SmashApps

SmashApps sounds like a cool application that should provide with useful functions, but our research team is forced to categorize it as a potentially unwanted program. Thus, this app may not be a malicious infection, but you should still think before you decide to keep it on your browser. What’s more, if you didn’t want to have this application, it’s clear that you should remove SmashApps right now. For that, scroll down to the bottom of this description and use the manual removal guidelines. Or, you can invest in a licensed security tool and terminate all the unwanted applications automatically.

There is a very good chance that this application has already been removed from its official distribution websites. We know for sure that SmashApps was available at the Chrome Web Store for a time being, but at the time of writing, the page on the Chrome Web Store cannot be found. Thus, it is possible that the app was reported and Google removed it from the store. What’s more, just like most of the other potentially unwanted programs, SmashApps happens to have an official website, but the domain sounds really odd: installuz.xyz. It feels more like a third-party site that is there to distribute the app around.

Also, if the official distribution sources are no longer available, but the app is still floating around, it means that SmashApps gets distributed through third-party sources, too. And if the extension is there on your browser, it means you agreed to add it there, even if you were not aware of that at the point.

For example, SmashApps and other similar applications can be distributed through file-sharing websites and other similar pages that indulge in third-party advertising. Therefore, if you land on a page that displays a lot of ads, and you get bombarded with various pop-ups, it would be for the best to exit that page ASAP. Of course, you can avoid adding SmashApps to your browser by simply closing the pop-up windows and not interacting with them. However, a lot of users fail to realize they should NEVER click anything on the notifications such pages show. After all, the moment you click that Add to Browser button, you agree that the app would:

• Read your browsing history

• Change your search settings to: smashapps.net

Therefore, if you don’t notice how this extension reaches your computer, it might seem that you were infected with a browser hijacker. However, you agree to have these modifications, and SmashApps even says that when the modifications are in place, you will be able to have a far better web search experience.

Although it looks like a good deal, especially considering the fact that the app comes for free, the question is whether you really need a third-party application to redirect your search queries to yet another search engine. You can set as your default search engine whatever website you want, and there’s no need for a mediator here.

Also, since SmashApps processes your search queries, this application can collect data on your web browsing habits, and it can figure out your likes and preferences. We’re lucky that such programs are not sophisticated enough to collect your personal information. The main thing they can do is generate custom commercial content when you browse the web and promote it to you. Obviously, it is up to you whether you want to interact with it or not. We recommend ignoring these contents because anyone could exploit SmashApps to promote their links, and if the links are malicious, you could be just a click away from a dangerous infection.

To mitigate potential damage, you have to remove SmashApps from your browser today. While it is possible to delete the app via the Extensions menu, it would be more efficient to reset your browser to default. This would also delete all the tracking cookies that have collected information on your browsing history. While you’re at it, you should also consider scanning your computer with a licensed antispyware tool that will help you determine the actual security status of your system. If more unwanted applications are found, please remove them automatically, and invest in a reliable antispyware application that will help you protect your PC from harm.

How to Remove SmashApps

1. Open the Chrome browser and press Alt+F.
2. Select Settings on the drop-down menu.
3. Scroll down and press Advanced.
4. Click Restore settings to their original defaults at the bottom.
5. Click Reset settings.