Is SearchLock malware, a virus, spyware, or a browser hijacker? SearchLock is absolute, 100% NOT a virus, malware, or spyware. I am co-developer of this project, and the leader of this company and I absolutely would not put my reputation on the line by creating any sort of malware. It’s just not worth it. Source: http://blog.searchlock.com/searchlock-malware/

1. SearchLock is Safe. Full Analysis Here.
Is SearchLock malware, a virus, spyware, or a browser hijacker? A couple of weeks ago we
started noticing several blogs and sites listed in Google’s search results that were framing SearchLock as
malware.
Obviously concerned, we started an investigation. But before we dig-in, let's lay this one to rest:

2. No, SearchLock is Not Malware.
I can personally assure you that SearchLock is
completely safe and in no way poses you harm.
Specifically, SearchLock is absolutely, 100% NOT a
virus, malware, or spyware. I am co-developer of this
project, and the leader of this company and I
absolutely would not put my reputation on the line by
creating any sort of malware. It’s just not worth it.

3. The Investigation into Damaging
Google Results Begins
So, where did these suspicious results come from? It
seems like these results all appeared in Google within
days of each other. Naturally the first thing I did was
read some of the posts.
I was in for a shock. While there are indeed some
great info sites out there about legitimate threats that
PC users might face, it was immediately evident that
these articles were different. They were filled with
scare tactics, questionable English, an astonishing
lack of research, and all sorts of stinging accusations
about SearchLock.
Most of these malware and virus alert blogs such as
im-infected.com contain several almost identical
boilerplate articles. These articles are often highly
templated and are designed for maximum exposure in
search engines. They all managed to rank higher than
us for our brand keywords surprisingly quickly.

4. Lies, Misinformation, and Libel
for Profit
Much of the information in these posts is 100% false.
As they would have you believe, SearchLock installs
itself sneakily onto your system and watches your
every move, only to display annoying pop-up ads
which cause more viruses. Oh, and apparently it is
nearly impossible to remove.
It’s all laughable, really. Anyone who has actually
used SearchLock would tell you so.
SearchLock does not come bundled with any
freeware, heck it’s not even an EXE. It cannot “sneak”
onto your computer, does not cause pop-ups, and
cannot steal your identity or cause other viruses. To
install SearchLock users must click and confirm just
like with all Chrome extensions.
No malware, no sneakiness, no bundling of other
programs, none of the other shady things that these
nasty posts accuse SearchLock of.
Shady stuff here, don’t believe everything you read.

5. What .DLL? Fabricating Threats
to Earn a Buck
Here’s a perfect example of the completely false, un-
researched, and cookie-cutter approach that these
sites use:
The accusations made by these sites and the scare
tactics they use are damaging to our reputation and
helping the publishers earn a few bucks in the
process.
SearchLock is not even a windows program. This information
is 100% fabricated. Notice the link to install their program
which earns them a commission. :-)

6. Show me the Money!
In every case, you will notice that the resolution to
removing the “SearchLock malware” is to download
and optionally purchase some type of antivirus
software such as SpyHunter, AnviSoft, or
Malwarebytes.
Their removal instructions are a total joke. You don’t
need ANY of these to remove SearchLock from your
browser.
These install buttons are affiliate links, where the publisher of the
article receives commission when someone downloads and/or
purchases. Specifically:
● AnviSoft affiliates earn 80% of each sale. Could this be the
motivation?
● SpyHunter affiliates earn 75% of each sale. Mmm hmmm.
● Malwarebytes promoters earn 30%.
● Some of these affiliates may even have agreements to
receive a fee just for an install, no purchase necessary.

7. Libel Lawsuit Uncovered
Digging deeper into the matter, we uncovered that at least one of the owners of these blogs, Sean Doyle,
has a lawsuit in his past for doing the same thing to another software developer.
Sean’s nasty review of the software in question was ultimately removed from his website.
Does it really take legal action to have this type of situation rectified? It would be easier for everyone if the
affiliates in question could find a more legitimate way to promote their software offers. We can always
hope…

8. Knock Knock, is Anyone Home?
Other sites were rife with broken “about us” and
“contact” links, non-existent contact information,
adorned with fake, un-contactable Google+ profile
pages, and foreign addresses. For some reason,
several of the businesses that did list an address
were located in and around Russia.
Oh how I wish it were true. Turned out this contact information was bogus.
Other than Sean, who else owns all of these blogs and
sites that are badmouthing SearchLock with such
inaccurate information?
We tried to uncover who the owners of the other blogs
were so we could get in touch with them about
removing or at least correcting these posts.
I had a little hope when I found a “contact us” page of
one of the offending sites: No one is home at Im-infected.com. Their “contact” address is a fake.

9. The Truth: Black Hat Affiliate
Marketing with Search SPAM The combination of scare tactics, long,
search friendly spam articles that attract
clicks, and paid affiliate promotions for
malware removal is the perfect brew to scare
people into action.
Luckily, google is getting better at detecting
these types of abuses and removing them
from their search listings. Unfortunately for
us, there is still much room for improvement.
Dirty affiliate tricks can mean big money. Courtesy of user 401(K) 2012
on Flickr.

10. The Final Verdict
I wonder if the companies whose software is being promoted would condone such
actions by their affiliates. I doubt it. It’s shady and ultimately damages the brands
these sneaky affiliates are promoting.
We will do everything we can to have these damaging articles removed and rectify
our reputation. It may take a while, but we won’t give up the fight.

11. Install SearchLock for Your Browser
Install SearchLock for
Google Chrome
Install SearchLock for
Mozilla Firefox
Install SearchLock for
Safari

12. Set SearchLock as your default search engine without installation