Stop redirects to home.specialtab.com

What is home.specialtab.com?

Virtually identical to search.turdeland2.com, search.newsflashapp.com, search.mapsglobalsearch.com, and many others, home.specialtab.com is a fake search engine. It supposedly enhances the browsing experience by generating improved search results.

Most fake web searchers are unable to provide any unique results, and therefore they have no real value. Note that home.specialtab.com redirects to search.yahoo.com, a legitimate search engine. These bogus web searchers are typically promoted by browser hijacking applications.

Browser hijackers operate by making unauthorized changes to browsers and forcing users to use their fake web searching tools. Additionally, home.specialtab.com records browsing activity.

Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and other browsers with large users bases are common browser hijacker targets. These apps assign the homepage, default search engine, and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of their fake search engines.

To elaborate on how these alterations affect browsing: each new tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the fake web searcher's address. Therefore, a browser hijacker promoting home.specialtab.com would redirect to this address.

These rogue applications also stealthily install third party applications or browser extensions/plug-ins, which are called "helper objects". These additions reset any changes users attempt to make to their browser settings - they can even limit or deny access to the settings.

Recovering an afflicted browser without removing the hijacker app is impossible. The "helper objects" and home.specialtab.com have data tracking capabilities, which are employed to monitor users' browsing habits (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.) and gather personal information (IP addresses, geolocations, and other details).

This vulnerable data is then passed on to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for financial gain. The presence of data tracking content on systems can thus lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss, and even identity theft.

If you experience redirects to home.specialtab.com or similar sites, remove all suspicious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins.

Threat Summary:

Name	home.specialtab.com browser hijacker
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus.
Serving IP Address	23.101.169.175
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
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.

Many fake search engines are identical. They offer "enhanced", "improved", "accurate" search results and sometimes even advertise other "useful" features/functions. These features rarely work as promised and, in most cases, are nonoperational - present only to trick users to install.

The sole purpose of these bogus tools is to generate revenue for the designers. Fake search engines generate redirects to sale-based, untrustworthy and even malicious websites, and collect users' private data. They are a threat to device and user safety.

How did home.specialtab.com install on my computer?

Fake search engines are promoted via browser hijacking applications. Browser hijackers are categorized as Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). "Bundling" is a term used to describe the proliferation method used to distribute PUAs. It describes the technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious content.

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring or skimming terms, using pre-set options, skipping steps and sections, etc.) endangers devices with potential system infiltration and infections. Some PUAs have "official" promotional web pages, from which they can be downloaded (often "free").

Unwanted apps are also proliferated by intrusive advertisements. Once clicked, these can execute scripts designed to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research content and software to verify its legitimacy, before downloading and/or installing. Only trustworthy and verified download sources should be used. Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule, etc.), unofficial and free file-hosting websites, third party downloaders and similar channels are untrusted and should not be used.

Untrusted download sources are more likely to offer deceptive or bundled content. Download and installation processes should be approached with caution. Read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt-out of downloading/installing supplementary apps, tools, features, etc.

When browsing, exercise care. Intrusive ads usually seem normal and harmless, however, they can redirect to various dubious sites (e.g. pornography, adult-dating, gambling, and others).

If you encounter ads/redirects of this type, inspect the device and remove all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins without delay. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

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

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

home.specialtab.com redirect removal:

Remove home.specialtab.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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