How to avoid being forced to use search.gratziany.com

What is search.gratziany.com?

search.gratziany[.]com is the address of a fake search engine. Typically, fake search engines are promoted through potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). I.e., through browser hijackers. Apps of this type promote addresses such as search.gratziany[.]com by changing certain browser settings.

Furthermore, most operate as information tracking tools and collect details relating to users' browsing habits. Generally, people download PUAs inadvertently.

Typically, browser hijackers change settings such as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab. In this case, they are assigned to search.gratziany[.]com. Therefore, users are forced to visit/use this fake search engine when they open a browser, new tab or search by entering search queries into the URL bar.

Typically, browser hijackers do not allow users to remove the address of the fake search engine from the aforementioned settings. In most cases, this can only be done after removal of the browser hijacker that changed the settings. Note that search.gratziany[.]com and many other, similar search engines are termed fake, since they do not generate unique results.

For instance, search.gratziany[.]com simply redirects to search.yahoo.com (providing results generated by Yahoo). Note also that search.gratziany[.]com opens search.yahoo.com through genieosearch.com, another dubious web page.

Furthermore, browser hijackers usually gather details such as IP addresses, entered search queries, URLs of visited websites, geolocation, and other data of this kind. Some can record personal/sensitive details as well. The criminals responsible usually sell the data to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

In this way, they put users at risk of problems relating to browsing safety and privacy, and some users might even become victims of identity theft. Therefore, do not use browser hijackers and remove any already installed immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	search.gratziany.com browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	34.194.40.175
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.

More examples of fake search engines are search.doc2pdfsearch.com, search.genieosearch.com and search.pricklybears.com. Generally, they are promoted through PUAs, browser hijackers.

These do not deliver any useful features and are designed simply to help the developers to generate revenue. Furthermore, people who use them or have them installed risk a number of problems.

How did search.gratziany.com install on my computer?

Most people download and install PUAs through deceptive advertisements or together with other (usually free) programs. I.e., when PUAs are included into various download/installation set-ups. This distribution method is called "bundling". Typically, information about these additionally-included apps is placed in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the set-ups.

People who download and/or install programs without checking and changing these settings often additionally download/install PUAs that are included in the setup by default. Note that unwanted downloads and installations can also be caused through deceptive advertisements that run certain scripts, however, this only happens when people click the ads.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Software should be downloaded from official and trustworthy websites. Do not use third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule), dubious pages or other similar sources.

Check all download and installation set-ups, since they often contain "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings - dismiss any offers to download or install unwanted apps before completing the download/installation processes. Note that, once clicked, many intrusive ads redirect people to dubious websites or download/install unwanted apps.

Do not click these advertisements, especially if they are displayed on pages relating to gambling, adult dating, pornography, etc. Remove any unwanted or unknown extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons installed on the browser. Also remove programs of this kind that are 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.

Appearance of search.gratziany.com (GIF):

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

Video showing how to get rid of unwanted redirects to search.gratziany.com using Combo Cleaner:

search.gratziany.com redirect removal:

Remove search.gratziany.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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