Berta Bilbao

Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.

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SecureSearch.co is an online page, which is also a browser hijacker. Settings which the hijacker can alter are the search engine, new tab setting and the home page of your browser programs. If you make search queries, you will get redirected. Search results look almost the same as Google’s. You might see advertisements and targeted content when browsing. To remove the hijacker and its redirects you should read the article carefully.

Threat Summary

Name	SecureSearch.co
Type	Browser Hijacker, PUP
Short Description	Browser applications on your computer machine may be affected. The hijacker redirects you and can show you advertisements and sponsored content.
Symptoms	The homepage, search engine and new tab setting will be changed.
Distribution Method	Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by SecureSearch.co Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss SecureSearch.co.

SecureSearch.co – Distribution Methods

SecureSearch.co can be distributed using various methods. One of these is through third-party installations of bundle applications or freeware. Installers like that could be set by default to add extra components to your computer. Without knowing that, you will notice that the hijacker could have switched certain settings. Avoiding such setups from installing is manageable. You have to find Custom or Advanced settings to deselect the unneeded components.

Another distribution method may use a browser add-on, extension or plug-in, set inside your browser applications. Distribution can happen via advertisements, like banners and pop-ups. The hijacker program might get distributed by redirecting links spread across other websites. Such websites might be affiliated with SecureSearch.co. The following browsers could be affected: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari and Mozilla Firefox.

SecureSearch.co – More About It

SecureSearch.co is the main domain of a search engine. The search engine on the site is presented to promise enhanced security, to favor “Do Not Track” requests by browsers and similar features. The description on the site also boasts that the service provides the most advanced private security engine. That is not true, as it behaves differently than presented. It will set the SecureSearch.co page as your homepage, new tab setting and default search. You can view that page from the screenshot displayed down here:

The SecureSearch.co page mainly consists of a white background image, a search bar with a padlock logo on top of it. Links to the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions of the service are on the bottom right corner. That exact page replaces the default search engine, start page, and new tab setting of every browser located on your personal computer.

In the screenshot provided underneath this paragraph, you can see the results page of a conducted search on the SecureSearch.co website. It does not redirect you, but the design of the search results is nearly 100% identical as that of Google. The site is not in any way affiliated with Google, and that is the first giveaway sign for this site not being legitimate. Of course, adverts and targeted content may appear in the results or on the main page. Your search queries will get filtered by this proprietary service. No information is given on who the providers of the service are. Data that goes through their search will be obtained and sent to unknown servers.

Be wary with what information you share on the Internet and what sites and services you trust with it. Do not give out any personal details or credentials on suspicious-looking sites. There could be in-text links or even additional redirects being generated while you surf the Web. Information obtained by the site might be gathered with the aid of cookies or other related technologies, despite that the policy claims that you won’t be tracked. Continue reading and find out in the Privacy Policy section, exactly why the SecureSearch.co site is not to be trusted.

SecureSearch.co – Privacy Policy

The Privacy Policy of the SecureSearch.co can be found on the website but is rather short and lacks detail. If you read it, you may find strange inconsistencies about what data is collected, and what is done with it.

We do not collect personal information from visitors of our site.

From the phrasing, we can conclude that personal information will not be acquired by simply visiting the site. The implied meaning is that using the same rule applies to the search engine found on the site. But see the following two excerpts mentioned later in the policy:

If you email us or otherwise contact us, then we may have your email address or other contact information.

and

All sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

In other words, information that you enter in search queries and that you provide, will be in the hands of the owner of the SecureSearch.co service. So, that information is probably stored on servers tied to the website.

Further below, there is a statement that tries to reassure people:

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information.

If the information is not in any way disclosed to outside parties, it does not necessarily mean that business partners of SecureSearch.co do not have access to it.

Finally, check this quotation about third party links:

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. These third party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites.

Tread carefully, when using this site or other sites which you landed on from it. Do not provide any information that is personal or can identify you.

Remove SecureSearch.co from Your PC

To remove SecureSearch.co manually from your computer, follow the step-by-step removal instructions provided below. In case the manual removal does not get rid of the hijacker and its files completely, you should search for and remove any leftovers with an advanced anti-malware tool. Such a program can keep your computer secure in the future.

Note! Your computer system may be affected by SecureSearch.co or other threats.
Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as SecureSearch.co.
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

To remove SecureSearch.co follow these steps:

1. Uninstall malicious programs from Windows

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

How to Uninstall malicious programs from Windows:

Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:

Hold the Windows Logo Button and “R” on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear (fig.1).

In the field type in “appwiz.cpl” and press ENTER (fig.2).

This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC.
Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall” (fig.3).

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

2. Clean your Browser and Registry from SecureSearch.co

Remove SecureSearch.co by cleaning your Browser and Registry.

Remove an extension from Mozilla FirefoxRemove an extension from Google Chrome Remove an extension from Internet Explorer Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge Fix registry entries created by SecureSearch.co on your PC.

Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window

Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.

Select the unwanted extension and click “Remove“

After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.

Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu

Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“

From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its “Remove” button.

After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.

Start Internet Explorer:

Click on the gear icon labeled ‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’

In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window.

Select the extension you want to remove and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.

After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ button located at the top right corner and start it again.

Start Edge

Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

From the drop menu select “Extensions”.

Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.

Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.

Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs

3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

Scan your PC and Remove SecureSearch.co with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for SecureSearch.co and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove SecureSearch.co. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.

Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.

Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.

Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

Berta Bilbao

Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.

More Posts

Berta Bilbao

Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.

More Posts