Search Encrypt attacks popular browsers and hijacks their settings. Its purpose is to alter the search results of users and promote its client’s malicious links. Search Encrypt claims that it is designed to protect the privacy of users. It claims that it encrypts every information entered from your computer and the Search Encrypt servers, which is to lure the users into the trap. In this article, you will know how to remove the Search Encrypt from browsers.
How does Search Encrypt Virus work?
Search Encrypt is created to track the users browsing activity and promote their client’s pages. It hijacks the settings of the browsers so that you cannot remove it. It can attack almost any browser but targets the popular ones like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge. Once it hijacks the settings, your search traffic starts to move through searchencrypt.com, which records your search queries and doesn’t display the accurate search results.
If you search something on its search engine, you will see lots of sponsored messages and links in the search result page. These links won’t take you to official websites; they promote fraud and malicious products. Not only this, the Search Encrypt extension will redirect you to the ad pages in the middle of your work. It lures users that their search traffic is encrypted from your computer to their servers. But they can read your search queries on their servers. So don’t fall with the enhanced privacy claims, it is a considerable risk to your privacy.
How does Search Encrypt enter in your System?
There are several marketing strategies that cybercriminals use to spread such threats. First of all, they create such a product that seems to protect the thing that they aim to steal. So that users could trust on the product and don’t panic if they see them in their browser, that’s why they create a search engine that seems to protect your privacy by encrypting the traffic. Then they steal your search queries and create your profile.
The most common and popular method of spreading a PUP is software bundling. The cybercriminal bundles the code of the hijacker with free or pirated software. Then they upload the software to several websites. Users who look for free or cracked software download them and end up downloading the virus in their system. When you install the software, you also install the hijacker. If you choose the custom/advanced installation method, you could see the bundled software and deselect it from there. Though it has been observed that such software doesn’t usually reveal the bundled virus.
What are the Dangers of Search Encrypt Virus?
Search Encrypt is considered a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP). It hijacks the browser’s settings that’s the reason it is called as a browser hijacker. The pages it promotes doesn’t have any ethical limits, and they won’t monitor the kind of products they are advertising. So you can easily get infected with severe threats while having this hijacker. The pages it redirects you contain several other sponsored messages and advertisements. They can easily lure you to online scams or installing malware.
The other kind of risk with Search Encrypt is privacy. No, don’t fall into the trap; it doesn’t protect anything. It records your online activity like search history, browsing history, IP address, location, browser and OS version, etc. In short, it creates your profile based on the information you entered in your browser. Then it serves ads based on your profile. They sell your profile to the third-party clients who may use it for any other illicit activities. That’s why it is essential to remove Search Encrypt from your computer right now.
How to Remove Search Encrypt Hijacker?
Such hijackers are deeply embedded in your browser and system. Removing them isn’t easy for an average computer user. You need to have some technical knowledge of your PC and a lot of time to find and remove this threat. Follow the below instructions to remove Search Encrypt virus manually. However, if you want to save your time, then you can automatically remove it.
Step 1 – Uninstall Suspicious Programs
Press the Windows button and R key to open the run dialog.
Now type appwiz.cpl and click OK.
Locate the suspicious applications, Right click on them and choose Uninstall.
Now follow the screen instructions to remove it.
Step 2 – Remove Unwanted Add-ons from the Browsers
Google Chrome
Click on Menu button of Chrome, hover the mouse on More tools, then click on the Extension.
You will see the list of all extensions, Now locate all the suspicious extension and click on the Remove button to remove them one by one.
Click on the Remove button again to confirm.
Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox Menu, then click on the Add-ons.
Now look for unwanted add-ons and click on the Remove button to delete them from your browsers.
Microsoft Edge
Now select the Menu button and click on Extensions.
You will see all listed extensions, hover your mouse on them and click on the Settings icon.
Now click on Uninstall to remove them from the browser.
Step 3 – Reset the Browsers
If you followed all the steps above, but you still see the Search Encrypt page, then you need to reset your browsers. It will remove the incorrect settings and extensions from your computer. Follow the below reset guides to proceed.
Automatically Remove Search Encrypt Virus
Download MalwareFox to proceed with the steps.
Open the MalwareFox installer and follow the instructions to install MalwareFox on your computer.
Once the MalwareFox installation completes, let it update the program and the signature database.
Now click on the Scan button.
Once the scan completes, click on Next to remove the threats from your PC.
You have successfully removed the Search Encrypt Virus from your PC. Don’t visit suspicious websites and never install software from untrusted sources. Keep the MalwareFox’s real-time protection feature enabled so that it can protect you from such threats in the future.