SmartShopSave.com Removal Guide

SmartShopSave.com sets a clear message, which that by using it for shopping, you will save money. Nevertheless, since it is a search engine you can use it to search for anything online. The problem is that it is also a browser hijacker which means that it comes bundled with malicious software that sets it as your browser’s homepage. So it redirects web traffic to its address, but for what purpose? While conducting our research we found that this alleged search engine is ad-supported, so it is bound to include promotional links inside its search results. The problem is, however, that the legitimacy of the promoted links cannot be verified. Moreover, this search engine is set to collect information about you to tailor the ads. All things considered, SmartShopSave.com is very unreliable, so you ought to remove it from your system right away.

Let us begin our analysis by talking about how this application is distributed. While researching this infection we have found that it may come bundled with potentially unwanted programs, as well as malicious applications, such as bad toolbars and adware. As far as we know, in such cases bundles like that are advertised on shady freeware distributing websites. Also, the ads may be deceptive by tricking you into thinking that you are updating your media player, Java, or Adobe products. Furthermore, it is possible that this program has its dedicated browser extension or program that manages the browser hijacking process. However, we did not find any cases of this which is unsurprising since this hijacker was probably released no later than 2014. So the program may be scrapped as its developers have turned to other means of distribution.

Therefore, currently this browser hijacker is distributed via malicious software installers that inject it into a browser during the installation process. However, the setup does not ask the users for their permission, so SmartShopSave.com will be set as the default homepage whether you like it or not. SmartShopSave.com’s developers resort to such measures as no one in their right mind would willfully use it. Its search results are prone to contain promotional links and advertisements that come from unknown sources. However, that is how this hijacker’s developers make money, and making money is SmartShopSave.com’s only purpose.

To make the whole advertising campaign more efficient, its developers also made this browser hijacker to collect information about its users. So SmartShopSave.com has been set to use browser and Adobe Flash cookies, beacons, pixels, JavaScript and other methods of data collection to obtain information, such as your browser’s settings, operating system type, approximate geographical location, IP address, browsing and search history, and other kinds of information. The collection of this kind of information does not pose a threat to your system’s security; still you should not share it with secretive entities that develop malicious websites and software.

Even though SmartShopSave.com can be used as an ordinary search engine, we do not recommend doing so, because its background is unknown. Moreover, it was classified as a browser hijacker due to its deceptive distribution tactics. Its search results are also bound to contain potentially malicious links. So we are of the opinion that the most obvious solution is to remove SmartShopSave.com altogether, so please refer to the remove guide provided at the bottom.

How to remove SmartShopSave.com

Mozilla Firefox

1. Launch the browser, and simultaneously press Alt+H.
2. Select Troubleshooting Information.
3. Click Refresh Firefox.
4. In the dialog box, click Refresh Firefox once again.
5. Click Finish.

Google Chrome

1. Launch the browser, and simultaneously press Alt+F and open Settings.
2. Select Show advanced settings and click Reset settings.
3. Click Reset.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Launch the browser and simultaneously press Alt+T.
2. Select Internet Options and go to the Advanced tab.
3. Click Reset and check the checkbox, and then click Reset.