Surf Canyon

Surf Canyon Image

Marketing for Surf Canyon or Fast Search promises it can 'dig deeper', finding information quicker and minus the clutter. Fast Search is a browser extension and freeware being offered by Surf Canyon. Surf Canyon sits atop Google, Bing, Yahoo or Craigslist returned search results. Ultimately, if the PC user clicks on the Surf Canyon field link, he may be rerouted to its landing page at search.surfcanyon(dot)com where purported deeper or more in-depth results await. However, what truly awaits are nuisance advertisements meant to earn a cybercriminal or unscrupulous advertiser ill-gotten revenue.

Surf Canyon is not malware but rather a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) because of the way Surf Canyon is installed. Free programs or tools like Surf Canyon are often bundled in the download of software or rather freeware the PC user expressly acknowledge and knowingly downloaded. Often freeware developers may make a third-party agreement to include other 'freeware' or 'adware' to offset developmental costs. The End User License Agreement (EULA) may be vague about the inclusion and true intent and may offer up both a custom and default installation. Of course, the default installation may be inclusive, meaning it may download and install bundled software like Surf Canyon automatically. Many PC users are so anxious to use their new 'freeware', they overlook the 'small print', so to speak, which is the vague EULA and the option to customize the installation, so they don't get the extra junk or PUPs.

A browser add-on, extension or applet has certain liberties. For example, it may greatly impact the PC user's browsing experience by doing the following:

• Add toolbars.
• Change the homepage.
• Change defaulted search engine.
• Reroute to unwanted URLs.
• Impact opened tabs or visited Web pages.
• May make network calls and thus decrease load time.

While browser extensions, add-ons, applets, etc. are meant to enhance browsing experiences, the wrong ones, whether of hidden intent or poorly constructed, may be negative and may end up putting the PC user's data and system at risk. Besides opening a floodgate of nuisance advertisements, encouraging click fraud and diminishing the performance of load time, Surf Canyon may track browser behavior and share this and other data (such as credentials stored in the browser) with a third party, via a remote server transfer. Personal or identifying system data in the wrong hands may be detrimental to your system.

Extensions and add-ons can easily be managed via your browser, so removing Surf Canyon should be quite simple unless Surf Canyon is planned to use obfuscation tricks to stay on board. Most importantly, you need consider the following:

• Ensure the browser you are using is updated and patched to minimize exploits.
• Fortify your system with a stealth anti-malware program containing an anti-rootkit component to counter obfuscation tricks.
• Use a dual firewall.
• Fully read EULAs and reject downloads hinting of suspicious activities, which includes deselecting the default installation and choosing custom instead.
• Be careful what programs you download. Free on the Web doesn't necessarily come without risks, i.e. unwanted programs, including those of suspicious intent.
• Be slow to click on links until you can verify the source. Why help infect your own system or increase the wealth of a cybercriminal via click fraud, aka ill-gotten pay-per-click residuals?