Search.di-cmf.com Removal Guide

Search.di-cmf.com might look like a genuine program, but, if you look at it more closely, you will realize that it is much more suspicious than you think. We have evaluated this program after testing it carefully in our internal lab, and we believe it is best to remove it as soon as possible. As you might have figured out yourself, this suspicious search tool acts as a browser hijacker by changing homepage and default search provider settings. Besides this, it is also capable of spying on you using tracking cookies and exposing you to suspicious sponsored search results. These are the main reason why you need to delete Search.di-cmf.com from your browsers, and you can learn more by reading this report.

We have seen plenty of suspicious search tools capable of hijacking Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer browsers. We have also seen quite a few hijackers similar to Search.di-cmf.com. These include Search.yourpackagesnow.com, Search.yourmapscenter.com, and Search.youremailnow.com. These hijackers are very similar, almost identical, but they are associated with different extensions. For example, Search.youremailnow.com is downloaded along with the Your Email Now extension promoted at youremailnow.com. The extension we associate with Search.di-cmf.com is called “Localhost”, and we have found that it is also associated with several other hijackers. This is uncommon, and it is possible that the developers of these hijackers might have changed their tactics to create fewer extensions to spread more hijackers. The thing is we do not know whether these programs were created by different parties using the same engine or if they were created by the same company. In either case, there are several reasons why these search tools are considered unreliable and deserving of removal.

The main reason you should remove Search.di-cmf.com from your browsers is that it is unable to provide you with beneficial web browsing services. Although it is presented as a search tool, this hijacker does not present authentic search results. In fact, all it can do is redirect to a third-party search engine, Yahoo. Although you are likely to be familiar with this search tool, we do not recommend trusting it if you are rerouted to it by Search.di-cmf.com. The problem is that search results could be modified to showcase sponsored links/advertisements, and your search queries could be recorded to analyze your browsing behavior. This data could even be shared with unknown parties to help them introduce you to more attractive offers, most likely, via the shown search results or using third-party advertising-supported programs. Have you detected adware on your PC? This might happen, considering that this hijacker could be spread in software bundles.

Although the official installer of Search.di-cmf.com has not been found, it is possible that Localhost will be provided with an official website, and, as you know now, this extension can install the hijacker. All in all, right now, it is most likely that this hijacker is spread by unfamiliar third-party installers that are likely to attach it to other suspicious programs. The worst part is that these programs can be malicious, and you also need to worry about their removal if they have managed to slither in. The removal of Search.di-cmf.com is not extremely complicated, but we cannot say the same about the software that comes bundled with it. Hopefully, you will find the hijacker installed with simple PUPs or adware, and not complicated hijackers, ransomware infections, or other kinds of clandestine infections.

You can reset your browsers or eliminate unwanted extensions and apply the preferred search tools. You can also choose automated malware removal software to eliminate Search.di-cmf.com from your PC. The most important thing is that you delete this hijacker as soon as possible. Scan your PC before you initiate the removal process if your computer is infected with other threats that require immediate attention. Of course, if you choose the automatic option, you do not need to waste time inspecting your operating system or researching the infections that are active on your operating system. If you decide to proceed manually, scan your PC, and, if more aggressive threats are not active, follow this guide.

How to delete Search.di-cmf.com

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open the browser and tap Ctrl+Shift+A to access the Add-ons Manager.
2. Move to the Extensions menu and Remove the unwanted add-on.
3. Launch Explorer (tap Win+E) and enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the address.
4. Open the folder with a unique name with the “.default” string and find prefs.js.
5. Open the file using Notepad and delete the user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.di-cmf.com"); string.

Google Chrome:

1. Open the browser, tap Alt+F, move to More tools, and select Extensions.
2. Click the recycle bin associated with the unwanted add-on and click Remove.
3. Launch Explorer (tap Win+E) and enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default into the address bar.
4. Delete these files: Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data (alternatively, open these files using Notepad and replace the http://search.di-cmf.com URL with the preferred one).

Internet Explorer:

1. Launch RUN (tap Win+R) and enter regedit.exe to access the Registry Editor.
2. In the pane on the left move to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
3. Right-click the Start Page value and choose Modify.
4. Replace the http://search.di-cmf.com URL with the desired one.
5. Navigate to HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}.
6. Modify each of these values (replacethe URL of the hijacker):
   • FaviconURL REG_SZ
   • FaviconURLFallback REG_SZ
   • TopResultURL REG_SZ
   • URL REG_SZ