Pagefinder Removal Guide

Judging by the name, Pagefinder is meant to find web pages for you. Does that mean that it works as a web browser? No, it does not. It is just a search engine, and a not a beneficial or reliable one at that. At the core, this is why we recommend removing it from your web browser. At the time of this research, this PUP (potentially unwanted program) was compatible with Google Chrome only, and that is unlikely to change in the future. In fact, the installer of this PUP could no longer be found on the Chrome web store (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pagefinder/dfpeedheaalbnbmclibgcgeehgdlmjnl) at the time of research. Quite possibly, this is the end of this extension. That being said, it is also possible that the extension could reemerge or that other sources could be employed to distribute it. Perhaps it could even be spread with the help of bundled downloaders that might attach the PUP to something more substantial and attractive. All in all, if you have installed it already, we suggest deleting Pagefinder.

The official description of the extension declares: “With Pagefinder extension, Search and access popular sites instantly.” Unfortunately, the search engine presented by this add-on cannot be trusted. According to our research team, once Pagefinder is installed, the default search provider of Google Chrome is changed immediately, and when we researched the PUP, it used barosearch.com/search. If any search keywords were entered into the search box, the search was redirected to searchnewworld.com/search. First of all, if you did not know that your default search provider would be changed, you might consider the PUP to be a browser hijacker. Second, you do not want the search engine you use to unexpectedly redirect you to another page/search engine. Finally, if you are not familiar with this final page you are on, the results shown cannot be trusted. Our researchers found the PUP presenting modified Bing Search results, but other reputable search engines could be employed too. Basically, the basis of the results shown should correspond to your queries, but the rest of the results might present something else.

Pagefinder can read your browsing history, and it can also use cookies and similar tools to track your activity. At this point, we do not know if any personal information is recorded by the PUP, but we cannot reject that possibility. Most likely, of course, non-personal information is recorded so that the creator of Pagefinder could adjust the sponsored links that are injected into the search results you see. That is why we consider these results to be modified. It is always possible that you could be introduced to unreliable ads as well as links to unreliable websites, and so we suggest staying away from those. If you decide to remove the potentially unwanted program from your browsers, it is wise to get rid of the cookies that might persist. Once you remove the cookies and clear cache, information about your browsing activity will be erased, and it will not be accessible to unknown parties and advertisers.

We strongly recommend scanning your operating system and web browsers right away. Even if you are sure that Pagefinder is the only program that currently requires your attention, you might be oblivious to what is actually going on. The malware scanner might find dangerous cookies or hidden threats. Hopefully, nothing is found, and, in that case, you can use the instructions below to manually remove Pagefinder, clear browsing data, and get rid of cookies. If other threats are found besides the PUP, you should consider employing an anti-malware program. Even if you can handle the threats detected by the scanner yourself, a reliable anti-malware program can also help protect your operating system, which is very important since malware is growing in numbers and becoming more and more aggressive each day. If you have questions or you need advice on anything security-related, use the comments section below to contact our research team.

How to delete Pagefinder from Google Chrome

1. Open the browser and immediately tap Alt+F keys.
2. In the menu that shows up, click More tools.
3. Click Extensions and find Pagefinder.
4. Click the Remove button associated with the extension.
5. Tap Alt+F keys once more and click Settings.
6. Scroll to the bottom and click Advanced.
7. Under Privacy and security, click Clear browsing data.
8. In the Advanced menu, pick a time range and boxes.
9. Click the Clear data button.