SurFilters

SurFilters is a questionable Google Chrome browser extension that claims to “filter out inappropriate content from leading search engines”; however, at the same time, it may also expose you to potentially unreliable third-party content. Since this tool does not mean direct and great danger to your PC or your privacy either, we have labeled it as a potentially unwanted program, or PUP. This application sets its own search engine, which is supposed to be “enhanced by Google,” as your homepage and new tab page in your affected browser. This way you could be introduced to questionable content every time you are using your Chrome browser. But this is not all; this PUP may also show up on your system with a malicious company of infections. Therefore, we advise you to remove SurFilters if you do not want to wait till more malware threats infiltrate your system and cripple your computer before long.

This questionable extension is available officially in the Chrome web store, chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/surfilters/ngpdbjphnondjffhicbejfcghnhinheh, as well as on its very simple promotional page, surfilters.com. You can actually directly install this tool through these official channels after accepting to give certain permissions to it in the usual pop-up that comes up on your screen before installing an extension. This is a step that is mostly overlooked or ignored by most users who rush to click on the “Add extension” button just to get it over with. If you carefully read this pop-up, you can see that this tool sets its own search engine as your default search provider – although there is no mention of homepage and new tab setting changes here –, it can read and change all your data on websites you visit, and finally, it can manage your apps, extensions, and themes. Whenever you are installing an extension, you should consider that these permissions could lead to further security issues. Instead of installing this tool, we suggest that you delete SurFilters right away and you have not even heard the main reasons.

This PUP can also be found in malicious bundles that could pack several infections, including browser hijackers, ad-supported programs, backdoors, fake alerts, and other PUPs. Installing such a package could cause serious issues on your system; your Internet speed could drop, and your PC performance might also feel their presence as some may drain system resources. You can download such a bundle when you try to download a free program from shady file-sharing websites, for example. There are lots of fake and malicious websites on the web offering you all the free files you are searching for since they are built this way. So even if these pages do not actually have the fully functioning file you are looking for, they will pretend to have it and when you click on the download button, you will most likely let a whole package of threats onto your machine.

But it is also possible that you simply click on an unsafe third-party advertisement that may also be disguised as a button or a system notification appearing as a banner or pop-up while you are browsing the net. The worst case is when your system hosts adware programs that infiltrated your computer formerly because these infections can make even reputable pages risky by hijacking their advertisements and leading you to malicious websites. In order to make your virtual world a secure place, we suggest that you delete SurFilters and run a reliable malware scanner to find all other threats.

This PUP plainly offers that it cleans your search results of any inappropriate (e.g., pornographic) content. While this function may work just fine, at the same time this extension installs its own questionable search engine as your homepage, new tab page, and default search engine and thus exposes you to potentially unsafe third-party content. Although this search engine claims to be enhanced by Google, it simply means that it redirects all your searches to a possibly modified Google search results page that could contain unreliable third-party ads and links as well. The problem is that you could not tell the difference between a legitimate and a malicious ad or link. Therefore, any engagement with the results page could be risky and lead to further infections or, what is worse, online scams. For this reason we obviously recommend that you remove SurFilters from your browser. So let us tell you what to do if you want to make your PC more secure.

The only good thing about this PUP is that it only affects Google Chrome as of yet. You have two choices in fact if you want to eliminate this threat yourself. You can either remove the undesirable extension or reset your browser. Remember that resetting your browser would restore factory defaults, i.e., you would lose all your settings and extra extensions you have installed. Please follow our instructions below if you choose to get rid of this extension manually. Keep in mind that an entirely secure system may require more than this. Your system could be swarming with other threats. Therefore, it is important that you make sure that you keep all your programs and drivers updated to lower your vulnerability to further malicious attacks. The best solution is to install a trustworthy anti-malware program, such as SpyHunter since this security software can automatically weed out all existing malware infections.

How to remove SurFilters from your browser

1. Press Alt+F to open the menu.
2. Choose More tools and then, open Extensions.
3. Locate the undesirable extension and click on the trash can icon.
4. Press Remove in the pop-up.
5. Restart your browser.