Searchy.info

Searchy.info should not have any place on your system if you care about its security. The search engine falls under the classification of browser hijackers. That is because the application may alter specific browser preferences and show its user modified Yahoo search results. This could not only disturb the user’s browsing but also introduce him to shady third-party ads. If you cannot stand being redirected to Searchy.info and you do not wish to keep searching the Internet with it, we would advise you to get rid of this browser hijacker as fast as possible. Naturally, we will help you deal with this threat by placing deletion instructions at the end of the article. Moreover, if you keep reading the text, we will provide you with more important details about this doubtful application.

There is not a lot of information about this browser hijacker since Searchy.info is currently unavailable. If you try to load the website, you get redirected to a site called freshy.com, but it does not work either. Nonetheless, based on our experience with threats alike we can say that often they manage to slip in with add-ons, which may fall under the classification of potentially unwanted programs, adware, etc. In other words, the application could be distributed with bundled installers. Depending on the setup file and the source you received it from the installer might have or might not have mentioned it will add the browser hijacker. Thus, to avoid such incidents in the future, we would advise you always to pick advanced installation settings and go through all given terms. If you find out there could be other software installed, it would be best to cancel the process.

If Searchy.info manages to enter the system, it may affect your default browser by changing its search provider, start page, or other similar preferences. As a result, your search queries could be redirected through services.Searchy.info. However, the results are collected and displayed by search.yahoo.com. No doubt, Yahoo is a reliable search engine, but since you are redirected to it through this browser hijacker, it raises a suspicion the results could be altered. To be more precise, the application might add various ads to gain advertising revenue.

It is difficult to say where such advertising could come from but it is entirely possible some part of it might be from the software’s third-party associates, so some of the ads may promote doubtful products. For example, it could be suspicious surveys, threats similar to Searchy.info, scam web pages, and so on. Of course, we cannot be completely sure, especially when the search engine does not work properly. Needless to say, we would not advise you to wait till it becomes available again. Instead, our researchers recommend removing the threat before anything goes wrong.

You can erase the browser hijacker both manually and with automatic tools, although the manual removal might take some time. There are three steps to complete as researchers advise to reset the browser, delete any suspicious add-ons that might have brought you Searchy.info, and erase scheduled tasks, which could have been created by the application. Before you decide how to get rid of the application, you can take a look at the instructions available below, if you find them too difficult to complete, it might be best to employ a trustworthy security tool.

Antimalware software could allow you to scan the whole system, so all data associated with the browser hijacker would be located in a couple of minutes. At the same time, the tool could also find other possible threats that may have accumulated over time. Since the search engine may have entered the system with other unreliable applications, it might be the right time to check the computer and clean it up.

Reset the affected browser

Internet Explorer

1. Press Alt+X to access Internet Options.
2. Pick the Advanced tab and click Reset.
3. Select Delete personal settings.
4. Choose Reset and click Close.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press the Help icon to open Troubleshooting information.
2. Select Refresh Firefox.
3. Then press Refresh Firefox again and click Finish.

Google Chrome

1. Press Alt+F to access Settings.
2. Slide down and select Show advanced settings.
3. Scroll below again and click Reset Settings.
4. Select Reset.

Delete suspicious add-ons

Internet Explorer

1. Press ALT+X and choose Manage add-ons.
2. Open Toolbars and extensions.
3. Look for unreliable extensions and delete them.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+A.
2. Select Extensions.
3. Click the add-on you want to erase and press Remove.

Google Chrome

1. Tap ALT+F to open Settings.
2. Select More tools and pick Extensions.
3. See if there are suspicious add-ons.
4. Press the recycle bin button near them.
5. Then select Remove to finish.

Erase scheduled tasks associated with Searchy.info

1. Open the Explorer (Win+E).
2. Go to the following path: %WINDIR%\System32\Tasks
3. Identify tasks belonging to the hijacker.
4. Right-click these tasks and press Delete.
5. Leave the File Explorer.
6. Empty your Recycle bin.