Search.safefinderformac.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.safefinderformac.com?

Search.safefinderformac.com is a fake Internet search engine similar to search.safefinder.com and isearch.safefinder.net. By offering improved search results, search.safefinderformac.com attempts to give the impression of legitimacy, however, this site is promoted via deceptive application downloaders/installers designed to modify web browser options without users' consent.

Furthermore, search.safefinderformac.com gathers various data relating to the web browsing activity.

Rogue set-ups hijack Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome, assigning the new tab URL, homepage, and default search engine browser options to search.safefinderformac.com. Redirects to Safe Finder website are commonly re-routed through search1123446-a.akamaihd.net URL.

Set-ups infiltrate a number of "helper objects" (third party applications and/or browser plug-ins) to automatically reassign aforementioned these option when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, users are unable to return browsers to their previous states and continually encounter unwanted redirects to search.safefinderformac.com.

This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. In addition, helper objects (and search.safefinderformac.com) continually track the web browsing activity by gathering various data that might be personally identifiable. Examples include (but are not limited to) IP addresses, websites visited, pages viewed, search queries, and geo-locations.

The data is shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who generate revenue by misusing personal details. Therefore, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. If you encounter unwanted redirects to search.safefinderformac.com, uninstall all suspicious applications and never visit this site again.

The Internet is full of fake search engines, all of which are virtually identical. Be aware that websites such as search.safefinderformac.com are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and merely cause unwanted redirects and collect personal information.

Fake search engines are useless for regular users. Furthermore, some generate results leading to malicious websites. Therefore, using them is risky and can lead to various computer infections.

How did search.safefinderformac.com install on my computer?

Developers promote search.safefinderformac.com via a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" and hide all information regarding modification of browser options within the the "Custom/Advanced" settings of the download or installation processes.

Users often rush these processes and skip most steps, thereby granting set-ups permission to modify various options, exposing the system to risk of various infections and compromising users' privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

There are two simple steps you should take to prevent this situation. Firstly, potentially unwanted programs are distributed using the bundling method and, therefore, you should closely analyze each download/installation step using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Secondly, decline offers to download/install additional applications and opt-out of those already included.

Deceptive application installer promoting search.safefinderformac.com:

Another sample of a deceptive free software (in this case Flash Player) installer promoting installation of SafeFinder.com browser hijacker:

Website promoting search.safefinderformac.com browser hijacker:

Appearance of search.safefinderformac.com website redirecting users to search.yahoo.com via feed.chunckapp.com (GIF):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is search.safefinderformac.com?
• STEP 1. Remove search.safefinderformac.com related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove search.safefinderformac.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove search.safefinderformac.com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search.safefinderformac.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

search.safefinderformac.com redirect removal:

Remove search.safefinderformac.com-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.

Remove browser hijacker-related files and folders

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

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for browser hijacker 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 correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure 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 the 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 its virus definition database and click the "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 browser hijackers, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove browser hijackers from Internet browsers

Remove Safari browser hijackers:

Open the 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 regular 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 labeled "Search engine:" 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 Google Chrome browser hijackers:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable the malicious extension (if present), look for a browser hijacker URL below the "Open a specific or set of pages" option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select "Remove".

Change your default search engine:

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list look for a browser hijacker URL, when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".

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

Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".

Change your homepage

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable malicious extension (if present), remove the browser hijacker URL and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

In the URL address bar, type "about:config" and press Enter. Click "Accept the Risk and Continue".

In the search filter at the top, type: "extensionControlled". Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

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