Uninstall the Epsilon browser hijacker from your Mac

What is Epsilon?

Epsilon is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) that supposedly allows users to search, check weather forecasts, and change background images via the browser. In fact, it is categorized as a browser hijacker that changes browser settings and promotes the qsearch.pw fake search engine.

It also promotes dubious web pages including  trovi.com and searchpage.com. This PUA is installed together with another rogue app called PlayerWeb.

A browser is hijacked when a user intentionally or unintentionally downloads and installs a browser hijacker such as Epsilon. These apps are often compatible with more than one browser. I.e., users can install them on different browsers (such as Safari, Chrome, or Firefox).

When Epsilon is installed, it changes browser settings such as default homepage, search engine, and URL address of a new tab. On the Google Chrome browser, it assigns them to qsearch.pw. When a search query is entered into the URL bar of a hijacked Chrome browser, it displays results generated by Yahoo (via search.yahoo.com).

In other cases, it opens the Yahoo search engine through another dubious website, searchpage.com. If a search query on the hijacked Chrome is entered into the search bar, it displays results gathered by Google (via redirects to google.com), however, this search engine is opened through a dubious website called trovi.com.

Search engines that display results gathered by other (official, legitimate) engines are useless. These search engines and the browser hijackers that promote them usually gather information such as entered search queries, addresses of visited websites, geolocations, IP addresses, and so on.

It is possible that some of these apps/fake search engines will also gather personal details. Developers sell the information to third parties who misuse it to generate revenue. Browser hijackers and fake search engines can thus cause privacy/browsing safety issues or even identity theft. Since Epsilon is a PUA, it should be uninstalled immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Epsilon redirect
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Promoted URLs	qsearch.pw, trovi.com, searchpage.com.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious 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.

The Internet is full of apps that are designed to hijack browsers and promote fake search engines. One example is MacAppExtensions. Typically, apps of this type are advertised as useful apps that supposed include features (such as quick access to weather forecasts). In fact, they simply gather data and force users to visit dubious websites.

How did Epsilon install on my computer?

Developers distribute Epsilon by bundling it into the set-ups of other software such as installers of fake Adobe Flash Players. Typically, information about additionally added (bundled) PUAs is not properly disclosed and can be found hidden in options/settings such as "Custom" and "Advanced" of the download or installation set-ups.

Furthermore, man people fail to check or change these settings. By leaving them unchanged, they agree to download and install bundled, potentially unwanted apps by default. PUAs are often unintentionally downloaded or installed when users click deceptive ads that should not be trusted.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To avoid unwanted installations, download and install software properly. Check settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and "Manual" when downloading and installing any program, especially if it is free. Deselect unwanted offers and only then complete the setup.

Avoid downloading software from untrustworthy/unofficial websites, through torrent clients, eMule (and other Peer-to-Peer networks), and so on. The safest way to download files and programs is via official and trustworthy pages.

Avoid clicking suspicious ads, especially if they are displayed on untrustworthy, unofficial websites (such as pornography, adult dating, gambling, etc.). These usually lead to other, potentially malicious pages or even unwanted downloads and installations. If a browser opens dubious web pages or displays unwanted ads, check for infiltrating by PUAs.

See apps (extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons) installed on the browser and remove all unwanted entries immediately. The same should be applied to programs of this type installed on the operating system. 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 Epsilon:

Screenshot of Epsilon extension installed on the Safari web browser:

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 Epsilon?
• STEP 1. Remove Epsilon related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove Epsilon redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove Epsilon browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove Epsilon homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove Epsilon browser hijacker using Combo Cleaner:

Epsilon redirect removal:

Remove Epsilon-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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