Pirvatesearch Extension

Pirvatesearch Extension is a plugin available for Google Chrome users. We do not know how it is supposed to enhance the user’s browsing, because from what we learned while testing it only seems the application can make it more difficult to use your favorite search engines and surf the Internet. A while ago the add-on was distributed through Chrome Web Store and the fact it was removed from there only confirms the extension cannot be trusted. We do not say it is harmful either, but there is a chance its presence could endanger the system, and if you do not wish to take any chances with such suspicious software you should not hesitate to remove it from the browser. The instructions we provide below the article will help you deal with Pirvatesearch Extension manually, although we would advise you not to hurry and read more about this threat first.

Since the application might change user’s default search provider and prevent him from using any other search engine besides the plugin’s promoted tools, our researchers decided to classify Pirvatesearch Extension as a browser hijacker. Even if it is no longer available on Chrome Web Store, it is entirely possible the add-on is continuously being distributed through other channels. For instance, it could travel with bundled installers that users download from unreliable file-sharing web pages. Also, such threats are quite often distributed with irritating pop-up ads, which redirect to the website where such application can be downloaded from. In some cases, these pop-ups are displayed by other similar threats, for example, potentially unwanted programs or adware. Thus, if this is the way you received this browser hijacker you may want to check your system for other doubtful software.

Like any other add-on, Pirvatesearch Extension creates a couple of folders in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions and %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions directories. The browser hijacker’s folders can be titled either daofcndkjhimbcliegplfiecjdamfaoc or pkcpbihfjedipmiaifhlklablclimede. It may look like these are different plugins, but according to our researchers, they are each other's clones. Additionally, the application could also modify Preferences, Secure Preferences and Web Data files located in the %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default location. Once the threat completes these steps, user’s Google Chrome should become hijacked.

Eventually, Pirvatesearch Extension may start redirecting all of the user’s search queries through a couple of unreliable search engines and then to search.yahoo.com. Therefore, by the time you receive search results they might be already injected with suspicious pop-ups, banners, sponsored links, or other advertisements from the software’s third-party partners. In other words, the results might slightly differ from the ones you would receive while using simply yahoo.com. Nonetheless, this slight change can endanger your system if the displayed ads appear to be possibly malicious, for example, some of the browser hijacker’s injected advertisements could promote doubtful programs alike or redirect you to scam web pages. We do not say this may necessarily happen to you, but you should keep it in mind there is a chance it might.

All things considered, Pirvatesearch Extension looks like a tool that could introduce you to suspicious or possibly harmful content, and since it does not offer any benefits or somehow enhance your browsing, we do not think it is a good idea to keep it installed. Consequently, we recommend deleting this plugin with no hesitation. More experienced users could use the instructions located at the end of this text and get rid of the application manually. There is also another way to deal with the hijacker if our provided instructions appear to be rather difficult. In such case, we would advise installing a reliable antimalware tool that could detect data belonging to this suspicious add-on with its scanning feature. As soon as the scanning is over, you should be able to eliminate all identified threats with a single mouse click.

Remove Pirvatesearch Extension

1. Press Win+E.
2. Navigate to the following directories:
   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions
   %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions
3. Locate folders titled as daofcndkjhimbcliegplfiecjdamfaoc or pkcpbihfjedipmiaifhlklablclimede, right-click them and press Delete.
4. Then find this path: the %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
5. Search for files known as Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
6. Right-click the listed files separately and press Delete.
7. Close the Explorer.
8. Empty your Recycle bin.