Cats fanpage Browser Hijacker

It is a well-known fact that the Internet is obsessed with cats. And there is nothing wrong with that, as cats can be extremely cute or fun to look at. However, this does not apply to the Cats fanpage browser extension. Although it promises to spruce up your browser's homepage while also showing a daily cat picture, the extension also carries the typical characteristics of a browser hijacker.

Once installed, the Cats fanpage will modify several important browser settings to promote a fake search engine at search.cats-fan.com. Users will notice that redirects to the unfamiliar website occur every time they open a new tab or try to initiate a search via the browser's URL tab. The promoted search engine is classified as fake due to its inability to provide results on its own. Instead, it will further redirect the user's search query and show results taken from the legitimate search engine Bing.

However, users should be warned that many adware, browser hijackers, and PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs), in general, are capable of performing additional intrusive actions while present on the device. Many PUPs monitor the users' browsing activities or collect numerous device details. Some are even capable of extracting confidential information (account credentials, credit/debit card numbers, or even banking details) from browsers' autofill data. That is why it is strongly recommended to get rid of these applications as soon as possible.