Searchenger2016.com

If you encountered a search engine called Searchenger2016.com, you were right to look for more information about it. Sadly, it is classified as a browser hijacker, so as any other application from this category, it should most likely modify your default browser settings. Because of this, your Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Mozilla Firefox may no longer load the website, which was supposed to be your homepage. Instead of it, the hijacker browser would open Searchenger2016.com. Even if you do not care what site is set to be your start page, we encourage you to think twice before using the search engine. It could provide users with modified results with unreliable advertising content. Clicking such ads may cause trouble, so we would advise users to avoid such content and get rid of this suspicious application with the instructions located at the end of the article.

To begin with, we should explain to you how Searchenger2016.com is distributed among computer users. Our specialists who researched the application, believe that it might be spread with bundled installers or through malicious advertisements. If you downloaded the software without even realizing it could be potentially harmful, it might be that you are visiting malicious web pages unknowingly. Perhaps, your browser or antimalware tool is outdated and does not warn you about dangerous content? In any case, users should do all they can to secure the computer. We would recommend avoiding unreliable file-sharing web pages and other possibly harmful sites. Additionally, it would be a great idea to check if your browser is fully updated and also download a trustworthy security tool.

Moreover, the application enters the system by altering specific data of user's default browser. For instance, it should replace value data of a value name called Start Page (located in the Windows Registry) to replace the Internet Explorer’s homepage. To hijack Google Chrome, the program should alter files called Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data in the C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default location. Lastly, if you have Mozilla Firefox, the hijacker should target data called prefs.js in the C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla user ID} directory.

As soon as Searchenger2016.com becomes your homepage, you might notice suspicious advertisements in the search results. According to our specialists, it is possible that the threat’s creators do not look through the advertised content, so part of the ads could originate from malicious web pages. Meaning, you may be redirected to such sites if you click these ads. The consequences may vary based on the content of the website. For instance, if it contains Trojans, viruses, or other malicious applications, your computer could get infected. The sites might also offer installers of adware, potentially unwanted programs, suspicious toolbars, other browser hijackers, and so on.

Another thing that does not make Searchenger2016.com look like a reliable search tool is the fact it does not provide any information about who published the search engine. Besides, there are no End User License Agreement or Privacy Policy documents. The lack of such documents and general information about the software’s creators raises a suspicion. If the application is legitimate, its creators should not have anything to hide. Therefore, we advise you not to take any chances and remove the browser hijacker from the system. Since there are more reliable search engines, we have no doubt that users will easily find a better replacement for Searchenger2016.com.

There are two ways to erase the application, and you can choose which one to use based on your skills. For instance, users can remove the application manually while following the instructions available below the article. If this is not the first time you are deleting a threat manually, this option should not be that difficult. However, if you think the instructions are too complicated, we would recommend removing the browser hijacker with a reliable antimalware software. It might take a couple of moments to install the tool and few more minutes to do a full system scan, but this way you will be able to delete not only Searchenger2016.com but also other possible threats. Plus, using the antimalware tool is quite simple as it does most of the work for you.

Eliminate Searchenger2016.com

Internet Explorer

1. Press this combination Windows Key+R, then insert Regedit into the given box and click OK.
2. Look for the following location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. Search for a value name known as Start Page on the right side of the Registry editor.
4. Right-Click the Start Page and choose Modify to alter its value data.
5. Replace the following link with any other website you trust: http://searchenger2016.com and click OK.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the Explorer and use it to locate this directory: C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla user ID}
2. Look for a file called Prefs.js and right-click it to open it with Notepad.
3. Locate and erase the given code line: user_pref(“browser.startup.homepage”, “http://searchenger2016.com”).
4. Save the document afterward and close it.

Google Chrome

1. Launch the Explorer and go to this particular directory: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
2. Search for these files: Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data.
3. Right-click them separately and select Delete.