Home Malware Programs Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) Desktop Search Ads

Desktop Search Ads

Posted: May 18, 2015

Threat Metric

Ranking: 17,178
Threat Level: 2/10
Infected PCs: 2,843
First Seen: May 18, 2015
Last Seen: August 17, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows

If you are able to see numerous advertisements by Desktop Search while you surf the web, then your PC is affected by a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP). The unreliable application is spread through various marketing techniques in order to reach as many clients as possible. Users may download it from its official site, mislead by its description. The product is promoted as a tool that can enhance the searches by adding a search box directly on the desktop. Although this functionality is very limited, the creators of the Desktop Search emphasize the fact that the software is free and easy to use, hoping to confuse some visitors. In addition to the direct download, the PUP may also reach the system as an addition towards various cost-free applications. When Desktop Search gets installed, it starts working as typical adware and modifies Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. The user may notice a lot of ads such as pop-ups, banners and hyperlinked words. These ads are not only annoying and aggressive, but may have negative consequences for the whole PC if they lead to harmful sites. If you want to maintain your browser safe and quick, you should delete Desktop Search with a good anti-malware tool.

Technical Details

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

File name without pathDesktop Search.lnkHKEY..\..\..\..{RegistryKeys}SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\DesktopSearchService_RASAPI32SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\DesktopSearchService_RASMANCSSoftware\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\DesktopSearchSOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Tracing\DesktopSearchService_RASAPI32SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Tracing\DesktopSearchService_RASMANCSHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\[APPLICATION]\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall..{Uninstaller}DesktopSearch

Additional Information

The following directories were created:
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\DesktopSearch%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Desktop Search%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Desktop Search%LOCALAPPDATA%\DesktopSearch%PROGRAMFILES%\DesktopSearch%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\DesktopSearch%SystemDrive%\DesktopSearch%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\DesktopSearch
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