Search.smokyashan.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.smokyashan.com?

search.smokyashan.com is a fake Internet search engine that supposedly enhances the Internet browsing experience by generating improved search results. Its appearance barely differs from Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other legitimate search engines.

Therefore, many users are tricked into believing that search.smokyashan.com is also legitimate. In fact, this site gathers various information relating to web browsing activity. Furthermore, it is promoted via rogue download/installation set-ups that hijack web browsers and change various settings without users' consent.

Set-ups hijack Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, assigning the new tab URL, homepage, and default search engine options to search.smokyashan.com. Set-ups stealthily install several "helper objects" (third party applications and or browser plug-ins) to automatically reassign options when attempts are made to change them.

Therefore, users are unable to return browsers to their previous states and are automatically redirected to search.smokyashan.com when searching via the URL bar or simply opening a new browser tab. This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. Another downside is information tracking.

Be aware that search.smokyashan.com and helper objects continually monitor Internet browsing activity by recording IP addresses, search queries, URLs visited, pages viewed, and other similar information. This collected data might contain personal details that developers share with third parties (who generate revenue by misusing private information).

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

There are dozens of fake Internet search engines identical to search.smokyashan.com including search.plasticumbrella.com, search.cateorg.com, and search.pingclash.com. All have identical appearance and behavior.

Websites such as search.smokyashan.com are presented as improved Internet search engines, however, they are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and regular users receive no value. Fake Internet search engines cause unwanted redirects and continually record information relating to web browsing activity.

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

Developers promote search.smokyashan.com via a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Users often rush download/installation processes and skip most steps. Therefore, information regarding modification of browser settings is hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" options of these processes.

By skipping this section, users inadvertently grant set-ups permission to modify various options, expose their systems to risk of various infections, and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent system infiltration by potentially unwanted programs, be cautious when downloading and installing software. Closely analyze each step using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Furthermore, decline offers to download/install additional applications. The key to computer safety is caution.

Website promoting search.smokyashan.com:

Deceptive software installer promoting search.smokyashan.com fake search engine:

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Quick menu:

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

Video showing how to remove search.smokyashan.com browser hijacker using Combo Cleaner:

search.smokyashan.com redirect removal:

Remove search.smokyashan.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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