BubblePDF

BubblePDF is a browser hijacker designed to promote the fake search engines find.bubblepdf.com and hp.bubblepdf.com. Malware researchers classify it as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), as users typically do not install this browser extension intentionally. Rather, the operators of BubblePDF embed it into free software installers or other programs that users download and install without paying attention to any supplementary tools present in the installation package. Another very common way of distribution for this PUP is fake Adobe Flash Player updates.

When BubblePDF infiltrates a system, it modifies the browser's settings. In particular, BubblePDF sets find.bubblepdf.com or hp.bubblepdf.com as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL. As a result, each time the users open their browser or make a search query, they get redirected through one of these unsafe websites, while the displayed results page is delivered through search.yahoo.com. These redirects generate artificial traffic and revenues for BubblePDF owners, while the PUP victims are exposed to potentially unsafe Internet content.

Browser hijackers like BubblePDF also collect and transfer various user data, including visited URL, search terms, browsing habits in general, geolocations, etc. This feature of the PUP can lead to financial losses and privacy issues. Therefore, such tools should be removed when detected immediately.