Drectsearch.com

The drectsearch.com address is associated with the activities of a browser hijacker application and a fake search engine operating under the name Direct Search Online. Like most applications of this type, this one also is being distributed via suspicious websites. Other common tactics used to spread PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) include having the intruder application added in a software bundle alongside a far more desirable product or injected into fake installers pretending to be for a legitimate application.

Browser hijackers are created specifically to take over users' Web browsers. Usually, the goal is to cause unwanted redirects to a promoted page, which in almost all cases belongs to a fake search engine. Fake engines lack the necessary functionality to scour the Internet and return relevant results. Instead, they function by taking the initiated search and redirecting it through another engine. For example, Direct Search Online shows results taken from Yahoo.

PUPs also can possess other unwanted capabilities or perform intrusive actions on the system. Most adware and browser hijackers carry data-harvesting functions. While present on the system, these annoying applications may be collecting browsing-related information, device details, or even autofill data saved in the user's Web browsers. This could mean that the PUP's operators may potentially gain access to confidential and sensitive information, such as banking and payment data.