Search-operator.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search-operator.com?

search-operator.com is a fake search engine similar to search.tapufind.com, search-me.club, search.hogwarin.com, and many others. Most are promoted as useful and capable of providing more accurate search results, faster searches, and an improved browsing experience.

In fact, search-operator.com is promoted using a rogue downloaders/installers (including a fake Adobe Flash installer) that adjust browser settings. Furthermore, fake search engines often collect browsing-related and other data.

Generally, installers/downloaders target popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. In this case, they assign search-operator.com as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL. Therefore, users of hijacked browsers are forced to visit this website when they open their browser, new tab, or enter a search query using the URL bar.

Furthermore, these changes cannot be undone, at least not until "helper objects" are removed. "Helper objects" are browser extensions (plug-ins or add-ons) that are installed by the installers/downloaders. They prevent users from reverting any of the modified settings. If attempts are made to change/undo them, these apps immediately reassign them.

Furthermore, search-operator.com itself is useless, since it does not provide improved search results (or other features relating to enhanced browsing). It simply redirects to bing.com (a legitimate search engine owned by Microsoft) and displays results generated by this engine.

Both the search-operator.com fake search engine and "helper objects" (apps installed by rogue installers/downloaders) collect data relating to users' browsing habits/activity. This includes URLs of visited websites, IP addresses, search queries, geo-locations, and other similar details.

They also record personal/sensitive information. Developers share recorded information with third parties (potentially cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. Therefore, do not use fake search engines such as search-operator.com and remove unwanted apps, since both can lead to various problems relating to privacy, browsing safety, or even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Search-operator.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.

Developers present fake search engines as capable of providing an enhanced browsing experience or by offering various features, however, most provide no real value. On the contrary, they cause problems and are used to generate revenue for their developers.

How did search-operator.com install on my computer?

Most fake search engines are promoted using rogue download/installation set-ups. Developers promote these websites using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Bundling is used to trick people into downloading or installing unwanted applications together with other regular software.

They achieve this by hiding these dubious (potentially unwanted) apps in "Custom", "Advanced" and other settings/options of the download/installation dialogues. Therefore, rushing downloads or installations and leaving settings unchanged often causes unintentional installation of unwanted apps or allows browser settings to be modified.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download software using official and trustworthy websites or other reliable channels. Third party downloaders, peer-to-peer networks such as torrents, dubious websites or other similar channels should not be used. Also check "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings when installing or downloading software, especially freeware.

Opt-out of offers to install unwanted software and only then finish the installation or download process (the set-up). Avoid clicking advertisements, especially if they are displayed on untrustworthy, dubious or unofficial websites. These often redirect people to untrustworthy (and potentially malicious) websites such as pornography, adult dating, gambling, etc.

If you encounter these redirects or see intrusive ads, check your browser for unwanted applications (extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons).

Also check the list of installed programs on your computer and remove all unwanted or unknown/suspicious applications/software immediately. 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 search-operator.com:

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

Video showing how to remove adware browser redirects to search.operator.com using Combo Cleaner:

search-operator.com redirect removal:

Remove search-operator.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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