Do you know what Search.searchbrs.com is?
Installing extensions can be dangerous, even if they are represented via the Chrome web store. If you are not cautious, you could let in Search.searchbrs.com, which is a browser hijacker that might affect Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer browsers. At the time of research, the installer of the suspicious extension was not found, and we hope that it was already taken down. Despite that, the installer could be spread by third-party distributors, and so it continues to travel across the web. If you let it in, it will occupy the New Tab and Home Page to introduce you to the hijacker, and, in fact, that is the only purpose of this extension. Needless to say, that makes it useless, and that is the first reason you should not install it. If you have already, we advise deleting it, and the good news is that the task is not that complicated. Our research team can show you how to remove Search.searchbrs.com from your operating system manually, and if you want to learn about this, you should keep reading.
Search.searchbrs.com is a creation of Polarity Technologies Ltd, a company that is responsible for various suspicious extensions and browser hijackers. The extension that is linked to this particular hijacker is called “Speed Tester BRS.” The interface of the hijacker makes it look like a normal search engine, and our malware analysts have found that it is identical to the interfaces of Search.internetspeedpilot.com, Search.searcheasysta.com, and several other hijackers that were created by Polarity Technologies Ltd as well. All of them display the same links to https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/guides/speed/boost-your-internet-speed, https://www.fcc.gov/research-reports/guides/household-broadband-guide, and http://news.mynewswire.co/. Also, they represent the same easy-access links to Amazon, Gmail, and other popular services. Unsurprisingly, they all use the same search tool that automatically redirects your search queries to Yahoo Search with modified search results. Trusting these results and interacting with them is a terrible idea, and you should not do it. In the worst case scenario, the links you click on could lead to scams and malware installers.
Search.searchbrs.com screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Are you aware that Search.searchbrs.com can record personal information? You would not be surprised about that if you reviewed the Privacy Policy. It is very important that you always research the software you install, and privacy policies can reveal highly important information. Of course, you should not just rely on the official information represented by the developer. You also want a third-party opinion, which is something you can get from reliable and reputable virtual security experts. Our research team advises deleting Search.searchbrs.com because it not useful or reliable. Although it can test Internet speeds, it cannot provide you with a reliable search tool, and the links it promotes are useless as well. On top of that, it appears that the hijacker can spy on you, as well as introduce you to potentially unreliable third-party content. Due to these reasons, you should remove this hijacker ASAP.
You should be able to delete Search.searchbrs.com from your operating system yourself by following the guides below. If you are having issues, do not wait to post a comment below. What about anti-malware software? It can clean your operating system from hijackers and other potentially active infections automatically, which is why it is what we recommend. Note that reliable anti-malware software is also irreplaceable when it comes to your system’s protection. So, if you install it, make sure you keep it updated to ensure that it can guard your operating system and browsers reliably.
Remove Search.searchbrs.com
Internet Explorer
- Simultaneously tap Win+R to launch RUN and then enter regedit.exe.
- In Registry Editor move to HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}.
- Open these values (double-click to open) and overwrite the hijacker’s URL in them:
- FaviconURL
- FaviconURLFallback
- TopResultURL
- URL
- Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
- Double-click the value named Start Page and overwrite the hijacker’s URL.
Mozilla Firefox
- Simultaneously tap keys Win+E to launch Windows Explorer.
- Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top.
- Open the folder representing your Firefox profile and then open the file called prefs.js.
- Find the URL representing the hijacker and overwrite it. Save the file.
Google Chrome
- Simultaneously tap keys Win+E to launch Windows Explorer.
- Enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top.
- Open the folder representing your Chrome profile. If profiles do not exist, go to Default.
- Delete the files called Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data (or open and overwrite the hijacker’s URL).
In non-techie terms:
At first sight, Search.searchbrs.com looks like a normal search tool, and that is because it displays links to popular websites, and because it redirects to Yahoo Search. Well, this is not as innocent as you might think. First of all, any hijacker that redirects to third-party sites without permission is considered to be potentially malicious. Second, the search results are modified to show sponsored third-party content, which makes the search tool unpredictable and unreliable. It was also found that the hijacker can record and, possibly, leak private information, which is another important reason to remove it. You can delete Search.searchbrs.com manually using the guides above, or you can install an automated anti-malware tool to do the job for you. Whatever you do, make sure you operating system is completely clean at the end.