Search.ontakehope.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.ontakehope.com?

Identical to search.pastcost.com, search.pagerpost.com, search.perfetnight.com, and a number of other dubious websites, search.ontakehope.com is a fake Internet search engine that falsely claims to generate the most relevant search results. Many users believe that this website is legitimate.

In fact, developers promote this site using application 'installers' designed to hijack web browsers and stealthily modify their settings. In addition, search.ontakehope.com continually tracks various user/system data relating to Internet browsing activity.

Deceptive installations set-ups hijack Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome, assigning the new tab URL, homepage and default search engine settings to search.ontakehope.com. Third party applications and/or browser plug-ins called 'helper objects' are then installed to prevent users from reverting these changes.

Helper objects automatically reassign the aforementioned settings to search.onetakehope.com when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, users are unable to return browsers to their previous states. This leads to continual unwanted browser redirects, significantly diminishing the Internet browsing experience.

In addition, helper objects and search.ontakehope.com continually monitor browsing activity by recording various information that might be personally identifiable including IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc. This information is later shared with third party companies who cooperate with developers of search.ontakehope.com.

Therefore, private data is often misused to generate revenue. This behavior can lead to serious privacy issues. If you continually encounter unwanted browser redirects to search.ontakehope.com, immediately uninstall all recently-installed and/or suspicious applications, and never visit this site again.

There are hundreds of fake Internet search engines with behavior similar to search.ontakehope.com. All claim to enhance the web browsing experience in various ways, however, these false claims are merely attempts to trick users into believing that these sites are legitimate.

Research shows that fake Internet search engines are designed only to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than providing any real value for regular users, websites such as search.ontakehope.com collect personal data (which is later sold to third parties) and cause unwanted browser redirects (thereby increasing traffic of other sites).

Be aware that some fake search engines generate results that may lead to infectious websites. Therefore, searching via these websites can lead to further computer infections.

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

To promote search.ontakehope.com, developers employ a deceptive marketing method called 'bundling' and hide details regarding modification of browser settings within the 'Custom/Advanced' section of the download/installation processes.

Most users rush these procedures, skipping virtually all download/installation steps - this often leads to inadvertent installation of potentially unwanted programs. In this case, this carelessness can lead users to inadvertently grant set-ups permission to modify settings.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

There are two simple steps you should take to prevent this situation. First, be cautious during the download/installation processes. Closely analyze these procedures using the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings. Second, decline all offers to download/install third party applications and never allow set-ups modify options that do not relate to the software being installed.

Website promoting search.ontakehope.com browser hijacker:

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

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

search.ontakehope.com redirect removal:

Remove search.ontakehope.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.

▼ Show Discussion