What is Searchprotector.net?
This searchprotector.net is another questionable search engine. The malware experts have tested this search engine and concluded that it can appear in your major browsers when a browser hijacker sets it as your default homepage, new tab, as well as the default search provider. It is also found that this search engine is closely similar to other potentially risky ones, including Startme.today and Startme.online. It supposedly would present to you modified search results that could contain potentially unreliable and malicious third-party advertisements and promoted links; however, it seems that the server is temporarily down or the script for this page is unfinished because right now the search part still seems to be nonfunctional at all. This is definitely suspicious, not to mention the possibility that this search engine appears in your browsers without your knowledge after installing a free program. Since there could be several malware infections in your system right now, we firmly believe that it is not enough for you to just delete the Searchprotector.net alone to make your virtual place a secure one.
Where does this Searchprotector.net come from?
The best way for you to come across this search engine in your browsers is to either install it directly by simply clicking on a corrupt third-party ad or on its link that was presented to you by a browser hijacker or through an unsafe and malicious search engine. The worse case is when you install such search engine upon installing a freeware bundle because this means that you may not even realize or even notice this change and other threats that you could have allowed onto your system. Such a bundle packs a bunch of potentially unwanted programs as well as malicious threats that includes browser hijackers, Trojans, adware applications, fake alerts, and many more. This is the reason why extra care should always be taken and a priority whenever installing a bundle even if it is a legitimate one. You can download such a software package every time you try to download a freeware or simply a cracked file from the wrong P2P website such as torrent or shareware. These pages generally promote questionable third-party installers packed with all kinds of potential and malicious threats. But you can also download a bundle when you carelessly click on the wrong third-party ad or any other content that is basically corrupt on a page. Content like this can also be provided by the malware infections, such as adware programs. This is why we always recommend that you should scan your system with a proper online malware scanner in order to identify all possible threat sources after you remove the Searchprotector.net from your browsers.
How does Searchprotector.net work?
On the first look, this search engine looks like a totally legitimate search engine that mainly claims to provide you with the best possible search results ever using ground-breaking technology. This search page primarily has a toolbar with four links such as Search, About, Customize, and Back to default. The About page has a couple of subpages that include some legal documents such as the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which are usually disclosed on its main page, at the bottom. When you click on the Customize link, you can then simply set up a background picture for your search page simply by opting from a limited set. We can simply say that these pages and links work just fine and there’s nothing suspicious and triggering about it. However, the search service itself could take you to a modified Yahoo pages that probably contain potentially unreliable third-party advertisements and as well as the sponsored links. Definitely clicking on these unknown and malicious contents could put your virtual security at risk. It is a big probability that you may drop infections or open malicious pages in new tabs. Nevertheless, it seems that right now this search engine does not even functional on the right way, or at all. This maybe because to a temporary shutdown of this service however, we cannot confirm it. In any case, we believe that you should immediately get rid of the Searchprotector.net from your computer as soon as you notice it in your browsers.
How to delete Searchprotector.net?
We cannot confirm this yet but possibly, the browser hijacker that installs this search engine also alters the Target lines of your browser shortcuts, which need to be checked before you move on to reset your browsers. If the Target lines are modified, any browser setting change or reset would be futile. If you want to use a secure computer, it is very crucial that you make sure that there is not one single threat on board and keep it that way. If you do not think that you can do this alone, we highly suggest that you install a trustworthy malware removal application like SpyRemover Pro. Of course, you should not forget about updating all your programs and drivers on a regular basis to do everything you can for a safe virtual world.
Restore your Target lines
- Right-click on your browser shortcut on your desktop.
- Open Properties.
- Select the General tab.
- Tick the Read-only checkbox and select the Shortcut tab.
- Make sure that your Target line only contains the location of your browser and nothing else after the quotes. Press OK.
- Right-click on the shortcut on your Taskbar to display the menu.
- Right-click on the browser name option at the bottom.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 to restore the Target line.
Remove Searchprotector.net from browsers
Mozilla Firefox
- Tap Alt+H and go to Troubleshooting Information.
- Press Refresh Firefox and click Refresh Firefox in the pop-up.
Google Chrome
- Tap Alt+F and navigate to Settings.
- Click Advanced at the bottom.
- Click Reset at the bottom.
- In the pop-up window, press Reset.
Internet Explorer
- Tap Alt+T and access Internet Options.
- On the Advanced tab, click Reset.
- Mark the Delete personal settings checkbox.
- Press Reset and click Close.
Use an anti-malware program
We recommend using SpyRemover Pro, a highly effective and widely used malware removal program to clean your computer of Searchprotector.net. In addition to Searchprotector.net, this program can detect and remove the latest variants of other malware.
SpyRemover Pro has an intuitive user interface that is easy to use. To get rid of Searchprotector.net, the first step is to install it, scan your computer, and remove the threat.
You can perform a full system scan through the recommended anti-malware tool SpyRemover Pro.
