Search.searchtheuniverses.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.searchtheuniverses.com?

search.searchtheuniverses.com is a fake search engine identical to search.searchmecenter.com and search.search-bee.com This website claims to enhance the browsing experience by generating improved results.

Judging on appearance alone, search.searchtheuniverses.com barely differs from Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other legitimate web search engines, and thus many users believe that this site is also legitimate.

In fact, developers promote it using a browser-hijacking app called SearchTheUniverses. In addition, search.searchtheuniverses.com and SearchTheUniverses record data relating to browsing activity.

SearchTheUniverses targets Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Following infiltration, this browser hijacker assigns the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage options to search.searchtheuniverses.com These changes may seem significant, however, users are unable to revert them.

SearchTheUniverses continues to reassign browser options when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, unless this browser hijacker is uninstalled, returning browsers to their previous states is impossible and users are forced to visit search.searchtheuniverses.com when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar.

This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. As mentioned above, search.searchtheuniverses.com and SearchTheUniverses collect information relating to browsing habits.

Search queries, URLs visited, pages viewed, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and other collected data usually includes personal details that are shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). These people misuse private information to generate revenue, thus putting your privacy at risk.

You are strongly advised to uninstall the SearchTheUniverses browser hijacker and never return to search.searchtheuniverses.com

Threat Summary:

Name	SearchTheUniverses 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.

search.searchtheuniverses.com shares similarities with dozens of other fake search engines such as (for example) smartsearch.pw, search-mate.com, weknow.ac, etc.

By offering useful features (improved search results, quick access to popular websites, weather forecasts, latest worldwide news, etc.), websites such as search.searchtheuniverses.com attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, these claims are false.

Fake search engines have only one purpose - to generate revenue for the developers. They deliver no real value for regular users, cause unwanted redirects, and gather sensitive information.

Furthermore, some feed users with misleading results and intrusive advertisements leading to dubious (potentially, malicious) websites. Therefore, using any fake search engine might lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.

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

Although SearchTheUniverses has an official download website, it is likely to infiltrate systems without permission, since developers proliferate browser hijackers using intrusive advertisements and a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Intrusive advertisements redirect users to malicious websites and execute scripts that download/install malware.

"Bundling", on the other hand, is stealth installation of third party applications together with regular software/apps. Developers conceal "bundled" apps within various sections (in most cases, "Custom" or "Advanced" settings) of the download/installation processes.

Furthermore, many users are likely to rush download/installation processes and skip steps. In doing so, they expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise 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 when browsing the Internet. Bear in mind that intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate, but most lead to dubious websites (gambling, adult dating, pornography, and so on).

They are delivered by potentially unwanted adware-type apps. Therefore, if you encounter dubious redirects, you should immediately check the list of installed applications and browser plug-ins. Furthermore, carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs (using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings) and cancel additionally-included apps.

We advise to avoid using third party downloaders/installers, since developers monetize them by "bundling" unwanted software. Apps should be downloaded from official sources, using direct download links. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

SearchTheUniverses browser hijacker in Safari web browser:

Deceptive application installer promoting SearchTheUniverses browser hijacker:

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

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

Search.searchtheuniverses.com redirect removal:

Remove search.searchtheuniverses.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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