Stop unwanted redirects to search.anysearch.net fake search engine

What is search.anysearch.net?

According to the developers, search.anysearch.net (anysearchmanager.net) is an Internet search engine that supposedly generates improved results and, therefore, enhances the browsing experience.

Initially, this site may appear legitimate and useful, however, developers promote search.anysearch.net via a browser-hijacking application called Any Search Manager, which infiltrates systems without consent. Furthermore, search.anysearch.net tracks users' Internet browsing activity.

Following infiltration, Any Search Manager hijacks Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, stealthily modifying the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage options by assigning them to search.anysearch.net.

These changes may seem insignificant, however, users are unable to revert them, since Any Search Manager reassigns browser options when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are forced to visit search.anysearch.net when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar.

This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. Furthermore, Internet browsing activity is continually monitored, since search.anysearch.net and Any Search Manager continually record various data that might be personally identifiable including IP addresses, URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.

This information is later shared with third parties who misuse personal information to generate revenue. Information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. If you encounter unwanted redirects to search.anysearch.net, uninstall Any Search Manager and never visit search.anysearch.net again.

Threat Summary:

Name	Any Search Manager browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus
Serving IP Address	23.50.52.115
Symptoms	Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are dozens of fake search engines virtually identical to search.anysearch.net including search.hideyoursearch.com, yoursafesearch.com, and obifind.com. All fake search engines claim to enhance the browsing experience, however, these promises are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy.

The only purpose of fake search engines is to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than providing any significant value for regular users, they cause unwanted redirects and continually record user-system information.

How did Any Search Manager install on my computer?

Any Search Manager has an official download website, however, developers also distribute this application by employing a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - stealth installation of third party applications with regular software/apps. They hide bundled programs within the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings.

Rushing and skipping this section thus exposes systems to risk of infection and compromises users' privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

This situation can be prevented by taking two simple steps: 1) closely analyze each download/installation step using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings, and; 2) decline offers to download/install additional applications and cancel those already included.

Screenshot of Any Search Manager extension in Safari web browser:

Official Any Search Manager browser hijacker installation set-up:

Website promoting Any Search Manager browser hijacker:

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 Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

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

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

Any Search Manager removal:

Remove search.anysearch.net-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select “Applications”. In the applications folder, look for “Any Search Manager”, “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.

▼ Show Discussion