Do you know what Search Secretly is?
Search Secretly is a browser hijacker that replaces your usual default search provider with the suspicious searchsecretly.net. At the moment, it is only compatible with Google Chrome, but it is possible that this infection will become compatible with other browsers in the future. The creator of this software is Visicom Media Inc., and it is responsible for MyStart Toolbar and AllMyWeb Toolbar, both of which are compatible with other browsers as well. So, how did the hijacker modify your Chrome browser? Was it done without your permission? If it was, you must classify it as a threat already. If you gave this hijacker the permission to replace your default search provider, you might still believe that it is harmless. Our research team has conducted a thorough research of this hijacker, and we can provide you with reasons to delete it. Read the report, and then you will be able to make the decision whether or not you want to remove Search Secretly.
The installer of Search Secretly might have been attached to a more desirable program, and you might have decided to let the hijacker in thinking that it can offer great services. If you have not acquired this threat from a third-party source, you might have installed it from searchsecretly.net. You might have been routed to this website via some random pop-up or advertisement, and the installer is represented in the center of this page. If you click the “Add to Chrome” button, you are routed to the original installer at chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/search-secretly/dnhbopkeaaehajikkdoagbdmnecbbfle. According to the information found on this page, the suspicious Search Secretly can help you browse the web without leaving any traces behind. It is suggested that the pages you search would not appear in the history. If you think that this service is beneficial, you have to remember that it is already built-in in Chrome. You can tap keys Ctrl+Shift+N, and the so-called “incognito” window will appear. Needless to say, that makes the add-on useless, and that is the first reason to delete it from your Google Chrome browser.
Search Secretly screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
The second reason to delete Search Secretly is that it redirects to search.yahoo.com whenever you use your default search provider tool. Although you might think that the suspicious add-on is associated with Yahoo Search, in reality, it is more likely that it exploits the popular and familiar search engine to expose you to ads. Would you interact with the search results shown via an unfamiliar search engine just as carelessly as you would via a familiar and reputable engine? It is unlikely that you would. Unfortunately, if you continue trusting the suspicious searchsecretly.net, you could end up interacting with unreliable ads, and so we do not advise it. Also, the longer you use this search tool, the more information Visicom will gather about you. The cookies employed by this company are even capable of recording personal data, and so you have to think carefully if you really want to keep using the hijacker. We recommend removing it.
Since Search Secretly affects only Google Chrome, the removal will not take long. Although you might be tempted to just eliminate the extension from the chrome://extensions/ menu – which is effective – we suggest using the guide below because you can learn a few things about Chrome extensions. In case you have acquired the hijacker along with other infections (install a malware scanner to find out), you might want to use legitimate anti-malware software to have all threats eliminated simultaneously. All in all, if other threats are not present, we are sure that you will be able to delete Search Secretly manually.
Remove Search Secretly
- Tap Win+E keys on the keyboard to access Explorer.
- Enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top, or, if you are on Windows XP, enter %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\.
- Open the {unique name} profile folder, or, if profiles do not exist, move to Default.
- Open the file called Preferences (you can use Notepad).
- Find dnhbopkeaaehajikkdoagbdmnecbbfle in the text, remove it, and save the file.
- Open the file called Secure Preferences and then repeat step 5.
- Now, open the Local Storage folder.
- Delete the files named chrome-extension_dnhbopkeaaehajikkdoagbdmnecbbfle_0.localstorage-journal and chrome-extension_dnhbopkeaaehajikkdoagbdmnecbbfle_0.localstorage.
- Go back to the Default/{unknown profile name} folder and then open the Extensions folder.
- Right-click and Delete the folder called dnhbopkeaaehajikkdoagbdmnecbbfle.
In non-techie terms:
Search Secretly is a browser hijacker that was created by Visicom Media Inc. When you install it, it changes the default search provider to searchsecretly.net, and that is not something to ignore. This software is suspicious and potentially unreliable because it can spy on you and even redirect you to a third-party search engine, which could be exploited to showcase sponsored content as well. To top it all off, the add-on is not very helpful because it offers the same service that Google Chrome offers you already. Needless to say, we recommend removing Search Secretly from Chrome, and you can do that using the guide above. Of course, if other threats are found, we believe it is smart to employ anti-malware software that can find and erase all of them at the same time automatically.