Search.anysearchresults.com

We can always talk about how important it is to remain attentive when you download freeware, but users will never get it unless they experience something bad first hand. And they would be lucky if that “bad” is Search.anysearchresults.com. It is a lot better to have your first computer security threat experience with a browser hijacker rather than an actual virus or a ransomware program. However, it does not mean that you should ignore this intruder. The sooner you remove Search.anysearchresults.com from your computer, the better. Not to mention that you should also look for other unwanted applications that might be hiding in your system.

The reason we mention other potential threats here is the manner of browser hijacker distribution. We obviously understand that you would not have installed this program on your computer willingly. So it is clear that Search.anysearchresults.com does not have a direct distribution source. However, a browser hijacker is not a sophisticated infection that can bypass your security. In fact, it requires user’s permission to be added to the default browser. And although you would never add this hijacker to your browser, the program can still trick you into installing it. And it is you who allows the program to enter your system.

How does that happen? As mentioned, we can deduce quite a lot when we know how browser hijackers are distributed. Normally, these programs come in software packages when users download something from file-sharing websites. For instance, if you are looking for a file format converter, you might find a lot of such applications on third-party websites. The problem is that third-party installers often bundle several programs together. If you go through installation automatically, you may allow these additional programs to enter your system without even realizing it. That is why computer security experts always emphasize that downloading programs from official homepages is always safer.

We also think that at first, some users may not understand that this browser hijacker is an unwanted intruder. It looks like a decent search engine so it could seem to be yet another upgrade to your browser, but if you were to take a closer look, you would soon see that there is nothing reliable about Search.anysearchresults.com. The search engine does not have EULA or Privacy Policy, so you cannot read about the program’s policies and what it does with the information it collects. On the other hand, we can tell what the browser hijacker does with it because we have seen similar programs many times before.

Browser hijackers are not there to wreck your computer; they are there to make some money. Search.anysearchresults.com and others will do that by displaying commercial third-party content that you may find interesting. How will it know which content you might like? This is where things get tricky because the browser hijacker employs tracking cookies to collect information about your web browsing habits. It can find out a lot about the websites you visit and the search keywords quite fast. The information cannot identify you personally, but that is enough for Search.anysearchresults.com to generate content that would be related to your likes and preferences.

Normally, there should be no problem about it if the program displayed only the content you might find necessary. But there is always a possibility that this advertising network could be exploited by cyber criminals for malware distribution. And you should not let this happen because then you would be only one click away from a sever malware infection.

Since it is not possible to remove Search.anysearchresults.com via Control Panel, you should reset your browser settings to default and look whether your shortcut target line was modified. Also, scanning your computer with a licensed antispyware program should be one of your top priorities because you can never know what other unwanted programs might be running on your PC. Not to mention that investing in a legitimate security tool is always a good idea because it will help you protect your system from similar intruders in the future.

Finally, you should also pay attention to your web browsing habits because the websites you access and the programs you download may also influence your system’s safety. For further questions, please do not hesitate to leave us a comment.

How to Delete Search.anysearchresults.com

Edit Target Line

1. Right-click the browser’s shortcut.
2. Click Properties and open the Shortcut tab.
3. Locate the Target line.
4. Remove everything OUTSIDE of the quotation marks.
5. Press OK.

Reset Internet Explorer

1. Press Alt+T and open Internet options.
2. Click the Advanced tab and press Reset.
3. Mark Delete personal settings and press Reset.
4. Click Close.

Reset Firefox

1. Press Alt+H and go to Troubleshooting information.
2. At the top right of the new page, click Refresh Firefox.
3. Press Refresh Firefox again on the confirmation box.
4. Click Finish.

Chrome

1. Press Alt+F and open Settings.
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Advanced.
3. Click Reset at the bottom of the page and press Reset to complete.