Search.smacklek.com Removal Guide

Search.smacklek.com has a very boring interface, and it certainly is not an attractive search tool. Despite that, it might be found installed as the homepage and default search provider on some browsers. Based on the information available at smacklek.com, it appears that only users of Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox browsers should face it, but it is unclear how it is spread. It certainly does not have an official downloader. Most likely, you were downloading some kind of a program or add-on, and the hijacker was bundled along with it. If you download software, and additional pieces are offered, always decline them if you are given the option. If you are forced to download additional software, rethink the installation altogether. Now, if you have downloaded a bunch of programs, and you do not really know them well, the smart thing to do is to employ a malware scanner. This tool will examine your system and let you know if you need to delete Search.smacklek.com along with anything else.

Search.smacklek.com appears to have been created by Smacklek Software, and we can neither confirm nor deny that this company is real. According to the official information presented at smacklek.com, this company specializes in “Mac software distribution,” which is why we believe that it will come bundled with some downloaders or download management tools compatible with Mac systems. Depending on how you download Search.smacklek.com, it is likely to replace your regular homepage and default search provider, but it could also modify the New Tab. As we mentioned already, the interface of this browser hijacker is very boring, and there is nothing else besides the search field and a list of search options. These include “Web,” “Images,” “Videos,” “News,” and “Shopping.” Regardless of which of these buttons you click, if you enter keywords, you will be redirected to search.yahoo.com. Yahoo Search is one of the most popular search engines in the world, and so users of the hijacker might be tricked into trusting it. Well, searches are redirected without permission, and that is a red flag.

When search queries go via Search.smacklek.com to Search.yahoo.com, they are modified. According to our malware research team, advertisements, offers, discounts, and links to malicious websites could be promoted via this search engine. Yahoo has nothing to do with that, and you need to blame the hijacker. Overall, you should never trust a search engine, if you are redirected to it. Whether you are redirected to Yahoo, Bing, Google, or a similar engine, always remove the mediator, and then set the preferred search tool as your default provider or homepage. We have the same advice for those who face the suspicious Search.papershorty.com, an identical-looking browser hijacker that, allegedly, was created by Papershorty Software. Both are represented using the same privacy policies, according to which, when you browse the web, information is recorded to provide you with “Offers which are better suited for you.” It might seem as if Search.smacklek.com is all about assisting the users, but, in reality, it is likely to earn money for the ads that are clicked or for the information that is recorded.

Since Search.smacklek.com appears to be compatible with Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox browsers, these are the browsers that we focus on in the manual removal guide below. The steps you can find show how to replace unwanted homepage and search provider settings. Hopefully, you will find the removal easy and straightforward. If you cannot seem to remove Search.smacklek.com successfully, maybe you need to eliminate a program or an add-on linked to it? It is crucial to inspect the system for other threats that could have slithered even without your notice. You can start with a free malware scanner, which you can upgrade to a full anti-malware tool. This tool will delete the threats that might have slithered in, and it will also help you evade hijackers and other types of malware in the future.

How to delete Search.smacklek.com

Safari

1. Launch the browser, open the Safari menu, and click Preferences.
2. Navigate to the General menu.
3. Change the homepage and default search provider in Default search engine and Homepage boxes.

Google Chrome

1. Launch the browser and enter chrome://settings/searchEngines into the address bar.
2. Set a new default search provider and Remove the hijacker.
3. Enter chrome://settings/ into the address bar and find the On Startup menu.
4. Remove the undesirable homepage and set the desirable page in its place.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Launch the browser and enter about:preferences#home into the address bar.
2. Go to Home and replace the URL of the hijacker with the URL of a desired homepage.
3. Enter about:preferences#search into the address bar.
4. Set a new default search provider and Remove the hijacker.