“I wrote this article to help you remove Cold Search Web Malware. This Cold Search Web Malware removal guide is working for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.”

The Cold Search web malware is a browser hijacker. The insidious program makes use of an unreliable search engine, registered under the URL address coldsearch.com. This website is presented as a search enhancement platform which summarizes the best results from Google, Yahoo, Bing and Yandex. In reality, the website brings a mix of reliable search results and supported content. The sponsored pages are not confirmed to be reliable. They could be a source of viruses. Security experts have classified the Cold Search web malware as a browser hijacker.

What issues does the Cold Search web malware lead to?

The hijacker behind Cold Search makes changes to the browser’s settings. Your homepage and default search engine will be reset to coldsearch.com. Using this website to look for information online is not advised. The bad news is that the hijacker will not allow you to switch to a different search provider. The only way to avoid being taken to dangerous web pages by the Cold Search web malware is not to use the search engine at all. Before you can go back to your regular work regime, you have to remove the rogue program.

Making changes to your results is not the only way for the Cold Search web malware to redirect you to supported websites. The hijacker uses another supported advertising technique. The furtive program generates advertisements to promote shopping deals. They contain exclusive offers for various items, including technological devices, clothing, furniture, accessories, decorative elements, toys, gardening equipment, games and many others. You will notice that the ads do not disclose the source sites for the featured offerings. If you follow the windows, you would be gambling with your security.

Supported advertising is not the only monetizing method the Cold Search web malware utilizes. The clandestine program has another property which poses an even greater threat to people’s security. The hijacker monitors users’ browsing sessions and collects information on them. This encompasses your history, tracking cookies, IP address, email, geographic location, phone number, login credentials and other personal and financial details. The owners of the hijacker sell the gathered input on the darknet.

How did the Cold Search web malware penetrate my machine?

There are a couple of ways to contact the Cold Search web malware. The shady program uses a wide array of hosts. Unreliable applications make up a large portion of the hijacker’s distributors. The Cold Search web malware has a lot of download clients, many of which are freeware tools. Be advised that an otherwise reliable program could contain malware, if it has been downloaded from an unsolicited website. The best prevention advise we can give you is to read the terms and conditions of the utilities you install to your computer. If they carry other programs, this will be listed in their end user license agreement (EULA). You can deselect them or terminate the installation altogether.

The other type of host for the Cold Search web malware are spam emails. The covert program can be merged with an attached file, like a text document, a scanned image, an archive, a zip folder, etc. The message will tell you that the attachment contains important information on an urgent matter. This is a sound strategy. Upon reading the letter, the recipient may rush to open the file without checking who the sender is. To throw people off, spammers often misrepresent reliable companies and entities, such as the national post, courier firms, social networks, government institutions, banks and even the police department. To check if the sender is who he claims to be, look up the contacts from the email.

Cold Search Web Malware Uninstall

Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you know how to do this, skip the instructions below and proceed to Step 2. If you do not know how to do it, here is how to reboot in Safe mode:

For Windows 98, XP, Millenium and 7:
Reboot your computer. When the first screen of information appears, start repeatedly pressing F8 key. Then choose Safe Mode With Networking from the options.

For Windows 8/8.1
Click the Start button, next click Control Panel —> System and Security —> Administrative Tools —> System Configuration.‌

Check the Safe Boot option and click OK. Click Restart when asked.
For Windows 10
Open the Start menu and click or tap on the Power button.

While keeping the Shift key pressed, click or tap on Restart.

Please, follow the steps precisely to remove Cold Search Web Malware from the browser:

Remove From Mozilla Firefox:

Open Firefox, click on top-right corner , click Add-ons, hit Extensions next.

Look for suspicious or unknown extensions, remove them all.

Remove From Chrome:

Open Chrome, click chrome menu icon at the top-right corner —>More Tools —> Extensions. There, identify the malware and select chrome-trash-icon(Remove).

Remove From Internet Explorer:
Open IE, then click IE gear icon on the top-right corner —> Manage Add-ons.

Find the malicious add-on. Remove it by pressing Disable.

Right click on the browser’s shortcut, then click Properties. Remove everything after the .exe” in the Target box.

Open Control Panel by holding the Win Key and R together. Write appwiz.cpl in the field, then click OK.

Here, find any program you had no intention to install and uninstall it.

Run the Task Manager by right clicking on the Taskbar and choosing Start Task Manager.

Look carefully at the file names and descriptions of the running processes. If you find any suspicious one, search on Google for its name, or contact me directly to identify it. If you find a malware process, right-click on it and choose End task.

Open MS Config by holding the Win Key and R together. Type msconfig and hit Enter.

Go in the Startup tab and Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer.

Still can not remove Cold Search Web Malware from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.