Searchaize

Searchaize is a browser extension that is supposed to offer “optimized search results” via Yahoo. What does that mean? It would seem that the extension promises to present better, more attractive, or somehow more useful search results using Yahoo Search, and some users could be excited by that. Of course, an offer like that immediately alerts our researchers. In fact, we have seen the same promises and the same description many times before, and that is because SearchStreams, Sealoid, Spinyon, GalaxySpin, Rolling Search, and other extensions alike are identical to the PUP (potentially unwanted program) discussed in this report. Because we are familiar with all of these PUPs, we know what the reasons to delete them are, but you should keep reading this report if you want to understand why it might be best to remove Searchaize. If all is clear and your want to get rid of the PUP quickly, follow the guide below.

It does not look like Searchaize has an official website representing it; however, this PUP can be found on the Chrome Web Store (chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/searchaize/lpiainbmbidmdipedegglekbpigggmfd/). It is, supposedly, offered by “formalextapps,” but we do not know where this name has come from. In reality, the PUP is presented by webcoapps, the same company that stands behind all other PUPs mentioned in the first paragraph. They all read browsing history and track other kinds of information using cookies and other data-tracking technologies. Due to this, every time we are discussing webcoapps extensions, we add a guide that shows how to clear browsing data. Of course, it is unlikely that many victims would worry much about web cookies, beacons, and other invisible things. Most of them are likely to initiate the removal of webcoapps PUP because of the suspicious web search service. If you installed Searchaize, you must have noticed that portal.searchaize.com was set as your New Tab page on Google Chrome and that feed.searchaize.com was set as the default search provider. This is why you might want to delete this PUP.

If you browse the web via Searchaize, you are bound to face advertisements. This search tool redirects you to Yahoo Search (at search.yahoo.com) not so that “optimized” search results could be shown but so that you would face sponsored content. Sure, all search engines accumulate results from third parties, but not all of them use a popular search engine to inject their own links. That is what Searchaize does. It is very sneaky how this PUP presents search results, and Yahoo Search has not been chosen by accident. This search tool is popular and well-liked, and that means that, first of all, not all users might realize that their browsers were modified in any way (if Yahoo Search was used before the PUP), and second, users might trust the shown results without questioning them. Well, if the extension fools users, they might end up interacting with completely unpredictable third-party ads, and this could lead them to unknown sites. We fear that users could even be exposed to scams. Due to this, we believe it is best to remove the PUP.

We have no doubt that you want to avoid all security risks to protect yourself, and if that is the case, you must consider deleting Searchaize. Although this extension is not classified as malware, it is a potentially unwanted program, and reliable security tools should identify it as such. What do we do with PUPs? We remove them. There should ne nothing holding you back when it comes to the removal of Searchaize because this extension is not exactly useful. Yes, it shows Yahoo Search results, but you do not need an extension to access these results. All you need to do is set search.yahoo.com as the homepage and/or search provider. But what about the “optimized” search results that the PUP promises? This is just clever wording to disguise advertisements and sponsored links. If you do not want to face them, you have the best reason to delete the extension. Also, remember that it tracks information about you when you surf the web, and some of it might even be relayed to unknown third parties. Overall, there are plenty of reasons to delete the PUP, and you only need one.

Searchaize Removal

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Tap keys Alt and F at the same time.
3. In the Chrome menu, click More tools.
4. Click Extensions.
5. Find the unwanted extension and click Remove.
6. Tap Alt and F keys again.
7. Click More tools and then click Clear browsing data.
8. In the Advanced menu, select the right time range.
9. Choose the boxes you want.
10. Click Clear data.