Once upon a time, Yahoo was the world’s most crucial web page on the internet. It held a place similar to the one Google has at present. While Yahoo’s glory days are long gone, it remains an important search engine today.
The platform “Yahoo!” is harmless. It’s a legitimate website that will not harm your computer or devices.
However, malware is out there, especially browser hijackers, that will modify your web browser settings without your blessing and force you to keep visiting Yahoo permanently.
Indeed, it’s highly annoying for any user to become unable to visit their preferred search engine. And, if you’re facing the same, you may want to get rid of it. So, this article explains how to restore your Chrome browser to its normal state if you’re affected by the Yahoo Search hijacker.
Why is my Google Chrome browser stuck on the Yahoo Search?
Chrome becomes your default search engine as soon as you install Google Chrome on your computer or mobile device. That’s no surprise. So if you haven’t changed your browser’s settings intentionally to use a different search engine and you’re getting redirected to Yahoo, something wrong is going on in your system.
The most probable scenario is that a piece of malware found its way to your system. This type of malicious code goes by the name of “browser hijacker” because it takes control of your browser away from you, forcing you to adopt a starting page and a search engine that you didn’t choose.
But is it wrong to have your browser open the Yahoo website? No, but that’s not the problem. The real problem comes from losing control of your system and somebody else making choices in your stead. So the Yahoo thing is not that important. The problem is that your system is already vulnerable to more malware coming in and doing some worse things to your system, so you must stop this in its tracks as soon as you can.
Yahoo Search redirect virus: What is it?
While Yahoo remains one of the internet’s more popular search engines, the fact is that it’s nobody’s preferred option. So when your favorite browser is pointing to Yahoo Search, it’s because some malware has been wreaking havoc on your computer. Your browser is the victim of a browser hijacker.
Browser hijackers are pieces of malware that change your web browser settings without your permission or knowledge. They are considered “potentially unwanted applications” (PUA). One of the recent examples of such is Search Encrypt. The purpose of browser hijackers is usually to force ads upon you so that your clicks produce revenue for the hackers that had it installed on your system.
The dangers to you increase with browser hijackers because ads are known to be delivery devices for more malware, usually much more harmful to you than the hijacker itself. So there are malicious ads that will install tracking software into your browser or spying software. In the worst-case scenario, you could even have ransomware installed, and/or it can enable the hacker to hijack your whole system and steal any information they want as long as it’s stored in your computer.
What are browser hijackers?
Browser hijackers also go by the name of “redirect virus.” It’s malicious software that finds a way to infiltrate your system, and it changes your browser settings without your permission. It keeps redirecting you to specific websites that often include false search engines or other types of affiliate web pages that generate revenue for the hacker with your clicks. These programs are classified as Potentially Unwanted Programs and Applications (PUPs or PUAs) because they install themselves without the user’s consent.
Once the hijacker arrives in your operating system, it looks for your browser and changes your home page, the preferred search engine, and the new tab redirection. The new ones are meant to continually promote the website that the hackers want you to see.
You may feel that changing your browser settings is not such a great deal. After all, it’s annoying but not that much of a threat. But, unfortunately, you’d be wrong about this. Browser hijackers often redirect you to malicious ads that you wouldn’t see otherwise. And ads are one of the most common delivery systems for even more malicious software, and the next one to hit you will probably be a lot more damaging than the Yahoo search browser hijacker.
So yes, the Yahoo Search browser hijacker is not the world’s most significant security problem by itself. But it opens your system up to more potent threats.
In other words: even if you don’t mind Yahoo Search that much, it’s a problem you need to correct immediately. If not because it annoys you, then because you’re at risk.
Yahoo Search removal from Google Chrome in 6 steps
