Toptosearch.com

Users who notice that their Web browser is opening the unfamiliar Toptosearch.com address should realize that they have become the victim of a browser hijacker quickly. These applications rely on underhanded tactics to sneak themselves onto the user's device and then establish control over the browser. Indeed, many users may not have noticed additional applications being dropped. One of the most widely used methods is called 'bundling' - it sees the installation of the browser hijacker being added as an already ticked option under the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' tabs of the installation of another freeware program. Applications that attempt to divert the attention of the user are generally classified as PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs).

Once toptosearch.com is initiated, it will begin to monetize its presence by modifying the homepage, new page tab, and the default search engine of the user's web browser. All of the targeted settings will be set to open the sponsored address. Afterward, whenever the affected browser is opened, a new tab is started, or a search is conducted in the URL bar, it would result in artificial traffic towards toptosearch.com. Furthermore, fake engines such as this one are incapable of producing any results at all on their own. Instead, they take the user's searches and redirect them to a legitimate engine - Google Custom Search, in this case.

PUPs are generally designed to also track certain user information and then upload it to a remote server. The harvested data could include both the browsing and search histories, clicked URLs, IP address of the device, its geolocation and ISP. Users should consider all of the red flags associated with the presence of PUPs on their computers and act accordingly.