Search.playsearchnow.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.playsearchnow.com?

Developers present search.playsearchnow.com (also known as www.homesweeklies.com/homepage) as a legitimate Internet search engine that significantly enhances the Internet browsing experience by generating improved search results.

These claims often trick users into believing that search.playsearchnow.com is legitimate and useful, however, this site is promoted using deceptive software downloaders/installers that hijack web browsers and stealthily modify various options. Furthermore, search.playsearchnow.com continually tracks users' Internet browsing activity.

Set-ups infiltrate Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome, assigning the new tab URL, homepage, and default search engine browser options to search.playsearchnow.com. Set-ups infiltrate a number of third party applications and/or browser plug-ins (so-called "helper objects").

These apps/extensions automatically reassign the aforementioned settings when attempts are made to change them. Thus, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are forced to visit search.playsearchnow.com when they open a new browser tab or attempt to search via the URL bar. This diminishes the web browsing experience.

In addition, helper objects and this rogue site continually gather information relating to users' Internet browsing activity, The recorded data (IP addresses, websites visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.) might contain personal details that developers share with cooperating third parties (who misuse private details to generate revenue).

Thus, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. If you encounter unwanted redirects to search.playsearchnow.com, remove all suspicious apps/browser add-ons and never visit this site again.

Threat Summary:

Name	search.playsearchnow.com browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus
Serving IP Address	23.63.253.187
Symptoms	Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady 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.

There are dozens of rogue websites similar to search.playsearchnow.com. Examples include search.swissfist.com, search.useaget.com, search.goldraiven.com, and many others. All claim to provide 'useful functionality', however, fake search engines are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and provide no significant value for regular users.

They also cause unwanted redirects and collect personal information. Some generate results leading to malicious websites. Therefore, using a fake Internet search engine is risky and can lead to various computer infections.

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

Developers promote search.playsearchnow.com using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". All information regarding modification of browser settings is hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" settings of download/installation processes.

Research shows that users often rush these procedures and skip most steps, thereby inadvertently granting set-ups permission to modify various settings. This behavior may lead to various computer infections and/or privacy issues.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent this situation, be cautious during the download/installation processes. Analyze each step using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Furthermore, cancel all additionally-included applications must be canceled and offers to download/install them. The key to computer safety is caution.

Appearance of search.playsearchnow.com redirecting users to search.yahoo.com:

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

Video showing how to remove browser redirects to search.playsearchnow.com using Combo Cleaner:

search.playsearchnow.com redirect removal:

Remove search.playsearchnow.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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