SpecialSearchOffer Removal Guide

Do you know what SpecialSearchOffer is?

As most of you know it is not a good idea to use a program you know nothing about since it might turn out to be dangerous. We do not say SpecialSearchOffer is malicious, but it is categorized as a potentially unwanted program (PUP), and so it cannot be considered as trustworthy either. All it is known to the user is that it is a browser extension compatible with Google Chrome. Unfortunately, no other explanation is provided, including the essential information like who created the tool or what is its function. Therefore, if you accidentally added this questionable plugin, we recommend getting rid of it. SpecialSearchOffer does not seem to have any useful features or ability to enhance your browsing, so it seems to us it is not worth to take any chances with it. The removal guide located at the end of the text can help users delete it, although if you wish to learn more about it first, we invite you to continue reading our report.

To begin with, we should discuss the PUP’s working manner. Our specialists who tested SpecialSearchOffer in our internal lab report that it’s only task is to replace your start page and new tab page with search.yahoo.com. It is doubtful the extension is anyhow related to Yahoo. The plugin might be using a custom version of the mentioned search engine so it could display advertising content from its developers’ third-party partners among the results. Thus, the application might have been created to generate advertising revenue from users’ clicks. If you encounter such third-party advertising content, we would advise you to be extra cautious with it. Because the extension does not provide its Privacy Policy and End User License Agreement statements, there is not knowing if such content could not be dangerous. For instance, ads coming from unreliable sources could ask you to participate in fictitious surveys or lotteries, suggest installing more questionable tools, or even redirect to web pages with malicious content.SpecialSearchOffer Removal GuideSpecialSearchOffer screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions

Furthermore, with no End User License Agreement and Privacy Policy statements, it is not clear what kind of information the tool might be gathering while it is enabled. Also, we cannot be certain if the application’s creators will put an effort to protect the data they collect. If the PUP is created to generate advertising revenue, there is a chance it could collect data and share information related to the user’s browsing habits with the third party to bring targeted advertisements. Such data could be the list of your visited web pages, clicked ads, purchased goods, the time you spent on each visited web page, and so on. As for the user’s private data, we cannot tell if SpecialSearchOffer might collect it. Another thing we do not know about the software is if it can update itself. If it appears the PUP could not just download new versions of the extension, but also entirely new applications without asking your permission, you may receive more unreliable software without even realizing it.

In conclusion, SpecialSearchOffer may not be malicious, but the lack of any information about its working manner and developers raises a lot of suspicions. We have no doubt, most of the users will find it useless since it does not have any tools to offer. The search engine it provides, users can easily get without installing the application; in fact, it would be even better as the original Yahoo search engine might be safer. Accordingly, we urge you not to waste any time with this PUP and erase it while using the removal guide we provide below the report or a reputable antimalware tool of your choice.

Delete SpecialSearchOffer from Google Chrome

  1. Open the browser.
  2. Press ALT+F at the same time.
  3. Choose More tools and pick Extensions.
  4. Look for SpecialSearchOffer.
  5. Click the recycle bin button placed next to it.
  6. Select Remove to confirm.
  7. Close the tab.

In non-techie terms:

SpecialSearchOffer is a suspicious browser extension that could be distributed with bundled setup files spread through unreliable file-sharing web pages. Thus, if you do not recall adding it on your Google Chrome browser, you could have installed it unknowingly along with other questionable software. As we explained in the main article the potentially unwanted application has no useful features at all, and it might provide the user with a modified search engine that could show untrustworthy advertising content. Naturally, we do not think it would be wise to keep such program installed and so recommend not to hesitate anymore and erase it as soon as possible. If you need instructions, you can have a look at the removal guide placed above this paragraph.