Search.searchvzcm.com

Search.searchvzcm.com is a tremendously suspicious and mysterious browser hijacker. As it is revealed via the Privacy Policy, the creator of this threat is Polarity Technologies Ltd., which is well-known because of such hijackers as Search.heasyspeedtest.co, Search.searchfastlm.com, and Search.searchyffff.com. While all of them work in the same manner, these hijackers are associated with extensions. The names of these extensions are represented via the home pages of the hijackers, and they always come bundled with them. The infection discussed in this report does not have an extension, which immediately suggests that it does not have an official download source. Was an add-on used to introduce you to this hijacker? If it was, let us know via the comments section. Overall, we suggest deleting this extension as soon as possible, and, hopefully, the hijacker will be eliminated as well. Of course, we have added instructions showing how to remove Search.searchvzcm.com as well. If you are interested, continue reading.

As you might know, Polarity Technologies Ltd. does not have a wonderful reputation. That is because the software created by this company is employed for the collection of data that might include personal data. Also, the company uses all hijackers to redirect users to a search engine were sponsored results are added. In most cases, this search engine is search.yahoo.com, and the hijackers exploit the good name of Yahoo Search to make users trust the results shown to them. In general, it appears that Polarity Technologies Ltd. is all about promotion, and it really does not focus on the services that users might be attracted by initially. Since Search.searchvzcm.com does not have an official installer or an extension representing it, it is not clear how exactly it might be introduced to users. What about the distribution? Although some hijackers similar to Search.searchvzcm.com are spread via authentic sources (e.g., the Chrome web store), in most cases, they are spread via misleading pop-ups and malicious bundles. Unfortunately, in such situations, the hijackers are usually bundled along with malware and PUPs (potentially unwanted programs). So, if you find a hijacker from this family, before you remove it, scan your operating system to check which other infections you might have to delete.

Once Search.searchvzcm.com slithers in, it might change the homepage and the default search provider on your browser, depending on which one it affects. So, the first thing you should do is check how this hijacker has affected your Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer browser. Maybe it corrupted a different one entirely? Interacting with this hijacker is not recommended because it might showcase unreliable links, as well as collect data about you. While the latter might be said about authentic search tools as well, you have to note that Search.searchvzcm.com is too unpredictable to trust, and the companies its developer is associated with could be unreliable and even malicious. Do you want your virtual security at risk just because the hijacker looks harmless and because its services appear to be reliable? You have to be more cautious than that. Our research team recommends removing the hijacker, after which, you will be able to choose your own homepage and default search provider.

The guide below was prepared to help you delete Search.searchvzcm.com by changing the homepage URL. If you find that you need to change the default search provider as well, just let us know via the comments section, and we will help you out. For now, it is most likely that the guide below will be enough to get rid of the suspicious hijacker. Of course, before you follow the instructions, you should scan your operating system to check for malware. Maybe you will discover an extension that is linked to the hijacker. If that is the case, you might be able to get rid of the hijacker completely by removing this extension. Hopefully, highly malicious and complex infections are not found because their removal might be much more problematic. In this situation, a trusted anti-malware tool can be of great assistance. Also, remember that you can use this tool for further system’s protection! If you are still not sure what to do after reading this report, add your questions to the comments section, and we will get back to you shortly.

Search.searchvzcm.com Removal

Internet Explorer:

1. Tap keys Win+R to launch RUN and then enter regedit.exe into the dialog box.
2. In Registry Editor go to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
3. Double-click Start Page and then overwrite the unwanted URL shown in the valuedata.
4. Go to HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}.
5. Open these values (double-click) and overwrite the hijacker’s URL represented via them:
   • FaviconURL
   • FaviconURLFallback
   • TopResultURL
   • URL

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Tap keys Win+E to open the Windows Explorer window.
2. Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top.
3. Open the folder representing your Firefox profile.
4. Right-click the file named prefs.js and choose to open it with a text reader, such as Notepad.
5. In the user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.searchvzcm.com/); string overwrite the hijacker’s URL and then save the file.

Google Chrome:

1. Tap keys Win+E to open the Windows Explorer window.
2. Enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top.
3. Open the folder representing your Chrome profile. If profiles are not created, open the Default folder.
4. Delete or modify the files named Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data (to modify, open the file with a text reader, overwrite the hijacker’s URL, and then save the file).