Search Symphony virus attacks Safari browsers

If there exists a realm where names speak for themselves, the World Wide Web is definitely not one. On the Internet, entities dubbed as enticingly as Search Symphony are not necessarily trustworthy, so it makes sense to check things up before using them. The above-mentioned domain name is in fact involved in a malicious traffic monetization network. Its authors appear to be very indiscriminate in terms of the mechanisms that they leverage to promote their controversial service. More specifically, they sustain the circulation of a Qsearch plugin that intrusively amends computer users’ web browsing defaults. This add-on’s main objective is to automatically set SearchSymphony.com as the preferred homepage, search provider and new tab.

This unwelcome change takes effect after a software update or installation. The setup in this case is, obviously, corrupted through a third-party interference. Generally known as bundling, this technique implies an incorporation of a value added service into an explicitly stated program’s installer. The trick is that the wizard only mentions Search Symphony somewhere between the lines so that users don’t notice it most of the time. All in all, by accepting the terms of some legit freeware download, people sanction the adware infiltration as well.

SearchSymphony bears some characteristics of a regular browser extension or plugin, but most of what it does is unauthorized. For instance, it doesn’t display any dialogs that request the user’s permission to wreak havoc with their online navigation. The reason is clear – everyone would simply decline such an offer. What’s more, the app isn’t removable via the commonplace uninstall routine. Even if the victim types a different homepage value and selects another search engine from the list suggested by the browser, these settings won’t last because a scheduled task will get things back to wrong shortly.

The superimposed browser configuration is annoying because of the constant traffic redirecting and ads presented on SearchSymphony.com and linked-to pages. The online activity monitoring side effect, which accompanies this hijack, is another concern that might cause further trouble in regards to the user’s identity. Anyone infected better be uncompromising toward this infection and get rid of it at the earliest opportunity.