Shortcutcommander.club Redirect (Mac)
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is shortcutcommander.club?
shortcutcommander.club is a fake search engine that supposedly enhances the browsing experience by generating improved results. This functionality may seem legitimate and useful, however, developers typically promote shortcutcommander.club using a fake Adobe Flash Player updater. Furthermore, this site potentially gathers information relating to browsing activity.
shortcutcommander.club is promoted via an updater that is known to proliferate a number of other fake search engines and potentially unwanted applications (adware, browser hijackers, etc.) including weknow.ac, MyShopcoupon, Mac Mechanic, Advanced Mac Cleaner, and Mac Cleanup Pro.
This updater hijacks popular web browsers (Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox) and assigns shortcutcommander.club as the new tab URL, homepage, and default search engine. These changes may seem significant, but users are unable to revert them, since the setup is also designed to infiltrate a number of "helper objects".
These are essentially third party applications/browser extensions that reassign modified settings when attempts are made to change them. At time of research, this helper object was named "Shortcut Commander". This deceptive add-on supposedly allows users to create shortcuts to websites, whereas its main goal is to prevent users from reverting changes.
Ultimately, users are encouraged to visit shortcutcommander.club when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar. These redirects significantly diminish the browsing experience. After entering a search query into shortcutcommander.club, users encounter a chain redirect (shortcutcommander.club->trovi.com->bing.com).
Therefore, users end up searching the web via Bing (a legitimate web search engine). This makes shortcutcommander.club useless and redundant. Furthermore, shortcutcommander.club, "helper objects", and many potentially unwanted applications/fake search engines gather information relating to browsing activity.
The list of collected data usually includes IP addresses, search queries, keystrokes, URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and so on. This recorded information is later shared with third parties and misused to generate revenue. Therefore, information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.
If you are encountering redirects to shortcutcommander.club, immediately remove all suspicious applications/browser plug-ins and never return to this site.
Name | Shortcut Commander 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. |
There are hundreds of fake search engines similar to shortcutcommander.club. The list of examples includes (but is not limited to) search.globalsearch.pw, feed.maconomi.com, search.fastsearch.me, and unisearchweb.com.
All claim to enhance the browsing experience by generating improved search results and, in some cases, providing other "useful features" (shortcuts to popular websites, local weather forecasts, local/worldwide news, etc.), however, these claims are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy.
In most cases, fake search engines provide no real value for regular users. These sites cause unwanted redirects and gather sensitive information, thereby diminishing the browsing experience, and posing a direct threat to your privacy. Some are also designed to feed users with misleading results and intrusive advertisements.
These often lead to dubious (potentially malicious) websites. Therefore, using fake search engines might result in system infections.
How did shortcutcommander.club install on my computer?
As mentioned above, shortcutcommander.club is mainly promoted using a fake Adobe Flash Player updater. This deceptive marketing method is called "bundling". Developers know that users often rush download/installation processes and skip steps.
Therefore, "bundled" applications and details of browser modifications are hidden within "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes. By skipping download/installation steps, many users grant set-ups permission to modify browser settings, expose their systems to risk of various infections, and compromise their privacy.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
To prevent this situation, be very cautious during the downloading/installation processes and browsing the Internet. Carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Opt-out of additionally-included applications and decline offers to download/install them.
Avoid using third party downloaders/installers, since developers monetize them by promoting ("bundling") rogue applications.
Software should be downloaded from official sources only, using direct download links. Potentially unwanted applications are often distributed via intrusive advertisements that redirect to malicious sites and run scripts designed to download/install PUAs (or even high-risk malware).
Most seem legitimate, but they are likely to redirect to gambling, adult dating, pornography, and other dubious websites. They are typically delivered by adware-type apps. If you experience suspicious redirects, remove all dubious applications and browser plug-ins.
The key to computer safety is caution. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Deceptive application installer promoting shortcutcommander.club:
Shortcut Commander extension in Safari web browser:
Appearance of Shortcut Commander extension:
IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote the shortcutcommander.club 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 shortcutcommander.club?
- STEP 1. Remove shortcutcommander.club related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove shortcutcommander.club redirect from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove shortcutcommander.club browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove shortcutcommander.club homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove shortcutcommander.club redirect using Combo Cleaner:
shortcutcommander.club redirect removal:
Remove shortcutcommander.club-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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