Shiny Searches

Threat Scorecard

Ranking: 11,682
Threat Level: 50 % (Medium)
Infected Computers: 117
First Seen: September 20, 2022
Last Seen: September 19, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows

The Shiny Searches is a browser extension presented as a way for users to enjoy faster Web searches. However, when installed, the application will make several changes to important browser settings. Some users will be surprised to find that their typical homepage, new tab page, and search engine have now all been modified. Indeed, Shiny Searches is another browser hijacker.

The primary goal of these intrusive applications appears to be to promote the search.shiny-searches.com address. As is the case with most browser hijackers, the promoted address belongs to a fake search engine. In short, search.shiny-searches.com is incapable of producing unique results on its own. It operates by taking the users' search queries and redirecting them to other sources. In this particular case, the shown results were taken from the legitimate Bing search engine.

Users should keep in mind that these fake search engines could be able to modify their behavior, based on certain factors. In practice, this could mean that some users are presented with low-quality search results containing numerous sponsored advertisements because they were taken to a dubious search engine.

Browser hijackers and PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) in general are also notorious for having data-monitoring capabilities. These intrusive applications may monitor the users' browsing activities, harvest numerous device details, or even try to access browsers' autofill data (account credentials, banking information, payment details, etc.).

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