SkillApplication

SkillApplication is a browser hijacker application that has also been equipped with several adware capabilities. The goal of the application is to promote and generate artificial traffic towards a sponsored address - SkillApplication Search, in this case. Users may not have installed SkillApplication knowingly, but they will immediately notice its presence on the computer.

The application wastes no time and immediately establishes control over certain browser settings, mainly the homepage, the default search engine and the new page tab. It set them all to open the promoted address, so whenever the user starts the browser or initiates a search, it would open the fake search engine. The reason infosec researchers classify these search engines as fake is quite simple - they lack the capability of producing any search results at all. Instead, they redirect the search query through a legitimate engine - search.yahoo.com. Numerous promoted advertisements can then be injected into the displayed list of result regardless if they have anything to do with the search terms.

SkillApplication also is capable of opening new tabs in the affected browser that show dubious third-party applications. Users might be presented with offers for all sorts of PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs), fake software updates that could have malware threats hidden inside them, or brought to technical support tactics.

Even if users find certain features of SkillApplication as useful, it is still recommended not to underestimate all of the red flags and to remove the application as soon as possible.