GoDownload Search Plus

The goDownload Search Plus is a typical browser hijacker, which modifies basic browser settings such as the search engine, homepage, and new tab page automatically. In the case of the goDownload Search Plus, in particular, the new search engine URL is hxxp://apps.searchalgo.com, which also serves as your browser's default homepage and new tab page. The goDownload Search Plus is available on the Google Chrome Web store freely where it is marketed as 'a powerful search engine, offering you a variety of unique features and search tools.'

The latter is not visible at first sight. However, from empirical evidence, it seems that browser hijackers do not aim to provide unique settings. Rather, they strive to make those settings irreplaceable so that no one could change them once they have taken control of your browsers. Moreover, the settings do not disappear even if you uninstall the application or extension from your browser. It is this persistent behavior that turns an otherwise useful tool into a potentially unwanted hijacker.

Whenever a mere browser extension proves to be resistant to any external attempt to meddle with its settings unusually, it raises suspicions of its true purpose. Most browser hijackers redirect the users' traffic through their embedded search engine to collect their browsing history. Based on this history, the hijacker displays user-tailored in-browser advertisements. The more the users click on those advertisements, the greater the income for the developer of the tool, and higher the risk of landing on a malware-laden site (for the PC user).

The goDownload Search Plus is associated with Gozooms(.)com, a domain often alleged to have an unsafe nature because it keeps bombarding PC users with countless pop-up advertisements promoting one or more of its browser extensions. That's why we urge you to avoid installing any Zooms-related tool in the first place. However, if you have already installed one, make sure to remove it with an appropriate anti-malware tool.