Searchbif.net

Searchbif.net Image

Searchbif.net is a fake search engine that belongs to a large family of fake search engines that have been causing problems for the last few months. Some examples of websites related to Searchbif.net include askthecrew, supersearch, macsearch, lightssearch, clipssearch, and dozens of other malicious websites using mostly .net domains. All of these fake search engines are fairly harmless in themselves but are linked to an annoying Trojan known as the Google Redirect Virus. This Trojan infection is a kind of malware threat that PC security researchers refer to as a browser hijacker because of its ability to take over a computer system's web browser and force it to visit certain websites or to change its settings.

As its name implies, the Google Redirect Virus is mainly designed to affect a computer user's results on a Google online search (this Trojan can affect searches carried out on other popular search engines, including Yahoo and Bing). The victim's search results are changed so that the links take the computer user to Searchbif.net instead of the website that belongs to that link. Inexperienced computer users are liable to think that this is a normal occurrence, simply trying out their search again on Searchbif.net. This is definitely not a good idea. While Searchbif.net is not particularly dangerous, its search results certainly are. Any search results on this fake search engine is little more than a stream of advertisements and spam. However, the kinds of companies that advertise on Searchbif.net are certainly up to no good; these links will often include well-known online scams and links to websites containing malware or components designed to attempt to inject malware into your computer system.

Searchbif.net is Closely Linked to the ZeroAccess Trojan

While Searchbif.net and its clones are not able to attack your computer system directly, ESG security researchers place fake search engines like these among the most dangerous kinds of malware-related activity. This is because almost all redirects to the Searchbif.net website will be linked to the Google Redirect Virus and ZeroAccess, a severe malware infection that will often require special steps in order to remove. The Google Redirect Virus will usually be linked to this rootkit. ZeroAccess effectively hides the Google Redirect Virus and other malware on your computer, making your security software useless until you take care of this dangerous rootkit. Because of this, any attempt to remove Searchbif.net redirects should include the use of an anti-rootkit tool.