OptimumSearch

What do you think when you face an extension named OptimumSearch? Most likely, you assume that this extension can offer great web search services. Unfortunately, names can be misleading, and that is the case with this extension also. Our researchers identify it as a potentially unwanted program for several reasons that we discuss further in this report. If you have your own reasons to remove OptimumSearch, we have created a guide that should help you take care of that within moments. Scroll down to find this guide. First, however, we suggest that you read this report to understand the PUP better. While it is not the worst kind of a threat that you could face online, you need to think carefully if you want to expose yourself to potential security risks for it. Besides handling the elimination of unwanted programs, you also need to think about your system’s security. Are you sure that your system is protected against unwanted extensions and more dangerous malware in the future? If you are not, it is not enough to delete the PUP.

The chances are that you were introduced to OptimumSearch via the Chrome Web Store. The installer is found at chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/optimumsearch/adcceelgokmaemjhicdafehglclmboci, but how you are redirected to this webpage is a mystery to us. Perhaps you found the extension while browsing the Web Store for search-related extensions. That is possible. However, it is more likely that you were introduced to the PUP’s installer when you executed a software bundle or when you visited a strange website that displayed an ad or a pop-up linked to it. Regardless of how the extension was installed, you ought to install a genuine malware scanner and perform a full system scan. Hopefully, no malware that would require removal is found, but you do not want to leave this up to chance. You also should not ignore how OptimumSearch works. Once it is installed, it modifies the default search provider and New Tab page on Google Chrome ton represent search.optimum.icu. The interface of this search engine is not intriguing, but it is clean, and it does not look suspicious either.

When you enter keywords into the search tool of OptimumSearch, you are redirected to Google Search. You must have at least heard of this search engine. Most likely, you have used it in the past or use it on a daily basis. After all, it is the most popular web browser in the world. The good news is that this PUP does not modify search results, which is usually the case with search-related PUPs, including Live PDF Converter, SearchZone, or SearchOpedia. What these potentially unwanted programs have in common, however, is that all of them track user-related data and that all of them work with unknown parties. So, every time you use OptimumSearch to browse the web, your search queries, clicks on search results, and interaction with the content you see is recorded. Sure, no personal information is included, but the PUP can gather some information that parties who work with marketing and advertising might be extremely interested in. And what if these parties are unreliable on top of that? At the end of the day, you do not need a third-party search tool to give you access to Google Search, and that is why you should delete the PUP.

In conclusion, this PUP is a very suspicious tool because it does not offer anything beneficial, but it can track users and gather search-related data, which can be regarded as intrusive behavior. The bottom line is that if you want to see Google Search set as your default search provider or New Tab page, you do not actually need to install OptimumSearch or any other extension. Instead, you need to adjust your browser’s settings at chrome://settings/ and chrome://settings/searchEngines. First, of course, you might want to delete OptimumSearch. The guide below should help you eliminate this unwanted extension manually, and this is a great option, but only if other threats do not exist. If you have scanned your system, and threats were found, it might be time for you to employ the help of anti-malware software. If you need information about anything else, connect with us via the comments section.

OptimumSearch Removal

1. Open Google Chrome and enter chrome://extensions into the address bar.
2. Click the Remove button linked to the undesirable extension.
3. Enter chrome://settings/clearBrowserData into the address bar.
4. In the Advanced menu, select a time range in which the PUP was installed.
5. Select the boxes of the data you want to clear and then click Clear data.