Search.searchwmtn.com

If you recently received Search.searchwmtn.com and suspect it could be untrustworthy, you came to the right place. In this article we will explain how surfing the Internet with this search engine may endanger the computer or the user’s privacy. Also, we will talk about the threats possible distribution channels and its working manner. Before we begin, we should mention that this search engine falls under the classification of browser hijackers. It does not mean the application is malicious, but it does not say it is entirely harmless either. As you continue reading the text, you will learn more about Search.searchwmtn.com, and if you decide you do not want to use it any longer, you should know we will be adding deletion steps below the article. Therefore, users who feel up to the task could try to remove the browser hijacker manually.

To begin with, it seems Search.searchwmtn.com might be spread through doubtful file-sharing web pages, for example, filewin.com, malavida.es, etc. Moreover, our researchers explain that the browser hijacker could be offered on another tool’s setup file or in other words it might be bundled with similar threats, for example, potentially unwanted programs, adware, suspicious toolbars and browser extensions, etc. For instance, the application could be distributed with an add-on called Watch More TV Now or similarly as we see such title mentioned on the search engine’s lower corner. For users who may wonder how they might stay away from browser hijackers or threats alike, we would say it is advisable to be more cautious when installing software and try not to download it from unreliable or malicious web pages.

What changes when Search.searchwmtn.com enters the system? According to our researchers, it should change the default browser’s start page, default search provider, or new tab page. At the moment of writing the application is compatible with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. To alter the mentioned settings, the browser hijacker should modify specific files belonging to the listed browsers, and you can find them in the recommended deletion steps available below the text. Naturally, such actions might irritate you, although it is more important to understand that by acting so the threat may not only change some preferences but also encourage you to browse with an unreliable search engine. It would seem it could search with a modified version of google.com or search.yahoo.com. Consequently, there is a possibility Search.searchwmtn.com might be able to modify gathered results by placing additional third-party advertisements among them.

There are some things you should know about third-party ads displayed by browser hijackers or other threats. Usually, no one can tell where such ads may come from or what they might advertise. That is because the software creators do not mention them anywhere. In fact, often users can learn there could be additional ads from the program’s third-party partners only after reading Privacy Policy or End User License Agreement documents. To give you an example, Search.searchwmtn.com Privacy Policy says the information it gathers about users might be “needed by third-party advertising networks and advertisers who help deliver relevant ads.” Our researchers tell such ads could advertise threats similar to the browser hijacker, web pages created to steal user’s private data, sites containing malware, etc. Thus, if the application displays any ads raising your suspicion, we would recommend being extra cautious.

Of course, instead of waiting for anything bad to happen you could erase Search.searchwmtn.com and replace it with a more reliable search engine. The browser hijacker can be removed manually and if you think you can handle such a task we encourage you to follow the provided instructions added below this article. Those who find this process a bit difficult could download a reliable antimalware tool. After performing a full system scan you might locate not just the unreliable search engine, but other potential threats as well and the best part is all of the detections could be deleted at the same time. If you still have any questions, you could write a comment below as well.

Eliminate Search.searchwmtn.com

Internet Explorer

1. Press Win+R.
2. Type Regedit and click OK.
3. Search for the following path: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
4. Search for value name titled Start Page.
5. Right-Click Start Page and select Modify.
6. Replace value data (http://Search.searchwmtn.com), for example, with google.com.
7. Click OK.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press Win+E.
2. Get to: C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla ID}
3. Locate file Prefs.js and open it with Notepad.
4. Identify this line: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "Search.searchwmtn.com").
5. Replace the application’s link.
6. Save the changes (Ctrl+S).
7. Close Prefs.js.

Google Chrome

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Locate the following path: C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.
3. Find and erase these listed files: Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
4. Close the Explorer.