Search.searchsresults.com – a search engine that is not worth trusting

Search.searchsresults.com is another example of bogus search engine created by Polarity Technologies. It spreads as Smart Results extensions in freeware or shareware bundles. So, it’s easy to install it unintentionally. However, it operates as a browser hijacker.[1]
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Name | Search.searchsresults.com |
| Developer | Polarity Technologies |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Danger level | Medium. Alter's browser's settings and shortcuts |
| Distribution | Software bundles |
| Symptoms | Modification of homepage, built-in search box, and new tab url address, delivery of ads |
| To uninstall Search.searchsresults.com, install FortectIntego and run a full system scan | |
Search.searchsresults.com virus might affect all common browsers, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc. Soon after the hijack, you have to deal with the following problems:
- browser’s homepage and default search engine replaced with a new domain;
- inability to set preferred startup page and built-in search box;
- browser redirects to questionable sites;
- an increased amount of ads appearing on the browser.
The Search.searchsresults.com might look as a safe to use search tool. However, clean design and redirects to Yahoo search results should not trick you. The browser hijacker might trigger redirects to third-party websites once you click on a search link.
Additionally, the hijacker might display ads as well. While some of them might be credible, others are not. They might trick into downloading questionable programs, malware or spyware.[2] Therefore, it’s better to stay away from the content delivered by the hijacker.
After the Search.searchsresults.com hijack is also recommended to take care of your privacy. This application might collect various information about users and sell it for advertising purposes. Despite the fact, the Privacy Policy tells that it collects only non-personally identifiable details, security specialists from bedynet.ru[3] warn that such programs might install third-party apps that might be capable of tracking sensitive data.
Hence, Search.searchsresults.com removal is needed for protecting your privacy, stopping unwanted activities when browsing the web and getting back access to the affected web browsers. We recommend using FortectIntego for virus elimination.
Additionally, you can remove Search.searchsresults.com manually. However, this task might be complicated for not skilled computer users. More information about this procedure is given at the end of this article.

Software bundles help to spread useless search engine
When installing free programs from the internet, you have to be extremely careful. The majority of software offered in free download sites or torrents include additional programs. This software marketing method is known as bundling and is absolutely legitimate. However, programs spread in this way are not always safe.
Therefore, it’s important to be careful when downloading free programs. In order to do so, follow these tips:
- Use legitimate download sources;
- Read Terms of Use and Privacy Policy;
- Use Advanced/Custom settings instead of Quick/Recommended;
- Opt out pre-selected programs that are offered to install together with the primary program.
Uninstall Search.searchsresults.com from the web browser
In order to remove Search.searchsresults.com entirely, you have to uninstall Smart Results or other questionable extensions. Additionally, you have to check for other programs that may have been installed together with the hijacker.
The instructions below will help you to get rid of the potentially unwanted app. However, if you want simpler Search.searchsresults.com removal solution or fail to do the job manually, please take advantage of the automatic elimination method. It requires scanning the system with an updated anti-malware software.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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