Search.pensirot.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.pensirot.com?

Identical to search.mogobiggy.com, search.pikatika.com, search.worthut.com, and many others, search.pensirot.com is a fake Internet search engine that falsely claims to enhance the browsing experience. 

Judging on appearance alone, search.pensirot.com may seem legitimate and useful, however, this site is promoted using rogue download/installation set-ups (browser hijackers) that modify browser options without permission. In addition, search.pensirot.com stealthily records various information (mostly relating to users' Internet browsing activity).

Research shows that rogue set-ups target Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. After hijacking these browsers, set-ups modify the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage options by assigning them to search.pensirot.com.

These changes may seem insignificant, however, users are unable to revert them, since set-ups stealthily install a number of "helper objects" (third party potentially unwanted programs [PUPs] and/or browser plug-ins). These PUPs and plug-ins reassign the aforementioned options when attempts are made to change them.

Therefore, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are encouraged to visit search.pensirot.com when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar. This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience.

Furthermore, search.pensirot.com (and rogue PUPs/add-ons) continually record private user-system information. The data (IP addresses, website URLs visited, search queries, pages viewed, keystrokes, geo-locations, etc.) is sold by developers to third parties, thereby putting users' privacy at risk.

Another downside is misuse of system resources. Some PUPs/add-ons stealthily run background processes (such as mining of cryptocurrency), thus reducing computer performance. If you encounter redirects to search.pensirot.com, uninstall all suspicious programs and browser plug-ins, and never visit this rogue site again.

Threat Summary:

Name	search.pensirot.com browser hijacker
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
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.

The Internet is full of fake search engines, all of which are virtually identical. Most of these sites offer various "useful features" (improved search results, weather forecasts, currency exchange rates, shortcuts to popular websites, etc.), however, only a small percentage of fake search engines provide the functionality promised - most deliver no value for regular users.

Websites such as search.pensirot.com are designed only to generate revenue for the developers. Claims to enhance the web browsing experience are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy. Rather than providing the functionality promised, most fake search engines cause unwanted redirects and continually gather private information.

In addition, some generate deceptive search results and display 'malvertising' ads (banners, pop-ups, coupons, etc.) Fake search results and malicious ads can lead to malicious websites. Furthermore, some deceptive ads can execute scripts that infect the computer. Therefore, using a fake search engine is very risky.

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

To promote the search.pensirot.com website, developers employ browser-hijacking downloaders and installers. This deceptive marketing method is called "bundling". Research shows that users often rush the download/installation processes and skip steps.

Developers do not properly disclose modification of browser options and hide this information (usually within the "Custom/Advanced" settings of the download/installation dialogs). Therefore, rushing and skipping this section grants set-ups permission to modify various options, exposes systems to risk of various infections, and compromises users' privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Potentially unwanted programs (such as helper objects) are distributed using the bundling method, and via the aforementioned malvertising ads. Therefore, be very careful when downloading/installing software and browsing the Internet in general. Carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs and opt-out of all additionally-included programs.

Third party download/installation set-ups are monetized using bundling, and thus using these tools often leads to inadvertent installation of PUPs. Software should be downloaded from official sources only and (if possible) using a direct download link. Cyber criminals put a great deal of time, effort, and money into designing intrusive ads.

Most appear legitimate, however, they usually lead to suspicious websites (such as surveys, gambling, adult dating [usually Russian websites], pornography, etc.), thereby exposing systems to risk of infection. Therefore, if you encounter these ads and websites, uninstall all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins.

Website promoting search.pensirot.com browser hijacker:

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Quick menu:

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

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

search.pensirot.com redirect removal:

Remove search.pensirot.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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