SearchLock Virus - How to remove

SearchLock, found on Searchlock.com, is advertised as a privacy search engine and browser extension. It’s supposed to protect you from “privacy-unsafe searchers” and help you keep your privacy online.

But some of SearchLock’s features are presented misleadingly, and indeed, it is no better than the search engines that it claims to protect you from.

SearchLock implies in its description that it doesn’t track you. That sure sounds nice – however, you only need to skim its Privacy Policy to learn that this search engine is no more secure than any other search site.

SearchLock’s privacy policy uses slippery language and some of its statements give us a solid reason to doubt the level of privacy that this tool provides. Another concern regarding cybersecurity is that SearchLock works as a browser add-on. Being installed on web browsers gives SearchLock a lot of power and access to people’s data and settings. Due to how the SearchLock extension is installed and how it affects web searches, it can be categorized as a browser hijacker.

About SearchLock:

Name	SearchLock, Searchlock.com.
Cause	Downloaded thanks to online ads, bundled with freeware.
Possible harm	Slower computer, hijacked homepage and new tab page, excessive ads (pop-ups, redirects, etc.), computer exposed to malicious programs, leaked personal information.
Solution	Check your device for adware, scan your computer with an anti-malware program, do not use the infected browser, avoid clicking on pop-ups delivered by SearchLock.

If the SearchLock hijacker is on your web browser – please continue reading this post and learn all about possible consequences and the best methods to get rid of it.

Why SearchLock is a hijacker

It changes browser settings

Well, the browser hijacker as it is defined does not have to be an add-on that changes settings on web browsers and refuses to be uninstalled – there are plenty of other features and Searchlock.com qualifies for most of them. We don’t recommend using SearchLock because it is just like all the sites that it bashes for invading users’ privacy – and, being such a small website, it can’t really be held accountable (as opposed to the bigger sites, which offer to delete your activity history and manage your tracking and ad targeting – Control the ads you see).

Like many dubious privacy extensions, SearchLock “protects” its users by taking away valuable features – disabling search suggestions, restricting user search engine choice. In addition, SearchLock implies that it’s a real threat for search engines to fail to encrypt your queries, which is dishonest; Google estimates that 95% of websites encrypt your traffic.

It lacks privacy

There’s more – SearchLock is not nearly as private as it implies. We already mentioned some strange terms in their Privacy Policy, so let’s take a closer look at it. It says that no information about searches or yourself will be collected, especially your private information. However, it also says that “In order to provide context-based advertisements, the search term you enter is passed to the advertising partners that power our sponsored search result ads.” That’s a clear statement that you will be exposed to various advertisements from SearchLock partners and some of your information will be collected. Moving on: “It is possible at times that we may unintentionally collect or receive personally identifiable information, for example, if you search for your name.” So basically, if you fill in any of your personal information in their search box, it can be recorded.

Sure, other search engines do it too (maybe with the exception of DuckDuckGo), but after all the promises that SearchLock made, it looks like a bit of a hypocrite.

How to eliminate Seachlock infection

If SearchLock is installed on your browser, it must have replaced the homepage and the default search engine. We recommend uninstalling the SearchLock extension and then checking your browser settings.

It can be difficult to get rid of the SearchLock add-on, it happens sometimes that simply disabling an extension is not enough. If SearchLock hijacker is still active on your web browser, we recommend scanning your computer with an anti-malware tool, such as Spyhunter for Windows or Combo Cleaner for macOS. If malware and potentially unwanted programs are causing you problems, anti-malware tools should detect and remove them. Viruses similar to SearchLock, such as SearchDefense.com or Securesearch.site can be easily eliminated with one of those applications, therefore it should be effective in this case, too.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove the SearchLock virus

How to remove SearchLock virus using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like SearchLock Virus install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to SearchLock virus . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make SearchLock Virus easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove SearchLock virus from macOS

Delete SearchLock Virus from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the SearchLock virus app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopHow To remove SearchLock Virus from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to SearchLock Virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove SearchLock Virus from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything SearchLock Virus related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to SearchLock virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.

How to remove SearchLock Virus from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to SearchLock Virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove SearchLock Virus from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall SearchLock virus and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to SearchLock Virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

Manual removal