Storm Search

It might seem like Storm Search is a good addition to your browser’s functionality, but this extension cannot really add any value to your web browsing experience. Unless, of course, you feel that you always need to have custom content when you search for something online. There are several reasons our research specialists say that Storm Search is a potentially unwanted program, but the point is that if you have a program you don’t want, you simply shouldn’t tolerate it. And if you didn’t plan to have this extension, you can remove Storm Search without too much difficulty.

Of course, some users might say that it is impossible to install an unwanted program unawares, and if there’s an unfamiliar application installed, it’s probably malware. However, the truth is that you probably wouldn’t notice a malicious Trojan infection at all (unless it wants you to). Storm Search, on the other hand, informs you about everything it can modify on your browser right before it is installed. If you don’t notice that, you probably have been focused on something else. This is how potentially unwanted programs like Storm Search manage to reach their target systems: users are too preoccupied with something else.

While it is true that Storm Search has an official website and it can be found at the Chrome Web Store, we also mustn’t forget that potentially unwanted programs often come bundled with freeware. Whenever you download new programs from file-sharing websites, you have to check every single installation wizard step because there might be additional software offered, and if you go through the process blindly, you will add multiple unwanted applications to your system.

Also, Storm Search could come through pop-ups and redirects. Visiting websites that offer free video streaming or free online gaming content often results in multiple pop-ups on your screen. For the most part, you can close those pop-ups without too much difficulty, but if you fail to do so, you could end up with a lot of unwanted extensions on your browser. What’s more, sometimes these pop-ups do not want to be closed and users, failing to read the information on those notifications, click the boldest button on it, thinking that will be the way to close them. In a sense, it is so, because by adding Storm Search (or any similar extension, for that matter) to your browser, you successfully close the pop-up in question. However, the moment you agree to add this extension, you also agree to all the ensuing modifications.

The permissions that you give Storm Search includes changing your default search engine settings to find.stormsearch.net. On the surface, it looks like this extension can provide you with some new search providers, but the reality is that your search queries will be processed and further redirected to Google Search.

So, here we see two things. One, what’s the point of using Storm Search if you can access Google Search directly? And second, who can guarantee that Storm Search doesn’t track your search queries when it processes them through find.stormsearch.net? In other words, this extension might be monitoring your web browsing history so it could later offer you custom commercial content through ads. It wouldn’t be surprising because that’s how most of the potentially unwanted programs survive. They promote third-party content, as they get paid for the clicks that users make when they interact with it.

The main problem here is that Storm Search and other similar apps do not review the content they promote. In a sense, they could be used as promotional tools by unreliable third parties, and there’s not much end users can do about it.

We can just try to protect ourselves from various threats that might reach us through such advertising practices. Of course, the first step is to remove Storm Search from the system, and there are quite a few ways to do it. You can delete it via your browser’s settings menu. You can also use a security tool to help you terminate all the unwanted applications manually. We also recommend resetting your browser’s settings to default, as that would remove other unwanted extensions, too. However, please don’t forget to be careful about visiting all sorts of unfamiliar websites that could be part of freeware distribution networks.

How to Delete Storm Search

1. Launch the Chrome browser.
2. Press Alt + F and go to Settings.
3. At the bottom of the page, click Advanced.
4. Click Restore settings to their original defaults at the bottom.
5. Press Reset settings.