WowSearch is the PUP that takes the place of your primary search provider and aims to make you visit specific insecure sites
Wow Search is the misleading website that hijacks the web browser to change wanted settings and control your online traffic with its altered search results. The page takes over your homepage, default search engine, new tab settings, and interferes with task scheduler, registry to ensure that the PUP gets launched continuously. This fake search engine claims to improve your time online, but it significantly diminishes browsing experience when it starts showing content filled with pop-ups and banners, in-text ads, and hyperlinks.
This browser hijacker sets wow.com as the default homepage, new tab, and search engine. This way, it keeps users from accessing other sites, especially security pages that can claim about Wow Search virus functionalities. Although promotional ads may claim that this is a useful program and it offers improvement for your machine, you shouldn’t believe those false statements. You can indicate that browser hijacker is a questionable program immediately after the first redirect or in-browser search attempt when results get injected with advertising sites instead of useful pages.
| Name | Wow Search |
|---|---|
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Related | Yahoo Search |
| Developer | Oath, a Verizon company |
| Versions |
|
| Distribution | Insecure freeware installations, other PUPs, deceptive websites |
| Elimination | Run a scan with the anti-malware tool like Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego for Wow Search removal |
| Main danger | Is associated with ad-supported sites that can track and collect information about users’ behavior online |
Since Wow Search is a common potentially unwanted program and can be installed via software bundles, its versions us.wow.com, start.wow.com and many other can appear on your screen in the form of additional redirects, toolbars, extensions or plug-ins. The more hijacking tools the PUP installs, the more guarantee there is that the victim cannot remove this intruder completely.
Wow Search or wow.com, is a browser hijacker, so if you have ever heard about programs of such type, you should know what this search engine can cause. Its name may suggest that you will be pleasantly surprised while using it, but there is no ‘wow’ factor in that.
Beware that all that you can get is sponsored content in your search results that can redirect you to unknown and even malicious websites. This search site has been showing in-text links, banners, and pop-up ads and similar content in its search results. Some people are annoyed by it; others think that it is useful. Unfortunately, but you should never click on Wow ads displayed in its search results because they are shown only for redirecting you to required websites.[1]
Wow Search is the potentially unwanted program that causes an interruption in your in-browser searching processes.
Wow Search is the potentially unwanted program that causes an interruption in your in-browser searching processes.
If redirects to wow.com have already started bothering you on your Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or other web browsers, you should also know that this search engine can try to track your browsing activity. According to PC security experts,[2] it is capable of collecting people’s search terms, added information on each of their favorite sites, and similar data.
This Wow Search data tracking issue is somewhat disclosed in the Privacy Policy of the website, but it is not properly disclosed, so users still use the fake search engine believing its secureness.[3] The company has all the access to information about you:
Oath shares information within its affiliated brands and companies and with Verizon.
This data should be called as personally non-identifiable, but we believe that you should never reveal it to unknown parties that can try to use it for their needs. Finally, Wow search virus may cause the appearance of unfamiliar toolbars, browser add-ons, and similar programs on your computer. If you do not want to deal with that, you should run a full system scan with Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego or other reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of all PUPs, like browser hijackers and adware.
You need to react to these redirects and all the shady installations as soon as possible, so Wow Search removal can give the best results. If you allow the browser hijacker to run on the system for a longer period of time, it alters more settings and can damage the machine this way.
Wow Search is nothing but a PUP that comes using deceptive methods and hijacks your web browser to show sponsored content.
Wow Search is nothing but a PUP that comes using deceptive methods and hijacks your web browser to show sponsored content.
Internet is not the safest place to get your programs and tools
Potentially unwanted programs and other unreliable search engines, adware programs, tools are spread in bundles with freeware and shareware as free additions. People fail to pay enough attention to such programs’ installation, so they unnoticeably agree to change their homepage or default search engine and make other system changes.
Besides, they agree with the installation of various toolbars, plugins, extensions, and similar extras without even noticing the danger. To avoid that, you should always choose Custom or Advanced installation methods instead of the quick installation option.
In addition, try to find all checkboxes that agree to download toolbars or another search site on the system. If you noticed that some PUP hijacked your computer and started causing continuous redirects to unfamiliar websites and annoying pop-up notifications, it’s a sign that your machine was affected. Don’t waste time and follow with a PUP termination.
Get a proper tool and remove WowSearch browser hijacker
We don’t recommend leaving Wow Search virus instead of your default search engine because it’s a questionable site that is spread with a help of unfair distribution methods, such as bundling and other PUPs. In addition to that, it may try to alter your system settings, return altered search results, display misleading pop-up advertisements and initiate other unwanted activities.
To solve your problems, you should either scan your computer with a reliable anti-spyware program or follow the manual Wow Search removal guide. Please, be very careful when following these manual elimination steps to guarantee the successful elimination of this questionable search engine.
In addition to these tips and anti-malware program suggestions, we should note that you need to remove Wow Search completely from the system, to end all the processes that might run in the background and affect the speed of your machine significantly.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
