How to uninstall the AdvancedNetworkSearch adware?

How to remove AdvancedNetworkSearch adware from Mac?

What is AdvancedNetworkSearch?

AdvancedNetworkSearch is a piece of rogue software, classified as adware. Additionally, this application has browser hijacker traits. Following successful installation, it runs intrusive advertisement campaigns and makes modifications to browser settings - in order to promote fake search engines. Additionally, most adware-types and browser hijackers spy on users' browsing activity. Due to the dubious techniques used to distribute such apps, they are also deemed to be PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Application). One of the questionable methods employed to proliferate AdvancedNetworkSearch is distribution via fake Adobe Flash Player updates. It is noteworthy that illegitimate software updaters/installers are used to spread not only PUAs but trojans, ransomware and other malware as well.

Adware enables the placement of pop-ups, banners, coupons and other intrusive advertisements - typically, on any visited website. The delivered ads diminish the browsing experience, as they overlay page content and slow down the browsing speed. Furthermore, these adverts are more than just a nuisance, they also pose a threat to device/user safety. Since upon being clicked, intrusive advertisements redirect to various untrustworthy/malicious websites and some can even stealthily download/install software (e.g. PUAs). Browser hijackers assign the addresses of fake web searchers as browsers' homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs. Hence, with a browser hijacker installed: every new browser tab/window opened and search query typed into the URL bar - redirect to the promoted address. Illegitimate search engines are rarely able to provide search results, so they redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) Yahoo, Bing, Google and other genuine ones. Browser hijackers can undo any changes users attempt to make to their browsers and/or limit/deny access to the browsers' settings outright. Therefore, recovering an affected browser is impossible without removing the software hijacking it. What is more, most PUAs (adware and browser hijackers included) have data tracking abilities. They monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, webpages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and collect personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). The gathered data is then shared with and/or sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). In summary, presence of unwanted software on devices can lead to system infections, financial losses, serious privacy issues and even identity theft. To ensure device integrity and user privacy, all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be eliminated without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by AdvancedNetworkSearch
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Adware.MAC.Rload.5), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/TrojanDownloader.Adload.), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Cimpli.l), Full List (VirusTotal)
Additional Information	This application belongs to Adload malware family.
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 three days free trial available.

PracticalConfig, ConsumerSurvey, InputBalance and TotalProjectSearch are some examples of other adware-type applications. They appear legitimate and typically offer a wide variety of "useful" features. However, despite how good the promised functions may sound - they are seldom operational. In fact, this applies to practically all PUAs. The sole purpose of unwanted apps is to generate profit for the developers. Therefore, instead of delivering on any promises, PUAs can run intrusive advert campaigns, hijack browsers, cause redirects and collect private data.

How did AdvancedNetworkSearch install on my computer?

PUAs are distributed via download/installation setups of other products. This false marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions - is called "bundling". Rushed download/installation processes (e.g. ignored terms, skipped steps and settings, etc.) increase the risk of inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system. Select PUAs have "official" download sites. Intrusive advertisements proliferate these applications as well. Once clicked on, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without user consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is recommended to research software before download/installation and/or purchase. All downloads must be done from official and verified sources. Since dubious channels, like: unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders - commonly offer deceptive and/or bundled content. When downloading/installing, it is important to read terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out from supplementary apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive adverts appear ordinary and harmless, however they redirect to various unreliable and questionable webpages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and many others). In case of encounters with ads and/or redirects of this kind, the system must be inspected and all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins detected - immediately removed from it. If your computer is already infected with AdvancedNetworkSearch, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Files related to the AdvancedNetworkSearch adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AdvancedNetworkSearch/AdvancedNetworkSearch
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AdvancedNetworkSearchDaemon/AdvancedNetworkSearch
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.AdvancedNetworkSearch.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.AdvancedNetworkSearchDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote AdvancedNetworkSearch adware are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:
1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles"

2) Select the "AdvancedNetworkSearch" profile and delete it.

3) Perform a full system scan with Combo Cleaner anti-virus suite.

After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for this adware.

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 AdvancedNetworkSearch?
• STEP 1. Remove AdvancedNetworkSearch related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove AdvancedNetworkSearch ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove AdvancedNetworkSearch adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove AdvancedNetworkSearch ads from Mozilla Firefox.

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

AdvancedNetworkSearch adware removal:

Remove AdvancedNetworkSearch-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 ads by advancednetworksearch 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.

Ads by AdvancedNetworkSearch removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove ads by advancednetworksearch 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.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove ads by advancednetworksearch 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.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove ads by advancednetworksearch 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.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

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