Searchtechstart.com

Posted by Lisa Blanc on September 22, 2016

What is Searchtechstart.com?

Searchtechstart.com is a browser hijacker, and as such it can expose you to different types of corrupted content. Of course, a browser hijacker is not an extremely dangerous infection, but it should not be taken lightly because browser hijackers are often exploited by malevolent third parties for malware distribution. Thus, if your default homepage was modified without your permission, you should scroll down to the bottom of this article for the manual removal instructions. If you do not feel like deleting this program on your own, you can always invest in a powerful antispyware tool that would do the job for you. test

Where does Searchtechstart.com come from?

This infection may have different distribution vectors, and there is no one definite source that would be responsible for spreading this unwanted program around. We have to determine one thing, though: the browser hijacker does not enter your system surreptitiously. It means that, most of the time users allow the program to get installed on their computers, even though they are not aware of that.

It happens when you click various pop-ups that may appear on your screen when you browse the web. There is a bigger chance that you will encounter unfamiliar pop-ups when you open online gaming sites, shopping pages, and file-sharing websites. There is a group of webpages that rely heavily on third-party advertising for their survival. Hence, there might be ads that promote third-party applications, and clicking them even accidentally may initiate browser hijacker installation.

Potentially unwanted programs may be another reason you encounter these pop-ups on a regular basis. You may have some potential threats installed on your computer ALREADY, and they might be generating annoying pop-ups that eventually lead to multiple infections. That is the reason we recommend acquiring a legitimate antispyware tool. You may need to remove several unwanted and potentially dangerous programs that might be slowing down your system.

What does Searchtechstart.com do?

As the program in question is a browser hijacker, the moment you install it on your computer, it will modify your browser settings. On Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome, the program changes your default homepage to searchtechstart.com. Then, the program affects your search results. With the browser hijacker on-board, you can no longer be sure that your search process is not modified.

This program will employ tracking cookies to track your web browsing history. When the program knows what websites you visit and what you usually search for, it can modify search results with customized links. For instance, you may think that those links lead the sites that might prove to be useful, but there could also be links that redirect you to affiliated commercial websites.

For the most part, this kind of behavior is mostly annoying, but we should not rule out the possibility of malicious exploitation. For instance, browser hijackers are often used by cyber criminals to distribute malware, so some of the links suggested by Searchtechstart.com could lead you to dangerous web pages, and there is nothing this program can do about it.

Searchtechstart.com and other similar browser hijackers rely on third-party advertising to survive. Thus, they do not review the links they promote. In a sense, you cannot blame this browser hijacker for anything because it indicates that in its Privacy Policy. The usual statement is that the program is not responsible for the third-party content security, and user clicks third-party links on their own risk. Of course, not everyone is aware of that, and so quite a few users end up downloading more unwanted apps after clicking these outgoing links.

How do I remove Searchtechstart.com?

Of course, you do not have to suffer this obnoxious application any longer. Simply follow the instructions below and terminate Searchtechstart.com at once. It is not complicated to delete this infection on your own, but if you find it too troublesome, you can (and you should) rely on a professional security tool.

We have mentioned already, that there might be many other unwanted programs installed on your computer. Thus, instead of searching for them manually one by one, you can run a full system scan with a security application of your choice, and the program will find all the potential threats for you.

After Searchtechstart.com removal, make sure you stay away from unknown websites that might be associated malware distribution. And do not hesitate to ask for help if you encounter something unfamiliar.

Manual Searchtechstart.com Removal

Internet Explorer

Press Win+R and type regedit into the Open box. Click OK.
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
Right-click the Start Page value on the right.
Select Modify and replace the homepage with the one you prefer. Click OK.

Mozilla Firefox

Press Win+R and type %AppData%. Click OK.
Go to Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles.
Open the unique user ID folder.
Open the prefs.js file.
Locate and remove this string: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://searchtechstart.com");
Save changes.