Coolsearch.info

We want to inform you about a cleverly disguised browser hijacker called Coolsearch.info. This malicious search engine was classified a browser hijacker because it can replace your browser’s homepage address secretly. However, it must also be said that its developers have made it look similar to Google.com to avoid suspicion. Inattentive users that used Google.com before may not notice the change of homepage. We want to warn you that Coolsearch.info is an unreliable search engine and will not provide you with the best search results because of the promotional links that it was configured to include in the search results window. Please read this whole article to find out more.

While there is no information about this hijacker’s developer, we have managed to link this new hijacker with some others that were released in the past. Apparently, Coolsearch.info was set up by the same developers as Searchopa.com, Searchisweb.com, Searchgoog.ru, and many others. Most of these hijackers look identical, but some of them may feature a different logo and contain a banner ad below the search box.

It seems that, like its clones released earlier, Coolsearch.info is distributed via shady freeware installers that will try to install it onto your browser without your knowledge or authorization. This particular hijacker does not have a browser extension that would carry it. Therefore, it relies on the third-party software installer to inject it onto your browser. Note that some software installers might not allow you to uncheck its installation and force it on your browser. However, some may allow you to deselect its installation if you opt for advanced installation when configuring the installation wizard.

We think that the installers Coolsearch.info is distributed with should inject in into your browser if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. It will replace their homepage addresses, but it might also replace Chrome’s new tab page as well. Undoubtedly, this browser hijacker was created to subject you to promotional links and advertisements that are featured in its search results. Coolsearch.info uses Google Custom Search to present you with search results, but the problem is that the results are modified to include promoted links which might not be entirely legitimate. Indeed, browser hijackers are apt to promoting shady content and Coolsearch.info is no exception. As a result, this malicious search engine can feature links phishing websites, questionable online shopping sites, and so on. Therefore, this search engine is highly unreliable and can pose a threat to your computer.

While Coolsearch.info does not have a privacy policy that usually contains information about what personal and non-personally identifiable information is collected about the user. We assume that it should collect at least some non-personally identifiable information such as your IP address, approximate geographical location, browsing history, entered search terms, ads clicked, browser type, and so on. This information should help Coolsearch.info’s developers subject you to more relevant ads that will generate more advertising revenue because you need to lick the ads for the developers to get paid.

We hope you found this article useful and informative. Our research suggests that Coolsearch.info is a browser hijacker used to show you commercial advertisements that are customized according to your browsing preferences. So there is no question that this malicious search engine was created for making money from online advertising, so it will not provide you with a reliable service. You can use the guide below to remove and replace Coolsearch.info with a homepage address of your choice.

How to change the homepage address manually

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Simultaneously press Windows+R keys.
2. Enter regedit in the dialog box and click OK.
3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
4. Locate Start Page on the right side of the window and right-click it.
5. Select Modify and replace http://coolsearch.info with another URL.
6. Exit the Registry Editor.

Google Chrome

1. Simultaneously press Windows+E keys.
2. In the File Explorer’s address bar, enter C:\Users\{User name}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default and press Enter.
3. Find Preferences, Secure Preferences and Web Data.
4. Open each of the files with Notepad and replace http://coolsearch.info in all of the strings with your desired URL
5. Save and Close.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Simultaneously press Windows+E keys.
2. In the address bar, enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Random ID number}
3. Find and open prefs.js with Notepad.
4. Fix the user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://coolsearch.info"); string by replacing http://coolsearch.info with your preferred URL.
5. Save and Close.