Searchsymphony.com – a Questionable Search Engine that Displays Modified Search Results
There has been a surge in malware and potentially unwanted programs designed to target Mac OS. Apple products, which were long considered to be significantly safer from online threats than their Windows counterparts, have seen that impenetrable reputation dissipate as potentially unwanted programs (or PUPs), adware, browser hijackers and other threats have risen to prominence.
The browser hijacker associated with Search Symphony may take control of the user’s web browser. In particular, you will find your homepage, new tab page, and the default search engine all being affected to send you to websites promoted by the browser hijacker. So, whenever you open a new tab or conduct a web search, the browser hijacker will redirect you to the sponsored pages to generate traffic.
Browser hijackers, adware and PUPs may be used to promote dubious commercial content, and to do that, they will redirect users to questionable search engines like Searchsymphony.com. These search engine sites are often powered by well-known search engines like Yahoo or Bing. These popular search engines are not responsible for Searchsymphony.com’s actions.
However, the search results delivered via Search Symphony can be modified based on your browsing history because not only does the browser hijacker associated with the search engine change your browser’s settings, it also monitors your browsing activities. Thus, any search input on Searchsymphony.com can be redirected to an unknown location to track your keyword use before it shows the actual search results. The search results you are shown should be considered questionable because the search engine is likely to inject sponsored advertisements. Therefore, it is advised to avoid visiting questionable search engines with unreliable search results.
How Did Threats Like Adware, Browser Hijackers and PUPs Get on my Mac?
Browser hijackers, adware and PUPs may employ misleading tactics like bundling their software with other potentially unwanted programs to gain access to your Mac. In most instances, users will have no conscious knowledge of its infiltration into their computers.
Users should be wary of the browser hijacker capabilities to collect information on their web browsing history. Generally, these threats can monitor and collect browsing activities such as the sites you visited, the search keyword you use, and how often you frequent one page or the other. Search Symphony’s operators can take the collected web browsing data and sell it to third parties, which may be used for marketing purposes. Also, threats like adware and browser hijackers use the browser to collect users’ web browsing history in order to target advertisements that seem tailored to users’ interests. Consequently, it can lead to more customized ads being displayed when a user browses the web.
