Search.ph-cmf.com

Allowing Search.ph-cmf.com to settle on the browser might be not the best idea since the application could be dangerous. In fact, our specialists recommend the software’s removal, but we will talk more about it further in the article. Just keep it in mind that if you choose to erase it, there are deletion instructions below the text you could use. What’s more, the search engine is considered to be a browser hijacker because of the way it can change your specific settings, e.g. search provider, homepage, and other. Also, the application’s usage could cause trouble, since it may provide users with potentially harmful advertisements. If you do not want to receive such irritating applications in the future, we would advise you to keep reading the article and learn about the ways it might be distributed.

After researching the browser hijacker, our specialists came to a conclusion that it should be circulated through bundled malicious installers. To give you an example, Search.ph-cmf.com could travel bundled with adware, potentially unwanted programs, other browser hijackers, and more. If you did install the search engine with potentially dangerous software, you should check the system and remove such programs before they bring you trouble.

As for the future, we would advise users not only to be more attentive while installing programs but also learn how to separate legitimate applications from potentially harmful ones. It is easier to indicate suspicious software if you check its developer, review the Privacy Policy and End User License Agreement documents, read some expert or user reviews, etc. Plus, you should watch out for bundled malicious installers too. Usually, these setup files are spread through unreliable file-sharing websites, so it might be best to replace such sites with legitimate web pages.

Once the application is installed it should replace the homepage, search provider, or new tab page, so you would use Search.ph-cmf.com more often. However, using this browser hijacker might be a bad idea since its displayed results could have potentially harmful advertisements, e.g. pop-ups, banners, and other links leading to third-party websites. According to our researchers, even if it looks like the threat is using yahoo.com to gather the results, the search engine it uses could be a modified version so the browser hijacker might still be able to alter the results. We doubt that the application’s creators review all the ads Search.ph-cmf.com may display as they might have numerous third-party partners. Therefore, some of the advertisements could be potentially dangerous, e.g. they may redirect the user to websites that distribute ransomware, viruses, Trojans, or other harmful programs.

Furthermore, users should also be aware that the browser hijacker might “automatically download and install updates,” or “automatically configure third-party software (such as your Browser or operating system).” These statements are provided in the software’s End User License Agreement document. Besides, it says that the application could download entirely new versions of the browser hijacker too, which means it might install other threats automatically and without further notice to you since by installing Search.ph-cmf.com you are accepting such conditions.

All things considered, Search.ph-cmf.com appears to be a rather annoying application that might change your browser settings and show you unwanted advertising content. Fortunately, you do not have to bear with these irritating ads as you can get rid of this suspicious search engine. Users want to erase it manually, should slide below the text and check the instructions placed below. The provided steps will reveal how to delete the hijacker from the Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome browsers. Nonetheless, if the process looks a bit too complicated for you to handle, do not hesitate to use a reliable antimalware tool instead. The security tool is a rather handy program since it can not only locate and remove potentially dangerous software but also guard the system against malware by warning users about malicious installers and other threats.

Eliminate Search.ph-cmf.com

Internet Explorer

1. Press Win+R and click Enter after you type Regedit.
2. Navigate with the Registry Editor to find the following directory: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. Find a particular value name called Start Page.
4. Right-click it and press Modify.
5. Erase this link http://Search.ph-cmf.com and click OK after you insert a URL address of a site you prefer.
6. Go to this location: HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\ {0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}
7. Find the listed value names:
   FaviconURL
   FaviconURLFallback
   TopResultURL
   URL
8. Right-click all of the listed value names one by one and choose Modify.
9. Erase or replace http://Search.ph-cmf.com/favicon.ico or http://Search.ph-cmf.com links and click OK.
10. Close the Registry Editor.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press Win+E and go to this location: C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[Mozilla User ID]
2. Look for a file titled Prefs.js and right-click it to open the file with Notepad.
3. Find the following code line user_pref(“browser.startup.homepage”, “http://Search.ph-cmf.com”) and replace http://Search.ph-cmf.com with a website you prefer.
4. Save the document and close it.

Google Chrome

1. Press Win+E and go to: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
2. Locate files called Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
3. Right-click them one by one and press Delete.