Is DuckDuckGo invasive Malware? It had hijacked my search engines in Linux Chrome

[RKP5637]

Last edited Sun Dec 10, 2017, 10:51 AM - Edit history (1)

and was about impossible to get rid of.

More on DuckDuckGo ... it well might not have been the specific problem, but rather how it got bundled.

https://novirus.uk/duckduckgo/

UPDATE: I manually removed it and reset my browser. I apparently picked up some third party crap along the way. Everything is OK now.

[marble falls]

1. I love duckduckgoose. It work very well with Mozilla Firefox. I love Firefox a lot....

I truly hate anything out of Google, especially chrome.

[RKP5637]

2. I used to use FF a lot, from day 1. I was looking at the recent FF release. It's pretty cool,

might switch back to FF.

[marble falls]

3. They're very big on privacy and that is one of DDGs strong points for me...

google keeps trying to be my search default but its easy to over ride. I find it happens a lot less if I don't sign in to YouTube. I worry about Yahoo, so I wish mozilla offered e-mail service.

[RKP5637]

6. Yahoo is high risk IMO. Seems they are hacked a lot.

[marble falls]

7. I am very unhappy with Yahoo. I've had a lot of problems with it, once locked my account for ....

three months.

[msongs]

4. link is to a page selling a product to remove DDG. an internet search turns up no particular

problems except for hysteria sites

[RKP5637]

5. I removed it manually, also required a browser reset. Why are they so invasive? n/t

[hunter]

8. Are you sure it's not a consequence of some "privacy" software you have installed...

... or other sketchy freeware?

The site you link to says as much, that some bullshit freeware and shareware downloads will change your search engine preferences, and aggressively keep them changed.

--snip--

I haven’t installed DuckDuckGo. How did it appear on my browser?

We have already mentioned that browser hijacker spreads bundled with free programs that users download from the Internet. The developers of PUPs are aware of the fact that computer users are lazy, brave and inattentive. They always choose ‘Quick’ or ‘Recommended’ software installation mode and just several times click ‘Next’ and ‘Agree’ buttons.

They do not realise that by using this setup and clicking ‘Agree’ they let PUPs in. To avoid DuckDuckGo hijack or other suspicious add-ons, you have to choose ‘Advanced’ or ‘Custom’ setup. Then you will be able to see the list of additional programs and decline their installation.

Besides, you should always download software from reliable sources and read all documents provided by the developers. The Privacy Policy, EULA or Terms and Agreements might not be the most interesting pieces to read, but you have to secure your computer and your identity.

--snip--

https://novirus.uk/duckduckgo/

There are probably a lot of sketchy or dangerous sites that don't want you using google as your default search engine because google flags them as sketchy or dangerous sites.

The DuckDuckGo search engine itself is legitimate according to Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Wikipedia, and other business partners.

[RKP5637]

9. I removed it and reset my browser and it is no longer self-installing after deleted. I'm extremely

careful with things like this, but I'm more than willing to admit I could have done something dumb. Thanks for your reply!

[douglas9]

10. Prevent Bytefence and other hidden programs with Unchecky

Last edited Sun Dec 10, 2017, 08:56 AM - Edit history (1)

Bundling is a highly discussed software marketing method. Despite the fact that this distribution technique has been widely used by developers of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs)[1], e.g. adware or browser hijackers, it’s still a legitimate strategy. Even well-known companies are using it, no matter that they often risk to damage their reputation.

Not long ago, security software developer Bytefence[2] was reported for spreading their products together with programs like Any Video Converter and Clip Grab. After installing any of these programs, people complained that they found this tool scanning their computer, changing browser’s homepage and promoting this program in other ways.

No matter that this program was approved to be legitimate, many computer users believed that Bytefence cannot be a reliable tool because it appeared on their computers out of nowhere. Thus, this questionable marketing method might give opposite results than publishers expect.

Legitimate programs that users download unintentionally can be removed without any problems. However, infiltration of PUPs or even malware might require spending hours terminating potentially dangerous or malicious components. Thus, it's better to avoid it; and Unchecky tool offers to help you.



https://www.2-spyware.com/prevent-bytefence-and-other-hidden-programs-with-unchecky

https://unchecky.com/

[RKP5637]

11. Yes, I think this is what happened. I've now cleared the problem, so everything is back and

working OK. Unchecky is for Windows only, but thanks for your reply.

Relative to handhelds, with all of the endless apps available, it seems one could really be at risk. Just fyi ... For those, Sophos is good, which also works with Linux, Macs and Windows across many devices. https://home.sophos.com/