Pro-search.me Redirect (Mac)

What is pro-search.me?

pro-search.me is a fake Internet search engine identical to blasearch.com and g-search.pro. Developers claim that pro-search.me significantly enhances the Internet browsing experience by generating improved search results. Therefore, many users believe that this website is legitimate and useful.

Be aware, however, that developers promote this deceptive website using rogue download/installation set-ups designed to modify web browser options without users' consent. Furthermore, pro-search.me continually gathers various information relating to Internet browsing activity.

Rogue set-ups hijack Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, modifying the default search engine, new tab URL, and homepage options by assigning them to pro-search.me. Set-ups then stealthily install a number of "helper objects" (third party browser extensions and/or applications) to reassign browser settings when attempts are made to change them.

Therefore, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are forced to visit pro-search.me when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar. This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. Another downside is information tracking.

Helper objects and pro-search.me continually record IP addresses, URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other similar information. This collected data might contain personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) 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 pro-search.me, uninstall all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins.

There are dozens of fake Internet search engines similar to pro-search.me. The list of examples includes search.nunu-app.com, search.loloitos.com, aristotlesearch.com, and many others. 

All claim to enhance the web browsing experience, however, they are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and provide no value for regular users. Fake search engines cause unwanted redirects and continually record various user/system information.

How did pro-search.me install on my computer?

As mentioned above, pro-search.me is promoted via rogue download/installation set-ups. This marketing method is called "bundling". Developers are aware that users often rush the download and installation processes and skip many steps. Therefore, all details of browser modifications are hidden within the "Custom" or "Advanced" options of these procedures.

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?

Potentially unwanted programs are distributed using the "bundling" method. Therefore, never rush the download or installation processes. Select the "Custom/Advanced" settings, closely follow each step, and decline offers to download/install additional applications. The key to computer safety is caution.

pro-search.me website End User License Agreement (EULA):

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Quick menu:

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

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

pro-search.me redirect removal:

Remove pro-search.me-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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