Findwide Search is a search engine that provides search function at search.findwide.com. Most of the time users complain about toolbar that they download and install from Findwide Search homepage. The toolbar gets installed on all main browsers - Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. When you install it, you can choose whether you want to change your homepage to search.us as well as your default search engine. Therefore, Findwide Search is not malware that enters your system behind your back. However, you are advised to remove Findwide Search from your PC to avoid possible security risks that come with commercial advertisements displayed by this plugin.
Although the toolbar can be downloaded at findwide.com, it is also possible to get a modified version of the plugin from third party websites bundled together with freeware. Then your home page may get changed to search.findwide.com as well. Nevertheless, regardless of where you download the toolbar at, the installation requires user's intervention, so whether you realize it or not, you install Findwide Search on your PC yourself.
With the Search.us toolbar installed on your browser, you get a customized search box, and instant access to your email account (Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail and AOL), Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Weather, and even built in Windows system calculator. It does seem that Findwide Search is not dangerous, but like with most browser plugins there are always certain security risks, especially in case of a third party exploitation. If you make use of all the toolbar functions, it will collect personal information to customize the service for you, but if the information gets intercepted by cyber criminals it may be used for marketing purposes, or you could be infected with dangerous malware in the long run.
Luckily, you can remove Findwide Search from your computer via Control Panel and then restore browser settings manually. To do that, follow instructions below:
Windows 8
Windows Vista & Windows 7
Windows XP
Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome
If you think that there are other dangerous files remaining, run a full PC scan with SpyHunter free scanner to see what other files you need to remove to safeguard your system.