SearchMagnified.com

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SearchMagnified.com is a bogus search engine, part of one of the most used online scam in the past couple of years. There are numerous reports of computer users experiencing redirects to SearchMagnified.com after trying to carry out an online search on Google or other common search engines. This is the defining symptom of a Google Redirect Virus infection, a browser hijacker infection that usually involves a rootkit threat on the victim's computer system.

The Link Between SearchMagnified.com and Browser Hijackers

So, why would anyone want to use SearchMagnified.com for their online searches when such websites as Google, Yahoo or Bing are freely available? Well most computer users that end up at SearchMagnified.com have no way of staying away from this website. Websites like SearchMagnified.com are associated with a type of malware known as a browser hijacker. Browser Hijackers are simply malware that takes over the victim's web browser and forces it to visit a particular website repeatedly, or changes the web browser's settings to lower its security or to force it to display pop-up windows or other annoyances.

While it is quite easy to create a browser hijacker that blocks absolutely all content except for SearchMagnified.com, criminals have observed that they obtain better results with so-called soft browser hijackers. These only take effect occasionally, or after certain conditions are met, making it more difficult for inexperienced computer users to realize that something is wrong. Browser hijackers associated with SearchMagnified.com will usually take effect after an online search, taking the computer user to SearchMagnified.com instead of to the website corresponding to the online search results. An inexperienced computer user is more likely to try their search again using SearchMagnified.com.