Search.coloringhero.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.coloringhero.com?

Identical to search.convertallfiles.com, search.playeti.com, search.byoml.com, and many others, search.coloringhero.com is a fake search engine that supposedly enhances the browsing experience by generating improved results.

Judging on appearance alone, search.coloringhero.com may seem legitimate and useful, however, developers promote this website using a browser-hijacking adware called Coloring Hero. In addition, search.coloringhero.com and Coloring Hero continually gather information relating to users' browsing habits.

Coloring Hero promotes search.coloringhero.com by hijacking popular browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox and assigning the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage options to search.coloringhero.com.

These changes may seem insignificant, however, users are unable to revert them, since search.coloringhero.com continues to reassign browser settings when attempts are made to change them. Ultimately, users are encouraged to visit search.coloringhero.com when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar.

These redirects significantly diminish the browsing experience. Furthermore, search.coloringhero.com redirects users to search.yahoo.com each time a search query is entered. Thus, users simply end up searching via the Yahoo search engine, rendering search.coloringhero.com irrelevant and useless. Another significant downside is information tracking.

Research shows that search.coloringhero.com continually gathers search queries, IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, and other data relating to browsing activity. Collected information might contain personal details that developers share with third parties to generate revenue.

These people continue to misuse private information to generate even more revenue. Thus, information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues. We strongly recommend that you eliminate unwanted applications such as Coloring Hero and never visit search.coloringhero.com.

Threat Summary:

Name	search.coloringhero.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.

Note that search.coloringhero.com is identical to a number of other fake search engines. In fact, all websites of this type are very similar. By offering "useful features" (improved results, weather forecasts, quick access to popular websites, etc.), fake search engines attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, their only purpose is to generate revenue for the developers.

Rather than giving any real value for regular users, they cause unwanted redirects and gather information, thereby diminishing the browsing experience and posing a direct threat to your privacy. Fake search engines generate bogus results and often feed users with intrusive advertisements, both of which typically lead to dubious websites. Therefore, using them can lead to various computer infections.

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

Coloring Hero has an official download website, however, it often infiltrates computers without users’ permission, since developers proliferate it using intrusive advertising and "bundling" methods. Intrusive advertisements redirect users to malicious websites and run scripts designed to download/install unwanted applications.

"Bundling" is stealth installation of third party applications with regular software. Developers conceal "bundled" apps within various sections (e.g., "Custom/Advanced") of the download/installation processes.

Furthermore, many users often click advertisements and skip download/installation steps, which often leads to inadvertent installation of third party applications. In this way, users 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 when downloading/installing software and browsing the Internet. Select "Custom/Advanced" settings and carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs. Opt-out of additionally-included programs and decline offers to download/install them.

Avoid using third party downloaders/installers, since most of these tools are monetized using the "bundling" method (developers promote rogue apps). Download your software from official sources only, using direct download links.

Furthermore, bear in mind that intrusive advertisements usually seem legitimate, however, once clicked, redirect to dubious websites (gambling, pornography, survey, and similar). These advertisements are usually delivered by adware-type apps (such as Coloring Hero).

If you encounter dubious ads/redirects, immediately remove all suspicious 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 Coloring Hero unwanted application:

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

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

search.coloringhero.com redirect removal:

Remove search.coloringhero.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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