Backdoor.Prioxer.B

There have been reports of unwanted behavior and redirects associated with the Protectedsearch.com website. The actual culprit is a browser hijacker that takes the form of a web browser toolbar. These kinds of browser hijackers display advertisements and direct computer users to click on sponsored links, generating advertising and affiliate marketing revenue. Since Protectedsearch.com-related browser hijackers tend to cause considerable performance problems on a computer as well as undesirable behavior from the affected web browser, security researchers strongly advise against installing the Protectedsearch.com toolbar on your computer and actions should be taken immediately if your computer were presenting symptoms associated with a browser hijacker infection. A reliable anti-malware application should be used to scan and disinfect your computer in order to remove a browser hijacker.

There are numerous symptoms associated with browser hijackers linked to the Protectedsearch.com website. Most of these are usually quite obvious and should point to a problem on the infected computer. The following are symptoms of a Protectedsearch.com-related infection and should be cause for worry:

1. The infected web browser's homepage has been changed to Protectedsearch.com without authorization.
2. The infected web browser redirects the computer user to the Protectedsearch.com website or to similar web pages suddenly and without warning. These kinds of redirects are most common after clicking on a link or executing an online search.
3. The infected web browser displays pop-up windows containing Protectedsearch.com, advertisements, and suspicious error messages.
4. Search engine queries on the infected web browser direct the computer user to Protectedsearch.com or to other low quality search engines instead of to the website corresponding to the search terms.

There are numerous scams associated with browser hijackers. By controlling which websites you visit, marketing companies can generate revenue from advertising and from affiliate marketing links. Even though searches on Protectedsearch.com itself are usually not reliable, many computer users are still forced to visit this website because of the action of its associated browser hijacker.