Searchpulse.net Redirect (Mac)
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
(updated)
How to remove home.searchpulse.net browser hijacker from Mac?
What is home.searchpulse.net?
Home.searchpulse.net or (search.searchpulse.net) is another fake search engine that supposedly enhances the browsing experience by generating improved results. Judging on appearance alone, home.searchpulse.net may seem similar to Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other legitimate search engines. Therefore, many users believe that home.searchpulse.net is also legitimate, however, developers promote this site using a browser-hijacking app called Search Pulse. In addition, home.searchpulse.net and Search Pulse continually record user-system information relating to web browsing activity.
Search Pulse hijacks Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome, stealthily assigning home.searchpulse.net as the new tab URL, homepage, and default search engine options. These changes may seem insignificant, however, users are unable to revert them. Search Pulse continues to reassign browser options when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are encouraged to visit home.searchpulse.net when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar. This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. After entering a search query, users are redirected to search.searchpulse.net and search.yahoo.com. In this way, users end up searching the Internet via Yahoo (a legitimate search engine). Therefore, home.searchpulse.net gives no real value. Another important issue is information tracking. Be aware that home.searchpulse.net and Search Pulse together record various user-system information, such as IP addresses, search queries, URLs visited, and so on. The collected data might contain personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, criminals) who misuse private data to generate revenue. Therefore, information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. If you encounter redirects to home.searchpulse.net, immediately remove Search Pulse browser hijacker and never return to home.searchpulse.net
| Name | Search Pulse browser hijacker |
| Threat Type | Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus |
| Detection Names (SearchPulse.pkg) | Avira (PUA/OSX.SearchProtect.Q), F-Secure (PotentialRisk.PUA/OSX.SearchProtect), Qihoo-360 (Win32/Virus.ad0), Full List (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address | 184.168.131.241 |
| 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. |
There are many fake search engines similar to home.searchpulse.net (for example, search.pitchofcase.com, go-search.me, and search.safewebfinder.com). All claim to enhance the browsing experience by delivering improved results and enabling other 'useful features' (e.g., quick access to various popular websites/social networks, weather forecasts, currency exchange rates, and so on), however, the only purpose of all fake search engines is to generate revenue for the developers. They cause unwanted redirects and gather sensitive information. Some even feed users with misleading search results and intrusive advertisements (coupons, banners, etc.) These typically lead to untrustworthy websites. Therefore, using fake search engines can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.
How did home.searchpulse.net install on my computer?
Search Pulse has an official download website, however, due to the lack of knowledge and careless behavior of many users, browser hijackers often infiltrate systems without permission. Research shows that developers proliferate browser-hijacking apps using intrusive advertising and "bundling" (stealth installation of third party apps together with regular software/apps) methods. Developers know that users often rush download/installation processes. Therefore, "bundled" apps are hidden within various sections (e.g., "Custom/Advanced" settings) of these procedures. Skipping download/installation steps and clicking advertisements often leads to inadvertent installation of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) such as Search Pulse.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Caution is the key to computer safety. Therefore, pay close attention when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Bear in mind that intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, but once clicked, redirect to untrustworthy websites (e.g., gambling, adult dating, pornography, etc.) In most cases, intrusive ads are delivered by adware-type PUPs. If you encounter them, immediately remove all dubious applications and browser plug-ins. Furthermore, carefully analyze each download/installation step and opt-out of all additionally-included programs. Third party downloaders/installers are often monetized using the "bundling" method. Therefore, these tools should never be used. Applications should be downloaded from official sources only, using direct download links. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Search Pulse browser hijacker extension in Safari web browser:
Website promoting Search Pulse browser hijacker:
Search Pulse browser hijacker asking for permissions in Google Chrome:
Search Pulse browser hijacker extension in Google Chrome:
Search Pulse browser hijacker controlling Google Chrome's new tab and default search engine settings:
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 three days free trial available.
Quick menu:
- What is home.searchpulse.net?
- STEP 1. Remove Search Pulse related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove home.searchpulse.net redirect from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove Search Pulse browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove home.searchpulse.net homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:
Home.searchpulse.net redirect removal:
Remove home.searchpulse.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 “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 search pulse browser hijacker 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. 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.
Search Pulse browser hijacker homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Remove search pulse browser hijacker 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:" 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 search pulse browser hijacker 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 search pulse browser hijacker 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.
Outstanding!