SearchWebAid

SearchWebAid is a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program) targeting Mac users. Nearly all PUPs present themselves as useful tools that would improve one or another aspect of the user experience on the Mac system. However, in reality, they are barely working applications designed to monetize their presence on the system through dubious means. The same also can be said about the way these applications spread themselves, as users almost never download PUP intentionally. Instead, they employ various deceptive marketing techniques that hide the fact that the PUP is going to be installed. SearchWebAid for example has been observed to spread itself via fake Adobe Flash Player updates.

To maximize its effectiveness, SearchWebAid possesses the capabilities of both, a browser hijacker and adware. It will begin to run an intrusive advertising campaign by generating questionable advertisements on the system. The advertisements could take various, different forms such as pop-ups, banners, surveys, etc., and could begin to cover the legitimate content viewed by the user. At the same time, SearchWebAid will establish control over certain browser settings - the homepage, new page tab, default search engine, and set them to open the address of a promoted fake search engine.

While SearchWebAid is not considered a direct danger to the Mac system, users should think if they want to keep the application carefully. Interacting with any of the presented advertisements could lead to questionable or unsafe third-party websites that deliver additional PUPs or carry out various tactics. Meanwhile, the browser hijacker part of the application might be tracking the browser history, search history, and any clicked URLs. These PUPs are known for accessing additional system information, such as the IP address and geolocation of the device.