Alpha Search

Alpha Search is a Possibly Unwanted Program (PUP) dedicated to the promotion of a fake search engine. The goal is to generate revenue to its creators by driving artificial traffic to the promoted address or injecting sponsored ads among the displayed search results. Most applications of this type are not installed willingly by users and are instead hidden inside the installation process of another more popular freeware application. As a result, most browser hijackers are considered to be Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs).

Immediately after installation, Alpha Search proceeds to take over certain browser settings. It changes the homepage, new page tab, and the default search engine to open the browser hijacker 'alphasearch.co' address. This is a false search engine as it lacks the ability to produce search results on its own. Instead, every search query conducted in the browser is redirected through search.yahoo.com, a legitimate search engine. While Alpha Search is still present on the system, it may prevent users from reverting their browser settings to their original state.

Generally, it is recommended to remove Alpha Search and any similar application from your device as soon as you notice any indication of their activity. There are multiple reasons, but the most important one is that most PUPs monitor and collect various browsing data, as well as some system information.