MovieSearchZilla browser hijacker removal

MovieSearchZilla is a browser hijacker that will set portal.moviesearchzilla.com as your homepage and searchlee.com as your default search engine. It’s not a serious infection but it does change your browser’s settings in order to redirect you to sponsored websites. It will also spy on your browsing and collect certain information about your habits.

 

 

What is MovieSearchZilla

The good thing about browser hijackers is that at least they are very noticeable. As soon as MovieSearchZilla hijacker installs on your computer, your browser’s settings will immediately be changed. Every time you open your browser, you will be redirected to portal.moviesearchzilla.com and all your searches will go through searchlee.com, a questionable search engine that inserts sponsored content into search results. Browser hijackers exist precisely for that reason, to redirect you to sponsored websites. And they are able to do that by inserting sponsored content into search results. While highly annoying and rather disruptive, it’s usually pretty harmless. However, it’s not impossible for you to get redirected to dangerous websites that could be concealing malware or show you scams.

There’s really no reason to allow the hijacker to remain installed on your computer, particularly because it installed using a rather sneaky installation method called software bundling. Furthermore, it will track your browsing and collect certain information to later share with third parties. The sooner you uninstall MovieSearchZilla, the better.

Browser hijackers install via software bundling

If you have adware or a browser hijacker installed on your computer, you may need to be more careful about how you install free programs in the future. Freeware, particularly when you download it from non-official websites, usually has offers attached to them. Those offers are usually adware and hijackers, and the way the method works allows them to install alongside the freeware automatically and without requiring additional permission from you. The offers are optional but since they’re initially hidden and set to install automatically, a lot of users end up allowing their installations by accident without even realizing it.

If you want to prevent unwanted installations in the future, you need to pay close attention to how you install free programs. Most importantly, use Advanced (Custom) settings instead of Default when given the option. Unlike Default, Advanced settings will make all added offers visible and allow you to deselect all of them. All you need to do is uncheck the boxes of those offers.

Since most free programs will come with these offers, you always need to be very careful with how you install programs. Otherwise, you will fill your computer with junk that may be difficult to get rid of.

Can MovieSearchZilla harm your computer?

The first sign of this hijacker being installed is portal.moviesearchzilla.com loading every time you open your browser, whether you’re using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The site looks identical to many other hijacker-promoted sites and has cryptocurrency and currency converters, a calculator, and PDF converter shortcuts. But what the site is actually promoting is a questionable searchlee.com search engine. You will be redirected to it if you perform a search via the search bar on the site or your browser’s address bar.

The searchlee.com search engine will show you altered search results, meaning sponsored content or ads will be inserted among legitimate results. These redirects are the main reason hijackers exist in the first place. They want to generate traffic and revenue for those sites, thus will try to redirect you to them constantly. While most redirects should be harmless, some of them may lead you to potentially dangerous sites. Some of them could be hiding malicious software, while others may be promoting scams. It’s highly recommended to avoid interacting with sponsored search results, or search engines like searchlee.com.

The changes to your browser’s settings will be irreversible while the hijacker remains installed, so do not waste your time until you have gotten rid of it. And if you’re still wondering whether you should remove it, know that it’s tracking what sites you visit, what you search for, your IP address, etc. While it doesn’t collect personal information, there is no reason to allow such intrusive behavior from a program that you don’t even need.

MovieSearchZilla removal

While it is not a particularly serious infection, it’s still a good idea to use anti-virus software to remove MovieSearchZilla from the computer. A program like WiperSoft would not only delete MovieSearchZilla but also undo all browser setting changes without you having to do anything. However, it is possible to delete MovieSearchZilla manually, you just need to find the infection yourself and then change back your settings manually.