Mysearchency.com Redirect (Mac)
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (Updated)
How to remove mysearchency.com browser hijacker from Mac?
What is mysearchency.com?
mysearchency.com is one of many fake search engines (virtually identical to weknow.ac, search.porterice.com, and nextoptim.com) promoted as a search engine that provides users with an enhanced browsing experience, accurate results, and so on. As with most fake search engines, however, this site is promoted using rogue (download/installation) set-ups that modify browser settings without direct user permission. Furthermore, mysearchency.com is categorized as data-tracking website that collects browsing-related data.
Rogue set-ups (in this case, a fake Flash player installer) target Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Once a browser is infiltrated, the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage settings are assigned to mysearchency.com. Therefore, users are forced to visit this website when they open browsers or new tabs. Furthermore, rogue set-ups often install so-called "helper objects". These apps prevent users from undoing any of the changes - they reassign settings when attempts are made to change them. Another downside of "helper objects" and mysearchency.com is that they track browsing-related activities. They collect data such as IP addresses, URLs of visited websites, search queries, geo-locations, and so on. Furthermore, the collected data is continually shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. These actions can lead to various problems relating to privacy or browsing safety, and might also cause more serious issues such as identity theft.
| Name | mysearchency.com 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. |
| Removal |
To eliminate mysearchency.com browser hijacker our malware researchers recommend scanning your computer with Combo Cleaner. |
There are hundreds of fake search engines online. Developers attempt to give the impression of legitimacy by promoting them as useful search engines. In fact, they are designed only to generate revenue and cause various problems. Furthermore, some provide search results (or feed users with ads) that could lead to untrustworthy websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on).
How did mysearchency.com install on my computer?
As mentioned earlier, mysearchency.com is promoted using rogue download/installation set-ups (such as fake Flash Player installers). This is called "bundling", a deceptive marketing method used to trick users into downloading or installing potentially unwanted apps that change browser settings. Software developers achieve this by hiding information about such modifications (or unwanted apps) in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many users skip download/installation processes, thus inadvertently allowing installation of unwanted apps or changes to browser settings.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Download software using official, trustworthy websites/sources. Do not use third party downloaders, installers and other similar tools - these are often monetized by promoting unwanted applications (or other software). Install software with care and do not skip installation steps without checking "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings. Deselect any unwanted software (or other extras) and only then finish the installation. The internet is full of dubious advertisements. Some intrusive ads redirect users to untrustworthy and potentially malicious websites (gambling, adult dating, pornography, etc.). If you encounter these ads or redirects, check your browser for any unwanted, dubious extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons and remove them immediately. Also remove all unwanted software from the list of installed programs on your computer. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Deceptive application installer promoting mysearchency.com:
Website promoting a fake Adobe Flash Player updater that promotes mysearchency.com:
IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote the mysearchency.com website are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:
1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles".
2) Select the "AdminPrefs" profile and delete it.
3) Perform a full system scan with Combo Cleaner anti-virus suite.
After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for this browser hijacker.
Instant automatic removal of mysearchency.com browser hijacker:
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 mysearchency.com browser hijacker. 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. Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.
Quick menu:
- What is mysearchency.com?
- STEP 1. Remove mysearchency.com related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove mysearchency.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove mysearchency.com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove mysearchency.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove browser redirects to mysearchency.com using Combo Cleaner:
mysearchency.com redirect removal:
Remove mysearchency.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 mysearchency.com 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.
mysearchency.com browser hijacker homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Remove mysearchency.com 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 mysearchency.com 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 mysearchency.com 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.