SearchAwesome
SearchAwesome is an adware that's classifiable as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) due to lacking user benefits and demonstrating varied security risks. The majority of its symptoms involve different formats of browser advertisements. Windows and macOS users should remove SearchAwesome with suitable anti-adware services and compensate for the potential presence of unwanted Mitmproxy software.
What's not Too Awesome about a Browser Changing Automatically
Developers of Potentially Unwanted Programs tend towards hiding behind legalese and technicalities for keeping their wares from crossing the line of the law. Almost nothing embodies that attitude better than advertising software like SearchAwesome, a recent update to an adware family that includes Social2Search and Wajam. Web advertisements, by themselves, aren't very noteworthy, but SearchAwesome shows that how they get to a user's computer matters enormously.
Like many other Potentially Unwanted Programs, SearchAwesome uses bundle installers – installation routines that cursorily notify the user during the installation of an unrelated program, such as a downloadable torrent for an office productivity suite. Malware experts see both macOS and Windows-dedicated versions of SearchAwesome and its installers; the Mac versions usually embed warnings in the EULA text while the Windows ones include optional 'check-marked' components.
After the disingenuous installation, SearchAwesome loads advertisements for the user's Web browser, including affiliate search results and graphical layer-based content, such as banners. The implementation of ad insertion also uses Mitmproxy – a normally-safe proxy and network analysis tool. Since Mitmproxy uses man-in-the-middle features, its non-consensual presence represents an extreme vulnerability. Other programs (such as SearchAwesome) may gain access to ordinarily-protected, encrypted Web information.
Putting Limits on SearchAwesome's Search for Monetizing PC Users
Mitmproxy isn't a Trojan, but PUPs and threats tend to abuse it for monetization or other, sometimes criminal purposes. Like SearchAwesome, itself, the presence of software without fully-informed consent is a security and quality of life issue that users should resolve without hesitation. Adware also may endanger users by loading tactics such as fake prize offers, misleading downloads, unofficial updates, and even deliberate threats like Exploit Kits.
There are two themes that malware analysts confirm for SearchAwesome's current distribution patterns: cracked or pirated software, and modified freeware downloads like the MPlay media player. Both cases are preventable by users paying attention to installation messages instead of clicking through the install prompts as fast as possible. Additionally, Mitmproxy's installation may provoke additional system alerts, such as Certificate Trust Settings requests for macOS users.
For their safety, users should revoke Mitmproxy certificates and remove that program separately after dealing with the SearchAwesome installation. Concerning removing SearchAwesome, malware experts recommend that users leverage anti-adware-inclusive security solutions, as appropriate.
While advertising is a fuel in the Web economy's engine, its abuse can become a safety liability for the average computer owner on any platform. SearchAwesome, like many adware, shows that capitalism can go too far, even when it's just using freeware and a little sleight of hand for getting its traffic.
