Aristotlesearch.com Redirect (Mac)

What is aristotlesearch.com?

aristotlesearch.com is a deceptive website claiming to be an improved Internet search engine. Judging on appearance alone, the site may seem legitimate and useful, however, developers promote it via deceptive download/installation set-ups designed to hijack web browsers and modify various options without users' permission.

In addition, aristotlesearch.com continually records information relating to Internet browsing activity.

Rogue set-ups target Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Following infiltration, set-ups assign the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL settings to aristotlesearch.com.

These changes may not seem significant, however, set-ups also install a number of "helper objects" (third party applications and/or browser plug-ins) designed to automatically reassign the aforementioned settings when attempts are made to change them.

Therefore, users are unable to return browsers to their previous states and encounter unwanted redirects to aristotlesearch.com when they search via the URL bar or open a new browser tab. This significantly diminishes the Internet browsing experience.

Furthermore, web browsing activity is tracked, since aristotlesearch.com and helper objects continually gather various information relating to web browsing activity.

There is a high probability that collected data (IP addresses, websites visited, search queries, pages viewed, etc.) will contain personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse private details to generate revenue. Therefore, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.

There are hundreds of fake Internet search engines virtually identical to aristotlesearch.com. Examples include search.oriveg.com, search.hollyarrow.com, search.royalbgood.com, and many others. Note that fake search engines may appear different but have identical behavior.

They are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and deliver no significant value for regular users. Fake search engines cause unwanted redirects (thereby generating traffic for other websites) and collect private data (which is later sold to third parties).

How did aristotlesearch.com install on my computer?

As mentioned above, aristotlesearch.com is promoted via deceptive download/installation set-ups. This marketing method is called "bundling". Developers know that most users rush the download/installation processes and skip steps. Therefore, details of browser modifications are hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" options of these processes.

Skipping this section inadvertently grants set-ups permission to modify various browser options. In addition, set-ups expose the system to risk of various infections and put users' privacy at risk.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Installation of potentially unwanted programs can be prevented by taking two simple steps. Firstly, never rush when downloading and installing software - closely analyze each step using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Secondly, opt-out of all additionally-included programs and cancel offers to download/install them. The key to computer safety is caution.

Deceptive application installer promoting aristotlesearch.com:

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Quick menu:

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

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

aristotlesearch.com redirect removal:

Remove aristotlesearch.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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