Searchtechstart.com

Sometimes even the most inauspicious computer program might lead you to a severe infection, and you will never know how it all began. Thus, if you notice the likes of Searchtechstart.com on your computer, you need to take the matters into your hands at once. Any kind of modification or change that was not solicited by you should be taken seriously. If you happen to have this browser hijacker installed on your system, you need to remove Searchtechstart.com right now. While you are at it, make sure you terminate a number of other potential threats, too. The rule is that such applications seldom travel alone.

This common fact also implies that you may have (accidentally) installed more than one unwanted application. The problem is that such programs often rely on bundled downloads for distribution. For example, you are looking for some video cutter app or a media converter program on the web. Your search results redirect you to some third-party file-sharing site. You download the application and you go through the installation process. Do you breeze through all the setup steps? Preferably, no. Not being attentive during freeware installation is one of the main reasons users get infected with the likes of Searchtechstart.com in the first place.

You often have a chance to choose whether you want to install additional programs that come in the bundle or not. It is not just about third-party sites. Even official apps downloaded from their official homepages may have some search engine or a browser plug-in added in their installer. It is up to you to read all the steps carefully and deselect the software you neither want or need. Of course, that is not the only route the hijacker may use to enter your PC.

Our security researchers suggest that Searchtechstart.com can also be distributed via pop-ups that are displayed by other potentially dangerous programs. So, you might have installed several unwanted applications some time ago, and now they are acting up, exposing you to an entire range of other potential security threats.

Needless to say, Searchtechstart.com is not a genuine computer infection because it does need your permission to get installed. It is just that users are seldom aware that they are setting up more than one program on their system. Thus, they get rather surprised when they open their browser and suddenly the homepage is changed to Searchtechstart.com.

The program takes the same path as most of the applications in the same category. It will change your homepage, and there is also a chance it will monitor your online activity to display modified search results. Do not panic, this browser hijacker cannot steal your banking logins or passwords. It merely stores data on the websites you visited, and it can create a rough online profile for you, mapping out your likes and preferences.

This could prove to be tricky, especially if you often feel compelled to click links that have attractive headlines. For instance, some of the search result links you may encounter could be embedded there by Searchtechstart.com on purpose. Say you like online shopping. The hijacker collects all the information on your online shopping habits, and then it displays various offers that should push you into clicking particular links.

Searchtechstart.com needs you to boost the traffic on these particular websites because the people behind this program make money through the pay-per-click system. Thus, the more users it redirects to third-party websites, the more profit it generates.

Albeit this scheme is not illegal, it is not fail proof. There are many security holes out there, and cyber criminals cannot wait to make use them. Before any of that happens, you have to take care of your computer’s security first-hand by removing Searchtechstart.com for good.

It is possible to get rid of the hijacker simply by modifying your browser’s settings, but if you are worried about other potential threats, perhaps it is time to scan your PC with the SpyHunter free scanner. A full system scan will help you determine just how many programs and files you have to delete to ensure that your PC is safe, and your personal information is protected.

If you run into any difficulty, trying to remove this hijacker or protect your computer, do not hesitate to leave us a comment. We are always ready to assist you.

How to Remove Searchtechstart.com

Internet Explorer

1. Press Win+R and the Run prompt will open.
2. Type regedit into the Open box and click OK.
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
4. On the right pane, right-click the Start Page value.
5. Choose Modify and change the homepage with the one you want. Click OK.

Firefox

1. Press Win+R and enter %AppData% into the Open box. Press OK.
2. Navigate to Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles.
3. Open the unique user ID folder and open the prefs.js file.
4. Find and remove the following string: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://searchtechstart.com");
5. Save changes and close the file.

Chrome

1. Press Win+R and type %AppData%. Hit Enter.
2. Navigate to Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.
3. Delete the Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data files.