Search.searchgstt.com

Search.searchgstt.com is a product of an unreliable company, although it might not look like that at first. The company that stands behind this browser hijacker is Polarity Technologies Ltd, and you might already know that it is responsible for hundreds of suspicious extensions and hijackers that are usually represented via them. According to our research, the add-on that is associated with the hijacker we are reviewing in this report is called “Get Speed Tester,” and it does not have an original source. In the past, it might have been represented via the Chrome web store at chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/get-speed-tester/opdmdadbkmjjbddiedecalednjhokaeh, but this link no longer works. The chances are that the extension has been taken down because of the negative reviews it received. Rightfully so. This add-on has only one task, which is to introduce you to the hijacker. If you install it, your homepage will be modified, and that is the first reason you cannot trust the hijacker. We suggest reading to learn how to remove Search.searchgstt.com because that is important for your virtual security.

Although Polarity Technologies Ltd is good at creating unique-looking hijackers, Search.searchgstt.com has plenty of clones, including Search.searchbrs.com and Search.searcheasysta.com. Although these threats are associated with unique extensions, their interfaces are completely identical. The links represented via the bar at the top lead to the same three pages, and the buttons below the search dialog box represent the same websites, which include amazon.com and facebook.com. At the very bottom of Search.searchgstt.com (or any of its clones) you are introduced to the “Speed Test” tool that allegedly can help you test Internet speeds. We do not recommend trusting it because it is represented via a hijacker that you cannot trust. Of course, the most dangerous thing you can do is browse the web via the search dialog box represented in the middle. This is dangerous because the hijacker can redirect you to a search engine displaying sponsored content. Unfortunately, it redirects to Yahoo Search that most users trust, which, of course, increases the chances of users interacting with third-party content.

You can learn that Search.searchgstt.com works as an advertising tool before installing it using the information represented via the Privacy Policy. It is also important to review this document to learn about the collection of personal data. It is suggested that personally-identifiable information could be recorded by accident. If this information ends up in the “hands” of Polarity Technologies Ltd, it can then be leaked to third-party affiliates that we know nothing about. Since you cannot identify these parties, you should not trust them with private information. Interacting with the ads and offers they showcase is a bad idea as well because you do not know what kinds of scams could be introduced to you. Since malware distributors are often using misleading advertisements to spread malicious infections and expose unsuspecting users to scams, interacting with the ads and search results delivered via the suspicious Search.searchgstt.com is extremely risky. Needless to say, we do not recommend it. If you have interacted with any of them, examining your operating system with a reliable malware scanner and erasing tracking cookies is mandatory.

The instructions below show how to modify the homepage URL. If you do that and erase the cookies, you should have Search.searchgstt.com deleted completely. That being said, other infections are likely to be running on your operating system, and you have to pay attention to them as well. If you have not employed a reliable malware scanner yet, do so immediately to be able to identify all existing threats. Once you know which infections are active, you can decide whether you can remove them manually or you should employ a legitimate anti-malware tool. Remember that if you want to prevent malware, hijackers, and undesirable software from slithering into your operating system, employing trustworthy anti-malware software is crucial. Even if you manage to get your PC completely clean using the guide below (check that using the malware scanner), it is important to reinforce your system’s protection. If you have questions that we have not answered in this report, add them to the comments section.

Search.searchgstt.com Removal

Internet Explorer:

1. Tap Win+R to launch the RUN dialog box.
2. Type regedit.exe and click OK.
3. Move to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
4. Open the Start Page value and overwrite the hijacker’s URL. Click OK.
5. Move to HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\.
6. Click {0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}.
7. Open FaviconURL, FaviconURLFallback, TopResultURL, and URL values (one by one) and overwrite the hijacker’s URL represented within them. Click OK.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Tap Win+E to launch Explorer.
2. Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top.
3. Open the folder that represents your Mozilla Firefox profile.
4. Open the JavaScript file called prefs.js (you can use Notepad).
5. Find the hijacker’s URL and overwrite it. Afterward, save the file before closing it.

Google Chrome:

1. Tap Win+E to launch Explorer.
2. Enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top.
3. Open the folder that represents your Google Chrome profile (if profiles do not exist, open the Default folder).
4. Open the files named Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data (one by one) and overwrite the hijacker’s URL represented within them. Save the files before closing them.