How to remove apps designed to promote search.handlersection.com
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
(updated)
How to remove the search.handlersection.com browser hijacker from Mac computers
What is search.handlersection.com?
search.handlersection.com is a fake search engine that displays results generated by Yahoo after redirecting users to one of the addresses promoted by Safe Finder. Note that search.handlersection.com also redirects to search.anysearchmanager.com, the address of another dubious search engine. Generally, addresses of fake search engines such as search.handlersection.com are promoted by potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) classified as browser hijackers. These apps are usually designed to promote fake search engines by modifying browser settings, and they also collect data.
Typically, browser hijackers promote fake search engines by changing settings such as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab. In this case the browser hijacker assigns them to search.handlersection.com. In this way, the apps force users to visit a specific address when they open a browser, new tab, or enter search queries into the browser's URL bar. To undo changes that were made by browser hijackers, the rogue software must be uninstalled, since these PUAs prevent users from modifying/undoing settings that were made by them as long as they are installed. As mentioned, search.handlersection.com displays results generated by Yahoo (redirects users to search.yahoo.com via one of the Safe Finder sites) or redirects to another fake search engine, which might be designed to display misleading results. In any case, neither search.handlersection.com nor other search engines of this kind can be trusted. Furthermore, apps that promote fake search engines often gather browsing data. For example, IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited websites, entered search queries, and so on. Some browser hijackers are capable of accessing sensitive details as well. Developers sell collected data to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) or misuse it to generate revenue in other ways. People with browsers hijacked by such PUAs might experience problems relating to browsing safety, online privacy or even become victims of identity theft. For these reasons, never trust these apps and uninstall all PUAs immediately.
| Name | search.handlersection.com browser hijacker |
| Threat Type | Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus. |
| Serving IP Address | 104.124.58.147 |
| Symptoms | Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites. |
| Additional Information | Search.handlersection.com redirects to search.yahoo.com via Safe Finder site and to search.anysearchmanager.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. |
Some more examples of fake search engines are searches.cloud, searchsnow.com and prudensearch.com. Generally, they display results generated by other, legitimate search engines, or that include links to dubious web pages. Therefore, use only legitimate search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing. Generally, people do not install apps that promote fake search engines intentionally (see below).
How did search.handlersection.com install on my computer?
In most cases, browser hijackers and other PUAs are downloaded and/or installed through deceptive advertisements, which users intentionally or accidentally click, or during the download/installation processes of other programs (when developers distribute PUAs using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling"). Using bundling, they include unwanted apps into the set-ups of other programs as 'additional offers' and hope that users will fail to decline them. Offers to download or install PUAs are usually listed in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings. When users download and install programs without checking and changing these settings, they allow PUAs to infiltrate. Unwanted downloads and installations via deceptive ads happen when people click them - they then go on to execute certain scripts.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
You are advised to check all "Custom", "Advanced", "Manual" and other similar settings of the download/installation setup. Decline any offers to download or install unwanted software before completing the process. Download software and files only from official pages and via direct links. Avoid untrusted, unofficial websites, torrent clients, eMule (or other Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders, installers, etc. Do not click intrusive ads that appear on dubious web pages, since these can open dubious websites or cause unwanted downloads and installations. Remove any suspicious apps (extensions, add-ons, plug-ins) already installed on the browser immediately. The same should be applied to 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.
search.handlersection.com redirects to search.anysearchmanager.com (GIF):
search.handlersection.com assigned in Chrome as the homepage:
search.handlersection.com assigned in Chrome as the default search engine:
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 search.handlersection.com?
- STEP 1. Remove search.handlersection.com related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove search.handlersection.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove search.handlersection.com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove search.handlersection.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:
search.handlersection.com redirect removal:
Remove search.handlersection.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.handlersection.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.handlersection.com browser hijacker homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Remove search.handlersection.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.handlersection.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.handlersection.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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