About DirectStreamSearch hijacker origins

DirectStreamSearch search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)¹, that is distributed as a plugin for your web browser. It is usually shared as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that aids to browse some special info, for example, about sporting activity events, make your browser a lot more secure, allow downloading of any type of video, et cetera.

However, the DirectStreamSearch plugin is quite useless due to the fact that all such functions are currently integrated to your browser and/or system. Such advertising mottos are targeted on low-skilled computer users, such as pensioners or schoolchildren. However sometimes even skilled users are getting caught on such an appeal. In certain situations, this hijacker is spread along with free programs.

How harmful is DirectStreamSearch hijacker?

Besides its impracticality, DirectStreamSearch hijacker is likewise pretty hazardous for browser usage. It alters your search engine to its specific – directstreamsearch.com, and additionally modifies your background, putting its watermark on your background image (or, occasionally, changing it to default with the mentioned sign).

Apart from visual transformations done by DirectStreamSearch hijacker, you might observe that some of your search inquiries are redirecting to the dubious web pages, full of links and advertisements – so-called doorway websites. Such sites can have the web links for malware downloading. The possibility of redirecting increases if you attempt to open Google search page by force.

But all these activities are more frustrating than really destructive. The main danger, especially for people who have a great deal of secret information in their browsers, is embedded in data collecting capabilities. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited web pages as well as other activities are simply collected by DirectStreamSearch hijacker.