Remove Wow Search

What is Wow Search

Wow Search is a browser hijacker that will take over your browser and try to redirect you to sponsored websites. It’s not a dangerous infection so if you notice it on your computer, you don’t need to worry too much. However, just because it’s not dangerous itself, that does not mean you should allow it to remain installed. Like all browser hijackers, it installs without your explicit permission via software bundling, and makes changes to your browser. The changes include setting a new homepage and new tab, as well as a search engine. This particular hijacker will set wow.com as your homepage. The site is pretty basic but very noticeably different from whatever you had set as your homepage.

 

If users do not remove hijackers, they risk picking up more serious infections. Hijackers try to redirect users to sponsored websites in order to generate traffic and revenue. However, the sites they redirect to are not always safe ones. They could be hosting malware or promoting scams. Besides, there is nothing more annoying than random redirects.

The hijacker likely installed via freeware bundles. It was attached to free software as an extra offer and you likely did not notice. This happens very often because users are generally not attentive when they install programs. Read the following paragraph carefully to find out how you can install freeware without additional offers.

How do hijackers spread?

In most cases, users install browser hijackers themselves, albeit unknowingly. They come attached to free software as extra offers and need to be deselected. If you fail to do that, all added offers will install. Most users do not deselect the offers because they are not aware of them in the first place, and that is why this is a popular method among unwanted program developers.

If you want to prevent these unwanted installations, pay attention to how you install free software. When given the option, opt for Advanced (Custom) settings. Those settings will show you everything that has been added. If you use Default, the offers will be hidden. In Advanced, if you see anything attached, deselect it/them. Even if the offers seem useful, they should not be installed. Keep in mind that unchecking a few boxes takes much less time than uninstalling persistent programs.

What does Wow Search do?

As soon as the hijacker installs, it will change your browser’s settings. It can affect most browsers, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. It will set your browsers a different homepage, a new tab and search engine. The wow.com websites will greet you every time you open your browser. The site is promoting the wow search engine, and has nothing else on the site. We do not recommend using the search engine because you could be exposed to questionable content. Keep in mind that hijacker promoted search engines aim to redirect users to certain websites to generate traffic. They insert sponsored websites into search results, but those sites usually have nothing to do with what you were searching for. Some of them could even be malicious. Because those sites are not checked before users are redirected, they could be harboring malware or promoting scam content. Even if the search results were legitimate, there still are a lot of better search engine options for you to choose from.

The hijacker also collects information about you. It logs data like your search queries, what sites you visit, your IP address, geographical location, and any personal information you give the site. The data is then shared with third-parties.

Wow Search installed without your explicit permission, changed your browser’s settings (again, without your explicit permission) and encourages you to use a questionable search engine which could expose you to dangerous sites. Hijackers aren’t particularly dangerous infections but they still need to go. Therefore, delete Wow Search.

Wow Search removal

If you want to uninstall Wow Search, you can use anti-spyware software. Security programs like WiperSoft remove infections and restore settings back to what they were. You can try to remove Wow Search manually, but that may take a while, particularly if you have little experience with computers.