How to avoid being forced to use search.gratziany.com
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
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.
| 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. |
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 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:
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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 search.gratziany.com 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.
search.gratziany.com browser hijacker homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Remove search.gratziany.com 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 search.gratziany.com 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 search.gratziany.com 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.
Outstanding!
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