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How to remove a browser hijacker from the Mac

What is a browser hijacker?

In many cases, browsers open fake or legitimate search engines, or various dubious websites when the user opens a new window, tab, or attempts to search via the URL bar. Browsers generally have this behavior when they have been hijacked by browser hijackers. A browser hijacker is a form of unwanted software (a potentially unwanted application or 'PUA') that modifies browser settings. These programs often gather details relating to users' browsing habits/activities. In any case, all browser hijacker software should be uninstalled immediately.

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If google.com is assigned as the default search engine/homepage, and you start encountering unwanted redirects to bing.com, the web browser is probably hijacked by a browser hijacker. Although bing.com is a legitimate search engine, not all people prefer to use it. Typically, browser hijackers change settings such as default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL, however, they might also change other settings. It is generally impossible to modify or undo these settings, unless the browser hijacker is uninstalled. In some cases, browser hijackers are capable of overriding settings without making visible changes. For example, the default search engine or homepage might be set to google.com, however, the browser hijacker still forces users of hijacked browsers to use/visit bing.com. These apps also gather details relating to users' browsing habits such as IP addresses, geolocations, URLs of visited websites, entered search queries, and so on. PUAs might also be used to record personal, sensitive details. Developers often share the data with third parties (often cyber criminals) who misuse the data to generate revenue.

Threat Summary:
Name	bing.com redirect
Threat Type	Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information.
Removal	To eliminate malware infections our security researchers recommend scanning your Mac with Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

People often download and install browser hijackers unintentionally. After installation, these apps provide no real value and cause only problems. Users with hijacked browsers often experience problems with privacy, browsing safety, and even identity theft. We recommend that you uninstall all browser hijackers from your browser or computer/operating system immediately. Some examples of fake search engines/addresses that are promoted through apps of this type include searchmine.net, searchbaron.com, search.anysearch.net, weknow.ac, and searchpulse.net.

How did browser hijacker install on my computer?

Most people do not install unwanted apps such as browser hijackers intentionally - they are tricked by developers who use a deceptive marketing method called 'bundling'. They hide unwanted apps/offers to download or install them in 'Custom', 'Advanced' and other similar settings of the download or installation set-ups. When people download or install software without checking available settings, they often allow PUAs to be downloaded and installed. Additionally, unwanted downloads/installations can also be caused through deceptive ads. If clicked, these run scripts that download/install unwanted apps.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Do not download software from untrustworthy, unofficial websites, using third party downloaders, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrents, eMule or other similar sources. The best way to download files and programs is using official, trustworthy websites and direct links. If a setup includes settings such as 'Custom', 'Advanced', check them and opt-out of any offers to install additional, unwanted apps. Avoid clicking intrusive ads, especially when they are displayed on dubious sites. Once clicked, they can redirect to potentially malicious websites or start unwanted download/installation processes. To prevent browsers from causing unwanted redirects and/or displaying intrusive ads, remove all unwanted extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins installed on the browser, and programs installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan withCombo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Deceptive website promoting installer/updater of a fake Flash Player that installs a browser hijacker:

Fake Flash Player installer:

Fake Flash Player installer with a browser hijacker added:

Instant automatic Mac malware removal:Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for MacBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

Quick menu:

STEP 1. Remove browser hijacker's files and folders from OSX.
STEP 2. Remove browser hijacker from Safari.
STEP 3. Remove browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
STEP 4. Remove browser hijacker's homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove unwanted applications that modify web browsers' options using Combo Cleaner:

Browser hijacker removal:

Remove browser hijacker-related potentially unwanted applications from your 'Applications' folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select 'Applications'. In the applications folder, look for 'MPlayerX', 'NicePlayer', or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

Remove bing.com redirect related files and folders:

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar, choose Go, and click Go to Folder..

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder.. bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Ati tv wonder 600 software. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:

In the Go to Folder.. bar, type: /Library/Application Support

In the “Application Support” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, “MplayerX” or “NicePlayer”, and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:

In the Go to Folder.. bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons

In the “LaunchDaemons” folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example, “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click 'Start Combo Scan' button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays 'no threats found' - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

bing.com redirect homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove bing.com redirect related Safari extensions:

Open Safari browser. From the menu bar, select 'Safari' and click 'Preferences..'.

In the preferences window, select 'Extensions' and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the 'Uninstall' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

Change your homepage:

In the 'Preferences' window, select the 'General' tab. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage field. You can also click the “Set to Current Page” button if you wish to set your homepage to the website you are currently visiting.

Change your default search engine:

In the 'Preferences' window, select the 'Search' tab. Here you will find a drop-down menu labelled 'Search engine:Hider 2 for mac os sierra. ' Simply select your preferred search engine from the drop-down list.

If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove bing.com redirect related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose 'Add-ons'.

Choose the 'Extensions' tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Remove' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

Change your homepage:

To change your homepage, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button and choose 'Preferences' from the drop-down menu. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage Page.

Change default search engine:

In the URL address bar, type 'about:config' and click the 'I'll be careful, I promise!' button.

In the 'Search:' field, type the name of the browser hijacker. Right click on each of the found preferences and click 'Reset' from the drop-down menu.

If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove bing.com redirect related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose 'More Tools' and select 'Extensions'.

In the 'Extensions' window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Trash' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

Change your homepage:

Click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button and choose 'Settings'. In the 'On Startup' section, click the 'Set pages' link near to the 'Open a specific page or set of pages' option. Remove the URL of the browser hijacker (for example trovi.com) and enter your preferred URL (for example, google.com).

Change default search engine:

Click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button and choose 'Settings'. In the 'Search' section, click the 'Manage search engines..' button. In the opened window, remove the unwanted Internet search engine by clicking the 'X' button next to it. Select your preferred Internet search engine from the list and click the 'Make default' button next to it.

If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.