Safesearchmac.com Redirect (Mac)

What is safesearchmac.com?

safesearchmac.com is a fake Internet search engine identical to macsafesearch.net and home.searchpulse.net. This website claims to enhance the web browsing experience by generating improved results and often tricks users into believing that safesearchmac.com is legitimate and useful.

In fact, developers promote safesearchmac.com using a browser-hijacking app called Safe Search Mac. Another important issue is information tracking - safesearchmac.com and Safe Search Mac record information relating to users' Internet browsing activity.

Immediately after infiltration, Safe Search Mac hijacks Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome, assigning the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage options to safesearchmac.com. Although these changes may seem insignificant, users are unable to revert them.

Research shows that safesearchmac.com continually reassigns browser options when attempts are made to change then. In this way, Safe Search Mac prevents users from returning browsers to their previous states and users are encouraged to visit safesearchmac.com when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar.

These unwanted redirects significantly diminish the browsing experience. Furthermore, after entering a search query into safesearchmac.com, users are redirected to Yahoo and end up searching the Internet via this (legitimate) search engine. Therefore, safesearchmac.com gives no real value.

As mentioned above, safesearchmac.com and Safe Search Mac continually record user-system information relating to users' browsing activity. Collected data (IP addresses, URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.) is likely to contain personal details that developers sell to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

These people misuse private information to generate revenue - behavior that can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. We strongly advise you to uninstall the Safe Search Mac browser hijacker and never return to safesearchmac.com

Threat Summary:

Name	Safe Search Mac browser hijacker
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
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 similar to safesearchmac.com (for example, search.pitchofcase.com, go-search.me, and feed.snowbitt.com). All claim to generate improved results and provide other 'useful features' (such as quick access to popular websites, weather forecasts, and so on).

In fact, fake search engines deliver no real value for regular users - all claims are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy. Their only purpose is to help developers to generate passive revenue. Rather than enhancing the web browsing experience, fake search engines cause unwanted redirects and gather various information.

Furthermore, some feed users with intrusive advertisements (coupons, banners, etc.) and fake search results. These lead to dubious sites. Therefore, using fake search engines can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.

How did safesearchmac.com install on my computer?

Safe Search Mac is free for anyone to download on its official website, however, due to the lack of knowledge and careless behavior of many users, PUPs often infiltrate systems without permission. Developers proliferate "safesearchmac.com" using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" together with intrusive advertising.

"Bundling" is stealth installation of PUPs together with regular applications. Developers know that users often rush when downloading and installing software.

Therefore, "bundled" apps are hidden within "Custom/Advanced" settings or other sections of these procedures. Many users skip download/installation steps and click ads without understanding the possible consequences. In doing so, they expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when downloading/installing software and browsing the Internet. Closely analyze each step of the download/installation processes using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Opt-out of all additionally-included programs.

You are also advised to avoid using third party download/installation tools, since criminals monetize them by promoting PUPS (the "bundling" method). Your apps should be downloaded from official sources only, using direct download links. Criminals invest a great deal of time and effort into designing intrusive ads, and thus, most seem legitimate.

Despite this, they redirect to gambling, adult dating, pornography, and other dubious sites. These ads are often delivered by adware-type PUPs - if you encounter suspicious redirects, uninstall all dubious applications and browser plug-ins. The key to computer safety is caution.

Website promoting safesearchmac.com:

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT 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 safesearchmac.com?
• STEP 1. Remove safesearchmac.com related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove safesearchmac.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove Safe Search Mac browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove safesearchmac.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

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

safesearchmac.com redirect removal:

Remove safesearchmac.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.

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