Smarty – What is it?

“Smarty” search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)¹, that is distributed as a plugin for your web browser. It is typically shared as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that aids to search some special info, as an example, about sport events, make your web browser a lot more safe, enable downloading of any kind of video clip, et cetera. Also, this app adds the “Managed by your organization” feature (on Chrome browsers).

Nevertheless, the “Smarty” plugin is pretty pointless due to the fact that all such features are already integrated to your web browser and/or Windows. Such marketing slogans are targeted at low-skilled computer users, like pensioners or schoolchildren. But sometimes even experienced users are getting caught on such an appeal. In particular situations, this hijacker is spread together with free apps.

How harmful is Smarty hijacker?

Besides its impracticality, Smarty hijacker is additionally quite hazardous for web browser usage. It modifies your search engine to its particular – Getsmartyapp.com, and likewise alters your background, adding its watermark on your wallpaper (or, occasionally, changing it to default with the mentioned sign).

Besides aesthetic modifications done by Smarty hijacker, you might observe that some of your search queries are redirecting to the dubious sites, full of links and promotions – so-called doorway websites. Such sites can have links for malware downloads. The chance of redirecting rises if you attempt to start Google search page by force.

However all these actions are more frustrating than truly damaging. The biggest hazard, especially for people who have a considerable amount of confidential information in their internet browsers, is embedded in information gathering capabilities. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited sites, and other activities are easily collected by Smarty hijacker.