Search.margamish.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.margamish.com?

search.margamish.com is a fake search engine that is promoted as 'useful' and supposedly provides various features (enhanced browsing experience, faster searchers, more accurate search results, and so on). This may seem to be a legitimate search engine, however, it is promoted using a browser hijacker, a potentially unwanted application (PUA) called Margamish.

It is distributed using the installer of another program (PDF King app). This method is called "bundling". Do not trust apps promoted using this method. Once installed, Margamish changes browser settings and continuously gathers information relating to users' browsing activity.

Apps such as Margamish can usually be installed on browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. After installation, Margamish assigns search.margamish.com as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL.

These changes cannot be undone or changed, unless this browser hijacker is uninstalled (it prevents users from changing these settings by reassigning them when attempts are made). Therefore, users are forced to visit search.margamish.com when they open a browser, new browser tab, or enter search queries into the URL bar.

This happens as long as Margamish is installed. Note that search.margamish.com is presented as a search engine, however, it does not generate any unique search results, and is thus useless. It provides results generated by Yahoo (a legitimate search engine) by redirecting users to search.yahoo.com.

As mentioned in our introduction, the Margamish browser hijacker (with its associated search engine) collects various data. This includes IP addresses, search queries, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites, and other information relating to users' browsing habits.

Furthermore, many PUAs and fake engines also target personal details. Collected data is continuously shared with other parties, which might include cyber criminals. These people misuse the information to generate revenue. Therefore, having unwanted apps of this type installed and using dubious search engines can lead to various privacy issues, browsing safety problems, or even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Margamish 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.convertallfiles.com, cultsearch.pw, search.cogs.digital, and search.pdftycoon.com are just some examples of other dubious search engines similar to search.margamish.com. Developers promote them as useful and legitimate, however, they are generally useless and deliver none of the functionality promised. They are designed only to generate revenue for their developers.

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

Margamish is promoted through its website and PDF King application's installer (using the "bundling" method). Generally, people download and install apps such as Margamish inadvertently. They cause these installations by clicking intrusive advertisements or when software developers bundle them into download/installation set-ups of other software.

Bundling is a deceptive marketing method used to trick people into installing unwanted apps with other programs. Developers hide these apps in settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", "Manual", and so on. Information about the inclusion of PUAs in software installation (or download) set-ups is not properly disclosed, however, unintentional downloads and installations usually happen only when people allow them to. I.e., when they leave settings unchecked and unchanged.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Unwanted installations and downloads can be avoided. Download software from official websites and using direct links. Do not use download channels such as Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule, and so on), unofficial websites, third party downloaders, and other dubious sources. These tools are usually monetized by promoting unwanted applications.

Furthermore, software should be installed correctly. Check all available settings ("Advanced", Custom", and so on), deselect suggestions to install/download additional (unwanted) software and only then finish downloading or installing software. Intrusive ads displayed on dubious, unofficial websites cannot be trusted.

When clicked they often cause redirects to potentially malicious websites such as pornography, adult dating, gambling, and others. If ads of this type appear or redirects to dubious websites occur regularly, this could be happening due to installed PUAs. Check installed browser apps (extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins) and remove all suspicious, unwanted entries immediately.

Additionally, check installed programs on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Screenshot of PDF King installer promoting search.margamish.com:

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

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

search.margamish.com redirect removal:

Remove search.margamish.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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