Searchmy.co

Searchmy.co is a dubious website that has been observed to be promoted through PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs). Such PUPs are rarely downloaded and installed willingly by the user, and, as such, rely on deceptive distribution tactics to spread themselves. As a result, most users may not have even realized that such an application has been installed on their systems.

The PUPs promoting Searchmy.co are designed to take over certain browser settings and cause unwanted redirects. The default homepage, new tab page, and search engine may be changed to open the Searchmy.co address. While the website and the PUP are in no way unsafe and cannot cause any direct damage to the user's computer, they are still considered as a factor that increases the security risks. Search results presented by Searchmy.co should be approached with caution due to the possibility of numerous sponsored advertisements being injected into them.

As for the PUP, most applications of this type are equipped with data-harvesting capabilities designed to monitor the user's browsing habits. Information such as clicked URLs conducted searchers, IP address, geolocation, and browsing history may be collected and then exfiltrated to a remote server.

Infosec experts strongly advise against keeping any PUPs on your computer or device. While manual removal is possible, it may become a tricky process if this PUP, in particular, has managed to create a persistence mechanism for itself. Instead, use a professional anti-malware solution to clean the computer.