Kariloo

Kariloo claims to be a professional search tool, but our researchers say it is just another browser hijacker. Apparently, the plugin may hijack user’s browser by changing his default search provider, start page, or new tab page with search.kariloo.com. If the situation sounds familiar to you, we urge you to continue reading the text as there are some things each user should be aware of before deciding whether it is a good idea to surf the Internet with such a tool. Perhaps, it does not have any malicious qualities, but according to our specialists who tested the application, it is not a reliable search engine either since it could display untrustworthy third-party advertisements. As a result, we advise users not to trust Kariloo, and if you have already placed the extension on your browser, we would recommend removing it with the deletion instructions you can find below or with reputable antimalware software.

The browser hijacker works only on Google Chrome, and to our knowledge the application has an official site with a working “Add to Chrome” button. Therefore, the software’s homepage is one of the sources where users can download the suspicious extension. Another way to receive this browser hijacker is through the Chrome Web Store page where it says Kariloo has the following features: “Amazing and dynamic search experience,” “new content every day,” and so on. We do not see how search.kariloo.com can make your search experience amazing since the presented search engine looks rather basic. As for the “new content,” the plugin’s description mentions it is entirely possible it might be referring to both third-party links and advertisements that might be placed while the user is surfing the Internet.

For instance, Kariloo’s Privacy Policy document states the software’s website may contain “affiliate marketing links” and the application’s creators get paid for each sale. There is also a mentioning of “links to other sites that are not operated” by the browser hijacker’s developers. Same as the Privacy Policy document, the extension’s End User License Agreement paper has a few statements warning users to be cautious on third-party web pages and informing them the application’s developers take no responsibility for third-party content. In other words, there are no reassurances the links the user might encounter will be reliable and will not advertise malicious products, web pages, etc.

Thus, while the software’s creators could receive advertising revenue not just from sales, but also from clicks, the user may risk his computer’s and his privacy’s safety. Moreover, even if most of the ads you receive would be safe to interact with, they could become unbearably annoying. The browser hijacker can gather information related to the user’s browser habits, which means the ads or other promoted links could be targeted at you. If you cannot stand any advertising content and think it might disturb your browsing, we advise you to get rid of Kariloo with no hesitation.

The way to erase the browser hijacker manually is explained in the instructions located below this text. To be more precise, they show how to erase all data belonging to Kariloo and how to restore hijacked browser settings by eliminating possibly modified files. It is simply easier to remove mentioned Google Chrome’s data than to alter it and the browser can place these files with new ones afterward itself. In case, the process still seems to be quite complicated to you; we would suggest using antimalware software. Mainly, you would need to pick a reliable antimalware tool, install it on the computer, set it to scan the PC and wait till it detects potential threats. Later you could remove the browser hijacker along with other detections at the same time by clicking the provided deletion button.

Erase Kariloo

1. Press Win+E.
2. Look for these two paths:
   %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Profile.*\Extensions
   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\\Chrome\User Data\Profile.*\Extensions
3. Right-click folders titled kolmgecmpkacfnpeagnjgeomfpmbdjpb and press Delete.
4. Navigate to the provided paths separately:
   %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
5. Look for files called Preferences or Secure Preferences, right-click these files and select Delete.
6. Close File Explorer.
7. Empty Recycle bin.