Summary
Instafinder is a search hijacker for Internet Explorer. Instafinder directs search queries in the Internet Explorer address bar to Instafinder's web server. The software is installed without the user's knowledge and runs hidden from the user.
Removal
Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it may block the file from running, move it to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or ask you to select an action.
A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:
Check for the latest database updates
First, check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.
Submit a sample
After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.
Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
Exclude a file from further scanning
If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.
Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.
Technical Details
Instafinder is installed silently without the user's knowledge. The software is active in the background while using Internet Explorer. Instafinder hijacks failed DNS searches and regular address bar searches, for Internet Explorer, to its own webpage. In the case where a user entered URL does not exist on a server (normal 404-error), the whole URL is used as a search query to Instafinder.
Each time Internet Explorer is started, Instafinder automatically checks for updates.
Instafinder can be installed without a user's consent or knowledge. No license agreement can be found and the privacy policy does not adequately describe how collected data is handled.
Instafinder is made by Vista Interactive Media, a division of Broadspring, Inc., but the software connects to servers owned by Visicom Media, Inc. and Mirror Image Internet, Inc.
During the analysis of Instafinder, search results were always without hits. When performing an additional search from Instafinder's webpage, the user was directed to a clone of avantfind.com with the appropriate results. When using this search result page, the user is first directed through Instafinder's server, then to Overture's server (Yahoo, the search provider) and finally, to the destination page.
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Submit a Sample
Submit a file or URL for analysis.