Stop redirects to genieonews.com

How to remove the Genieo News browser hijacker from Mac computers

What is genieonews.com?

genieonews.com is the address of a fake search engine that should not be trusted or used. Like most search engines of this type, genieonews.com is promoted through a browser hijacker, in this case, a potentially unwanted application (PUA) called Genieo News. Generally, browser hijackers promote fake search engines by changing browser settings. Furthermore, PUAs are used to collect user information. People do not generally download and install browser hijackers intentionally and are, therefore, categorized as PUAs.

Typically, browser hijackers modify settings such as the default search engine, URL of a new tab, and homepage. After installation, Genieo News assigns these settings to genieonews.com. Therefore, people with browsers hijacked by this app are forced to visit this address when they open a new browser window, tab, or search via the URL bar (enter search queries). Most of these apps prevent users from changing/undoing settings (by reassigning them when attempts are made to modify settings). To remove genieonews.com from the settings, Genieo News must be uninstalled. Note that genieonews.com generates no unique search results, but simply redirects users  to genieosearch.com, which, in turn, redirects to search.yahoo.com. Therefore, users end up searching via a legitimate search engine from Yahoo. PUAs and fake search engines also collect data, which developers share with other parties who misuse it to generate revenue. Examples of details that these apps record are geolocations, IP addresses, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages, and so on. Personal, sensitive details might also be recorded. Furthermore, developers of the browser hijacker share recorded information with cyber criminals. This can lead to problems with online privacy, web browsing safety or even identity theft. To avoid this situation, uninstall Genieo News and other browser hijackers immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Genieo News browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Serving IP Address (tab.genieonews[.]com)	45.55.48.222
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites, cannot undo/change certain browser settings.
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 three days free trial available.

search.bannabell.com, search.mapsglobalsearch.com, and search.convertersearch.com are just some examples of other fake search engines. Typically, they provide none of the features offered (faster searches, more accurate results, etc.) and are promoted through PUAs (browser hijackers). Most of these apps are useless and the only people who benefit from them are the developers.

How did genieonews.com install on my computer?

Typically, people download and install unwanted apps such as Genieo News unintentionally when they click deceptive ads that execute scripts that download and install unwanted software. In other cases, PUAs are installed through the set-ups of other programs. In many cases, they are included in various set-ups to trick people into downloading and installing them together with regular software. This happens when users leave settings such as "Custom", "Advanced" unchecked and unchanged. These settings contain information about the additional downloads and installations. Distribution of PUAs by inclusion in set-ups is known as "bundling".

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Do not trust download sources such as third party downloaders, dubious, unofficial websites, Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule, etc.). Also, do not install programs using third party installers. The safest way to download files or programs is using official websites and direct links. If a setup includes "Custom", "Advanced" and other settings, do not leave them unchecked/unchanged. Dismiss any offers to download or install additional (unwanted) applications. Do not click intrusive ads, since they can open potentially malicious websites or cause unwanted downloads/installations. If unwanted redirects or ads are a frequent problem, remove any unwanted, suspicious extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons installed on the browser and check if the problem persists. Additionally, uninstall unwanted programs from 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.

Website promoting genieonews.com:

Geneio News extension on Chrome:

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

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

genieonews.com redirect removal:

Remove genieonews.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 genieo news 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.

Genieo News browser hijacker homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove genieo news 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 genieo news 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 genieo news 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.

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