Search-select.co Removal Guide

We want to inform you about a newly discovered malicious search engine called Search-select.co. It falls into the category of browser hijackers because it is disseminated in a dishonest manner which involves installing its accompanying browser extension without your knowledge. Therefore, you might want to remove it. Also, we think that it might alter the search results and inject additional promotional links of unverifiable legitimacy. Hence, this seemingly legitimate search engine can jeopardize your computer’s security. To find out more about it, we invite you to read this whole description. We are positive that you will find it useful as we have gathered all available information from third-parties and tested it on one of our test computers.

Before we move on to its features and functionality, it is paramount to understand its origins and dissemination channels. We were not surprised to learn that this hijacker does not contain information about its developer. Its EULA and Privacy Policy have no mention of the company that created it. This is typical for browser hijackers. Additional research has not identified similar hijackers. Therefore, it appears that Search-select.co is one of a kind hijacker that does not have any clones, for now at least.

Browser hijackers can be distributed in several ways, but some are more popular than others. Also, some of them come with browser extensions while others do not have them. We have found that Search-select.co is compatible with Chrome only because it comes with a dedicated browser extension named Search Select. You can download this extension on your browser from the Chrome Web Store. Now, this distribution method does not involve deception, so we do not consider it as malicious. However, there is another distribution method that makes Search-select.co into a real browser hijacker. We found that you could get it accidentally by clicking advertisements presented by adware-type software. So if you have this shady search engine on your computer, then rest assured that your computer also has adware installed on it, and you should scan it with an anti-malware program.

Now let us take a look at Search-select.co’s features. Truth be told, you can use it as any legitimate search engine, but only because it relies on third-party services to process the search queries that you enter in its address box. It has a custom main page that allows you to select between four search engines that include Bing, Yahoo, Google, and Ask. You can customize the main window by changing its background image, but that is as far as its customizability options go. Due to the fact that it redirects the search queries to third-party search engines, there is no reason to use it because it does not offer anything useful. It can be argued that it is useful because it allows you to change the search engine at the click of a button, but given the fact that they can feature additional advertisements that have not been screened for malicious content this ability is not worth the risk.

Before concluding this article, we want to inform you that this hijacker is also configured to collect automatically non-personally identifiable information. According to its privacy policy, it can obtain information such as ISP domain name, IP address, browsing history, and entered search queries, among other things. According to the privacy policy, this information is used to “to personalize your experience on our site, with the Extension, to show you more relevant advertising messages based on the URLs you have visited , and, generally, to improve our products and/or services.” So there you have it. This clause reveals and supports the idea that Search-select.co was set up to generate advertising revenue. Due to the fact that it will not improve your browsing experience but rather make it more unsafe, we recommend that you remove it from your PC altogether.

In conclusion, Search-select.co is a fake search engine that relies on third-party search engines to process the search queries. Research has revealed that it can modify the search results to include additional promotional links that can jeopardize your computer’s security. Also, it can collect information about your browsing habits to tailor the advertising campaign and make more money. If you want to delete this malicious search engine, then consult the removal guide at the end of this article.

Removal Instructions

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Simultaneously press Alt+F.
3. Go to More tools and select Extensions.
4. Find Search Select and remove it.