Mysearchency.com Redirect (Mac)

What is mysearchency.com?

mysearchency.com is one of many fake search engines (virtually identical to weknow.ac, search.porterice.com, and nextoptim.com) promoted as a search engine that provides users with an enhanced browsing experience, accurate results, and so on.

As with most fake search engines, however, this site is promoted using rogue (download/installation) set-ups that modify browser settings without direct user permission. Furthermore, mysearchency.com is categorized as data-tracking website that collects browsing-related data.

Rogue set-ups (in this case, a fake Flash player installer) target Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Once a browser is infiltrated, the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage settings are assigned to mysearchency.com. Therefore, users are forced to visit this website when they open browsers or new tabs.

Furthermore, rogue set-ups often install so-called "helper objects". These apps prevent users from undoing any of the changes - they reassign settings when attempts are made to change them. Another downside of "helper objects" and mysearchency.com is that they track browsing-related activities.

They collect data such as IP addresses, URLs of visited websites, search queries, geo-locations, and so on. Furthermore, the collected data is continually shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. These actions can lead to various problems relating to privacy or browsing safety, and might also cause more serious issues such as identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	mysearchency.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.

There are hundreds of fake search engines online. Developers attempt to give the impression of legitimacy by promoting them as useful search engines. In fact, they are designed only to generate revenue and cause various problems. Furthermore, some provide search results (or feed users with ads) that could lead to untrustworthy websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on).

How did mysearchency.com install on my computer?

As mentioned earlier, mysearchency.com is promoted using rogue download/installation set-ups (such as fake Flash Player installers).

This is called "bundling", a deceptive marketing method used to trick users into downloading or installing potentially unwanted apps that change browser settings. Software developers achieve this by hiding information about such modifications (or unwanted apps) in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the download/installation processes.

Furthermore, many users skip download/installation processes, thus inadvertently allowing installation of unwanted apps or changes to browser settings.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download software using official, trustworthy websites/sources. Do not use third party downloaders, installers and other similar tools - these are often monetized by promoting unwanted applications (or other software). Install software with care and do not skip installation steps without checking "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings.

Deselect any unwanted software (or other extras) and only then finish the installation. The internet is full of dubious advertisements. Some intrusive ads redirect users to untrustworthy and potentially malicious websites (gambling, adult dating, pornography, etc.).

If you encounter these ads or redirects, check your browser for any unwanted, dubious extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons and remove them immediately.

Also remove all unwanted software from the list of installed programs on your computer. 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 mysearchency.com:

Website promoting a fake Adobe Flash Player updater that promotes mysearchency.com:

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote the mysearchency.com 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 mysearchency.com?
• STEP 1. Remove mysearchency.com related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove mysearchency.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove mysearchency.com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove mysearchency.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove browser redirects to mysearchency.com using Combo Cleaner:

mysearchency.com redirect removal:

Remove mysearchency.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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