Do you know what Vista Search is?
There is another strange extension designed for Google Chrome users, and it is called Vista Search. The description that is attached to the installer found on the Chrome Web Store suggests that this extension can optimize your web search by providing you with optimized Yahoo Search results. It is meant to give you access to search, images, videos, and news. Needless to say, whenever someone offers an enhanced version of an already loved service, most people take time to at least learn what that is all about. The reality is that while the extension should offer an enhanced browsing experience, it cannot really do much for Google Chrome users, and that is the first reason we identify it as a potentially unwanted program (PUP). This might also be the reason you decide to remove Vista Search from your web browser.
Vista Search is introduced by webcoapps, just like Searchsio and several other potentially unwanted programs that were reported by our Anti-Spyware-101.com research team. The PUP can be downloaded from chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vista-search/cdiakgkbkfoakidepdpkcoojihiaafbi, but an official installer does not appear to exist. If you downloaded the PUP from the Chrome Web Store, you must have been informed that the extension can read your browsing history and also change your search settings to introduce feed.vista-search.com. According to our research team, once the extension is installed, the default search provider on Chrome is replaced with portal.vista-search.com. The interface of this website offers a search dialog box and several tools, including a PDF converter, a currency converter, a Bitcoin converter, and also a calculator. Due to these features, the extension can look quite attractive. Well, we would not recommend deleting Vista Search just because it was unattractive. The issue lies much deeper.
Vista Search screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
The main service of Vista Search is to provide you with an enhanced web browsing experience. All it can actually do is redirect you to Yahoo Search, and on top of that, the PUP modifies the results you see. Due to this, it is questionable if the extension can even be trusted, let alone used in a beneficial manner. If you enjoy Yahoo Search, you are free to set it as your default search provider, but when it comes to vista-search.com, the results introduced to you are too unpredictable to trust. That is because we do not know who can place advertisements next to normal search results. Unfortunately, malvertising is booming, and more and more malicious parties are using misleading ads as portals to malicious websites. You have to judge for yourself if you want to take risks or if you want to delete Vista Search. If you decide that it is best to delete this PUP and use something more beneficial instead of it, we can assist you.
If you have been using Google Chrome for some time now, there is a good chance that you already have experience with removing unwanted extensions. Even if you do not have such experience, deleting Vista Search should be very simple. Follow the instructions below, and do not skip the opportunity to clear browsing data as well. The point here is to delete all cookies that could be placed to spy on you. Of course, if you want to make sure that no tracking cookies, PUPs, or more serious threats invade your system ever again, we strongly advise implementing anti-malware software.
Remove Vista Search from Google Chrome
- Open the browser and tap Alt+F keys.
- Click More tools and then go to Extensions.
- Remove the extension you no longer wish to use.
- Tap Ctrl+Shift+Delete keys.
- In the Advanced menu, select a time range.
- Select boxes and then click Clear data.
In non-techie terms:
Vista Search is a search tool that is meant to offer an enhanced web browsing experience, but it can do no such thing. This is just another potentially unwanted program that exploits a known search tool – Yahoo Search – to expose you to sponsored content. This PUP modifies the results that you see, and it is most likely to inject ads. Unfortunately, even though the ads might correspond to your browsing history that the PUP tracks, that does not mean that you can trust them. The last thing we want is for you to click on links that route to malicious websites. That is why we strongly recommend considering the removal of Vista Search. Deleting this extension is not a difficult task, and you should be able to handle it manually, but remember that only legitimate anti-malware software can protect you against the invasion of other PUPs and dangerous malware in the future.