Search.smacklek.com

Search.smacklek.com looks similar to our previously researched browser hijacker called Search.papershorty.com. In fact, our specialists who tested both of the mentioned applications say they work identically. Apparently, they seek to replace an affected browser’s homepage and redirect to modified Yahoo search engines. You should know that while doing so, the application could show unreliable advertising content that you should be careful with if you do not want to take any chances. For more details about this browser hijacker, you should read our full report. If you decide there is no place on your system for this suspicious search engine, we recommend completing steps provided at the end of this article as they will explain how to get rid of Search.smacklek.com manually.

Some users accept browser hijackers like Search.smacklek.com without realizing it as such tools are often bundled with other software. That is because some installers do not inform about bundled tools or allow deselecting them if the user does not choose custom installation, which is why it is best to pick this option whenever you can. Another thing, we could recommend is downloading new tools only from reliable websites. In other words, users should try to stay away from torrent and other file-sharing websites that may contain pirated software, etc. That is because setup files offered on such sites can be bundled with various threats. Having a reliable antimalware tool might be a good idea as well if you want to keep your system safe, but find it difficult to identify suspicious content yourself.

What is supposed to happen if you receive Search.smacklek.com? Your start page or homepage ought to be replaced with the browser hijacker. It means every time you open an affected browser, it should load Search.smacklek.com as your homepage. At the moment of writing, it looks like the search engine is compatible only with Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, which is why it is doubtful those who use different browsing applications could encounter it. Our researchers noticed that the suspicious search engine might change the homepage for the mentioned browsers by modifying particular files belonging to them. For instance, if it is Mozilla Firefox, the browser hijacker ought to alter a file called prefs.js that contains various preferences, including user’s start page. This file, ought to be located in a specific directory placed in %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles.

As for Google Chrome, the browser hijacker may alter files called Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data to replace user’s homepage with Search.smacklek.com. The mentioned files ought to be located in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default directory. If the changes made by the suspicious application are fixed or if a user deletes modified files, the affected browser should no longer load Search.smacklek.com. The reason why some users may not want to use such a search engine is that it could show unreliable advertising content. There is such a possibility since the application users a modified Yahoo search engine, which means the displayed results could be injected with third-party ads. We do not say this could necessarily happen to you, but there is a possibility you could come across such content.

Provided you do not want to be using a search engine that is classified as a browser hijacker and that could possibly display unreliable advertising content, we advise deleting Search.smacklek.com. As explained earlier, the only way to remove the browser hijacker manually is to fix or erase files modified by it. The instructions provided at the end of this paragraph explain how to do this step by step. If the task is too complicated and you do not think you can handle it, we recommend installing a reliable antimalware tool instead. Naturally, if you need more help with the application’s deletion or want to know something else about it, you could leave us a comment below this article.

Eliminate Search.smacklek.com

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press Win+E.
2. Look for a file named Prefs.js in the provided path: C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla user ID}
3. Launch Prefs.js with Notepad.
4. Replace http://search.smacklek.com with a site you like in the following line: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.smacklek.com").
5. Save the changes (Ctrl+S).
6. Close Prefs.js.

Google Chrome

1. Press Win+E.
2. Search for files named Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data in the given path: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
3. Right-click them separately and select Delete.
4. Close the Explorer.