Search.globalsearch.pw Redirect (Mac)

What is search.globalsearch.pw?

search.globalsearch.pw is a fake search engine identical to search.bittsearch.com By offering improved results and quick access to various popular websites, search.globalsearch.pw attempts to give the impression of legitimacy, however, developers promote this site using a browser-hijacking application called globalsearch.

Furthermore, search.globalsearch.pw and globalsearch record information relating to users' Internet browsing activity.

globalsearch targets Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Following infiltration, this browser hijacker assigns the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage browser options to search.globalsearch.pw. Furthermore, although these changes may seem insignificant, users are unable to revert them.

Research shows that globalsearch reassigns browser settings when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, unless globalsearch is uninstalled, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are forced to visit search.globalsearch.pw when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar.

This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. Note that after entering a search query, users are redirected to webcrawler.com - a legitimate web search engine. This makes search.globalsearch.pw useless. Another important issue is information tracking.

Research shows that search.globalsearch.pw and globalsearch are developed to gather information such as IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and so on. Collected data often includes personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse private information to generate revenue.

Therefore, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. We strongly recommend that you uninstall the globalsearch browser hijacker and never return to search.globalsearch.pw

Threat Summary:

Name	globalsearch 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.

There are dozens of fake web search engines that share similarities with search.globalsearch.pw (e.g., search-mate.com, weknow.ac, and g-search.pro). 

As with search.globalsearch.pw, these sites also claim to enhance the browsing experience by generating improved results and providing other "useful features" (weather forecasts, latest worldwide news, quick access to popular sites, etc.), however, the only purpose of all fake search engines is to generate revenue for the developers.

Rather than giving any real value for regular users, they cause unwanted redirects and record sensitive information. Some even generate false results and intrusive advertisements leading to untrustworthy (potentially, malicious) sites. Therefore, using fake search engines risks various computer infections.

How did search.globalsearch.pw install on my computer?

Research shows that although globalsearch has an official download website, it often infiltrates the system without permission, since developers promote this PUP using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" and intrusive advertisements. "Bundling" is essentially stealth installation of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) together with regular software.

Developers hide "bundled" apps (in this case globalsearch) within "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes - they do not disclose this information properly. Intrusive advertisements redirect to malicious websites and execute scripts that stealthily download/install malware.

Furthermore, many users are likely to skip download/installation steps and click advertisements - behavior that often leads to inadvertent installation of PUPs such as globalsearch. In this way, users expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromises their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior. The key to safety is caution. Therefore, pay close attention during download/installation processes and when browsing the Internet in general. Select "Custom/Advanced' settings and carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs.

Opt-out of all additionally-included programs and decline offers to download/install them. You are advised to download your programs from official sources only, using direct download links. Third party downloaders/installers are monetized by promoting ("bundling") PUPs, and thus should never be used.

Note that intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, but once clicked, redirect to dubious websites (gambling, adult dating, pornography, and similar).

They are typically delivered by adware-type PUPs. If you experience suspicious redirects, immediately eliminate all dubious applications and browser plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Website promoting search.globalsearch.pw:

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote the search.globalsearch.pw website are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:
1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles".

2) Select the "AdminPrefs" profile and delete it.

3) Perform a full system scan with Combo Cleaner anti-virus suite.

After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for this 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.globalsearch.pw?
• STEP 1. Remove search.globalsearch.pw related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove search.globalsearch.pw redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove search.globalsearch.pw browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search.globalsearch.pw homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

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

Search.globalsearch.pw redirect removal:

Remove search.globalsearch.pw-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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