Alt+F keys at the same time to launch the Chrome menu on the right.
- Click More tools and then Extensions to find the PUP.
- Click the Remove button next to it.
- Tap Ctrl+Shift+Delete buttons to launch the Clear browsing data menu.
- Select a time range and boxes in the Advanced menu.
- Click the Clear data button.
- Restart the browser.
In non-techie terms:
It is great if you want to browse the web in the most efficient way possible, but you have to choose the tools that are meant to make that possible for you very carefully. Twisted Search promises to optimize Yahoo Search results after changing your Chrome browser’s default search provider. However, all it can do is inject sponsored third-party links into normal search.yahoo.com search results. This is neither helpful nor safe, which is why we classify the extension as a PUP and recommend deleting it. If you have downloaded the PUP onto your Google Chrome browser, follow the steps above. If you do not want to remove Twisted Search manually, install a legitimate anti-malware tool that will take care of things automatically.