SearchOpedia

It goes without saying that the tool you choose to help you surf the web can determine what you end up finding. SearchOpedia is not the search tool we recommend using because you are likely to find ads and sponsored content introduced by unknown parties if you use it. Unfortunately, the extension is introduced as a beneficial search tool that can present the “best” results too. Due to this, Google Chrome users might decide to install this extension even if they do not know much about it from the start. In fact, some people might end up installing this extension without even meaning to do so, but more on that further in the report. Our goal is to help you remove SearchOpedia from your browser, and if that is what you want to do, you should continue reading. As always, if you have any questions about the extension, deleting it, or securing your browsers and operating system, we can answer all of them in the comments section.

SearchOpedia might be a new threat for you, but for us it is a well-known foe. It was developed by webcoapps, and this company has also developed SearchConverter, SearchAholic, SearchHD, Searchize, and many other suspicious extensions. They are classified as PUPs – potentially unwanted programs. According to our researchers, all of these extensions are introduced using installers on the Chrome Web Store (chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/searchopedia/cjbhmaipbpjlechbpeifgjhojnhohiio) and also official websites (install.search-opedia.com). That, however, does not mean that they are transparent. In fact, misleading and aggressive ads and pop-ups could be used to expose people to the PUPs’ installers, and they also could be distributed using unreliable software bundles along with other questionable, potentially malicious apps and extensions. Overall, whether you believe you were forced to install the extension, or you did it willingly, there are plenty of reasons for you delete SearchOpedia. For one, it is not as beneficial as you might have been made to believe.

When you install SearchOpedia, the default search provider is changed to feed.search-opedia.com, and the New Tab page is likely to represent portal.search-opedia.com. This page introduces an on-screen calculator, file encryptor, and currency encryptor, which is the only beneficial thing about the entire PUP. Of course, you can find free converters and calculators online, and so you should not keep SearchOpedia installed just so you could access these tools via your browser. The interface of the New Tab page also displays a search box, and this is the main feature of the PUP, because, after all, it is meant to offer you the best searches. Whether you use this tool or you enter search keywords directly into the browser’s address bar, you are redirected to search.yahoo.com. The PUP claims to be capable of optimizing the results you see, but all it can do is inject ads and sponsored content by third parties. The Privacy Policy supporting webcoapps does not disclose third-party partners, but it reveals that information about users can be passed on to them for the purposes of advertising. What if the PUP is associated with unreliable advertisers, who are using the PUP to display unreliable ads and links?

To conclude things, it is important what search tools you employ to browse the web, because that might determine your virtual security and the content you end up facing. If you trust SearchOpedia, it can collect information about you, share it with unknown parties, redirect you to a well-known search engine, but then modify the results to include advertisements. Although the PUP is meant to provide you with the best search experience ever, it fails to do that every time, and that is why we do not think that anyone should keep it installed. You might be able to delete SearchOpedia manually – after which you also should clear browsing data – but if you learn that this PUP was installed along with other suspicious programs and extensions, we strongly recommend implementing anti-malware software. Not only will it clean your system from all unwanted and unreliable components but also keep it safe in the future.

SearchOpedia Removal

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Access the Chrome menu by tapping Alt+F keys.
3. Click More tools and then Extensions.
4. Find the undesirable extension and then click Remove.
5. Tap Alt+F, click More tools, and click Clear browsing data.
6. In the menu at the top, click Advanced.
7. Select a time range and boxes appropriate for the PUP.
8. Click Clear data and then restart Google Chrome.