Do you know what SpicySEARCH is?
If you find SpicySEARCH in your Google Chrome browser as your new home page, new tab, and default search engine, it is possible that you clicked on an unsafe third-party pop-up advertisement previously. Of course, you can also install this browser extension knowingly and from an official source but it is quite unlikely that you have done so. Our researchers say that it is possible that this tool is used by its creators as a platform to promote affiliates and thus generate revenue. While this is obviously legal, there is no guarantee that all the promoted third parties are reliable. This means that you might be exposed to potentially unreliable third-party ads and links on the search results pages. We recommend that you remove SpicySEARCH from your browser as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) because you might drop further and more serious threats by keeping it on board.
It seems that this PUP is most popular in the US, Canada, and India but it can be found spreading in other countries as well, including Pakistan and the Philippines. You can officially install it on its Chrome web store page, chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/spicysearch/fkhmikadkeefioneejecgmdggfmekfak. This page clearly shows that this is not really a popular tool when you consider the number of downloads, which hardly reaches 2,900 after one month. This also means that there has to be other alternative ways to distribute this useless PUP. After installing this tool a new tab opens with a "Securing Browser" label and after a few seconds the usual default Google search page appears. However, if you use it, you will end up on an iresults.ampxsearch.com search results page.
SpicySEARCH screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
This is when software bundling and deceptive third-party pop-up ads come into the picture. You can easily be presented with corrupt ads when you visit suspicious websites, such as torrent and freeware pages. One click on the wrong content and you can silently install this PUP not even knowing about it. It is also possible that you install it as part of a bundle. In this case, you may be informed about the browser setting changes but this notification may not be there unless you select the custom installation option. Sometimes this can also be forced, i.e., you may be asked to agree to the browser setting changes, otherwise you cannot go on with the installation of your target free program. We recommend that you stay away from any questionable sites that promote potentially harmful third-party content if you want to be safe. But right now we suggest that you delete SpicySEARCH from your browser and then, scan your system with a trustworthy online malware scanner so that you can eliminate all other threats as well.
Installing this PUP means that your Google Chrome browser settings will change. Namely, your homepage, new tab, and default search provider will be set to spicystart.com. This questionable search engine seems to use iresults.ampxsearch.com to show you search results. When you open a new browser window, an empty page appears with a "Search"-labeled field, which does not even look like a field but a long line. The first thing the trained eye notices on this otherwise empty page is that there are no legal documents (EULA or Privacy Policy) presented, which is quite suspicious. It is possible that this PUP collects information about you and your browser habits, which can be used to provide you with customized content. This also means that you could be targeted by third parties with ads and links that might lead to fake or malicious websites if these parties are not the trustworthy kind. Unfortunately, you might infect your computer with malware programs this way but you might also be scammed and lose money from your bank account. Even if these could be isolated and rare cases, we believe that it is best to delete SpicySEARCH from your browser to be on the safe side.
We have included our removal guide below this report so that you can quickly eliminate this potential threat source. It is really easy to follow these steps and you can finish within one single minute. Of course, this may not clean your computer entirely, which means that there still could be other threats present. If you want to properly clean your system and keep it that way, we recommend that you install a trustworthy anti-malware program like SpyHunter.
Remove SpicySEARCH from your browser
Google Chrome
- Tap Alt+F and choose More tools.
- Select Extensions.
- Locate the undesirable extension and click on the Trash can on its right.
- Press Remove.
In non-techie terms:
SpicySEARCH is a new Google Chrome browser extension that offers you a search engine to do your web searches. Unfortunately, our researchers have found that this is indeed a potentially unwanted program that might pose a threat to your virtual security. This PUP might show you modified search results that could include questionable third-party ads and links. Engaging with such contents could end badly for you since you may open new tabs or windows with malicious pages or drop infections silently in the background. It is also possible that you let other PUPs or even malware infections on board when installing this extension under questionable circumstances. All in all, we think that you should remove SpicySEARCH if you want to keep your system clean. For the best possible security, it may be time for you to install a trustworthy anti-malware program.