Search.weheartcoloring.com Redirect (Mac)
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is search.weheartcoloring.com?
search.weheartcoloring.com is one of many fake search engines available on the internet. It is promoted using the We Heart Coloring potentially unwanted application (PUA), which is also a browser hijacker. This app supposedly provides free colouring-related pages, however, most PUAs of this type modify affected browser settings and gather data.
We Heart Coloring app can be installed on browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. It then assigns search.weheartcoloring.com as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL.
Therefore, We Heart Coloring forces users to visit this website when they open the browser, a new browser window, new tab, or enter a search query into the browser's URL bar. This app also ensures that none of these settings can be undone/changed - it reassigns them when attempts are made to modify them.
Therefore, people are forced to visit search.weheartcoloring.com as long as the We Heart Coloring app is installed. Furthermore, fake search engines and browser hijackers usually collect data such as IP addresses, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites, search queries, and so on.
Furthermore, they might record personal, sensitive information. Developers share the collected data with third parties (often criminals) who misuse private information to generate revenue.
Name | We Heart Coloring 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. |
Many fake search engines are promoted using browser hijackers. Developers present these apps as useful and legitimate to trick people into using them. In fact, PUAs and associated fake search engines provide none of the promised features, tools, etc. On the contrary, using them often leads to privacy/browsing safety problems and other issues.
Note that search.elifaint.com, search.ranimaker.com, and weknow.start.me are just some examples of other fake search engines promoted using PUAs.
How did search.weheartcoloring.com install on my computer?
We Heart Coloring app is promoted via a website, however, most people these install apps unintentionally by clicking various ads or when software developers use "bundling", a deceptive marketing method that software developers use to trick people into installing potentially unwanted apps together with software that users wish to install/download.
To achieve this, developers hide information about bundled apps in "Custom"/"Advanced" options or other settings of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many people skip installation steps without paying attention to the details - in doing so, they inadvertently allow PUAs to be installed.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Be careful when downloading and installing software or browsing the internet. Do not use untrustworthy websites, third party software downloaders, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks or other such tools to download software. Use only official, trustworthy websites and direct links.
Do not skip or rush installation steps without first checking "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar options and settings. Dismiss offers to download or install unwanted applications and only then finish the download/installation procedure. Avoid clicking suspicious, intrusive ads, especially if they are displayed on dubious, unofficial websites.
These ads may seem legitimate, however, once clicked, they often cause redirects to websites such as adult dating, pornography, gambling, etc. If unwanted redirects occur frequently, check all the extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins installed the browser and programs on the computer.
Uninstall any unwanted, unknown entries immediately. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Website promoting search.weheartcoloring.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:
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Quick menu:
- What is search.weheartcoloring.com?
- STEP 1. Remove search.weheartcoloring.com related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove search.weheartcoloring.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove search.weheartcoloring.com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove search.weheartcoloring.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove browser hijackers to search.weheartcoloring.com using Combo Cleaner:
search.weheartcoloring.com redirect removal:
Remove search.weheartcoloring.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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