What is Best Searcher?
The Malwarebytes research team has determined that Best Searcher is a search hijacker. These so-called "hijackers" manipulate your browser(s), for example to change your startpage or searchscopes, so that the affected browser visits their site or one of their choice.
This particular one closes the tab you searched in and opens a new tab using your search term in their own engine.
How do I know if my computer is affected by Best Searcher?
You may see this entry in your list of installed Chrome extensions:
You may have noticed these warnings during install:
How did Best Searcher get on my computer?
Browser hijackers use different methods for distributing themselves. This particular one was downloaded from the webstore:
after a redirect from their website:
How do I remove Best Searcher?
Our program Malwarebytes can detect and remove this search hijacker.
- Please download Malwarebytes for Windows to your desktop.
- Double-click MBSetup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
- When your Malwarebytes for Windows installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen.
- Click on the Get started button.
- Click Scan to start a Threat Scan.
- When the scan is finished click Quarantine to remove the found threats.
- Reboot the system if prompted to complete the removal process.
- No, Malwarebytes removes Best Searcher completely.
We hope our application and this guide have helped you eradicate this hijacker.
As you can see below Malwarebytes Browser Guard, and the full version of Malwarebytes would have protected you against the Best Searcher hijacker. It would have blocked their website, giving you a chance to stop it before it became too late.
Technical details for experts
Possible signs in FRST logs:
CHR Extension: (Best Searcher) - C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla [2021-01-22]Alterations made by the installer:
File system details [View: All details] (Selection) --------------------------------------------------- Adds the folder C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\6.3.48_0 Adds the file manifest.json"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 1116 bytes, A Adds the file sr.js"="10/15/2020 7:40 PM, 7671 bytes, A Adds the folder C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\6.3.48_0\_metadata Adds the file computed_hashes.json"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 396 bytes, A Adds the file verified_contents.json"="10/15/2020 7:39 PM, 1639 bytes, A Adds the folder C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\6.3.48_0\icons Adds the file icon128.png"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 2188 bytes, A Adds the file icon48.png"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 253 bytes, A Adds the folder C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla Adds the file 000003.log"="1/22/2021 9:18 AM, 289 bytes, A Adds the file CURRENT"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 16 bytes, A Adds the file LOCK"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 0 bytes, A Adds the file LOG"="1/22/2021 9:15 AM, 407 bytes, A Adds the file LOG.old"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 183 bytes, A Adds the file MANIFEST-000001"="1/22/2021 9:14 AM, 41 bytes, A Registry details [View: All details] (Selection) ------------------------------------------------ [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Chrome\PreferenceMACs\Default\extensions.settings] "beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla"="REG_SZ", "13EDB982223D0A6A807D5B0DDBDDE11358D6B8DE25DA43727A0762F66E452A8A"Malwarebytes log:
Malwarebytes www.malwarebytes.com -Log Details- Scan Date: 1/22/21 Scan Time: 9:25 AM Log File: 636e4ffa-5c8b-11eb-bc22-080027235d76.json -Software Information- Version: 4.3.0.98 Components Version: 1.0.1146 Update Package Version: 1.0.36089 License: Premium -System Information- OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 CPU: x64 File System: NTFS User: {computername}\{username} -Scan Summary- Scan Type: Threat Scan Scan Initiated By: Manual Result: Completed Objects Scanned: 232942 Threats Detected: 12 Threats Quarantined: 12 Time Elapsed: 3 min, 27 sec -Scan Options- Memory: Enabled Startup: Enabled Filesystem: Enabled Archives: Enabled Rootkits: Disabled Heuristics: Enabled PUP: Detect PUM: Detect -Scan Details- Process: 0 (No malicious items detected) Module: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Key: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Value: 1 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, HKCU\SOFTWARE\GOOGLE\CHROME\PREFERENCEMACS\Default\extensions.settings|beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , , Registry Data: 0 (No malicious items detected) Data Stream: 0 (No malicious items detected) Folder: 2 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , , PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\DEFAULT\EXTENSIONS\BEGGJMPGNIAICOLGJAKMHIOPCMMKDBLA, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, 1.0.36089, , ame, , , File: 9 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Secure Preferences, Replaced, 9553, 836150, , , , , 47276A9996459498FF5E18800FBF33DE, 2B6394F58DDC4796736CEF43CD899519678B65A9F7F4C973548FB7C75EDA5005 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Preferences, Replaced, 9553, 836150, , , , , FBF42246A191279ABCD4597DB4F4B57E, 4B26CD1C3F417257954DF9B3DCE53B73DAD1E0040272003B51A875A302170C68 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\000003.log, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , 240619510DA1F42D7CA96B468E75D79C, 664B3908B2289403C96D0A9C504BA8E322F66685B8971AFCCEBE0E376113B75D PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\CURRENT, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , 46295CAC801E5D4857D09837238A6394, 0F1BAD70C7BD1E0A69562853EC529355462FCD0423263A3D39D6D0D70B780443 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\LOCK, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , , PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\LOG, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , D3F7EFCE630B1E9D706704AA6D1103DF, 6ED714CD10EB4BB3D4F39C79C6729F45615C6DD62FD5ACB2BCEDCAA623227A44 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\LOG.old, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , 983178C697BACF5C8A31676AB4514FA7, C9CA9F047FF889C9501076FB7E182C9FDC777AC67D33B672F09682CCD3695E7B PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\beggjmpgniaicolgjakmhiopcmmkdbla\MANIFEST-000001, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, , , , , 5AF87DFD673BA2115E2FCF5CFDB727AB, F9D31B278E215EB0D0E9CD709EDFA037E828F36214AB7906F612160FEAD4B2B4 PUP.Optional.SearchEngineHijack.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\DEFAULT\EXTENSIONS\BEGGJMPGNIAICOLGJAKMHIOPCMMKDBLA\6.3.48_0\MANIFEST.JSON, Quarantined, 9553, 836150, 1.0.36089, , ame, , 41B24126093C14BCA667F095753898C9, 49FBD707B767DBF6EA9E344214A09B93AE0D982B90F6F9D5E822978972B7936D Physical Sector: 0 (No malicious items detected) WMI: 0 (No malicious items detected) (end)As mentioned before the full version of Malwarebytes could have protected your computer against this threat.
We use different ways of protecting your computer(s):
- Dynamically Blocks Malware Sites & Servers
- Malware Execution Prevention