My-search.site Redirect (Mac)

What is my-search.site?

Identical to geofoxip.com and io-search.com, my-search.site is a fake search engine that claims to enhance the browsing experience by providing quick access to popular websites and generating improved results.

Judging on appearance alone, my-search.site may seem legitimate and useful, however, developers promote this site using rogue download/installation set-ups that modify browser options without users' consent. Additionally, my-search.site records various information relating to browsing habits and can generate results leading to dubious websites.

Rogue set-ups usually target the most popular web browsers such as Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Following successful infiltration, set-ups modify the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage options by assigning them to my-search.site.

These changes may seem insignificant, and yet users are unable to revert them - set-ups also install so-called "helper objects" (third party extensions or browser plug-ins), which disable access to browser settings or reassign them when changes are attempted.

Therefore, as long as "helper objects" are present, returning browsers to their previous states is impossible and users are forced to visit my-search.site When they open a new browser tab/window or search via the URL bar. This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience.

Note also that "helper objects" and my-search.site continually gather IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other similar data relating to browsing activity. Recorded data usually includes personal details, that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

These people generate revenue by misusing private information. Therefore, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues, including identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	my-search.site browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser hijacker, Fake search engine, Mac malware, Mac virus
Serving IP Address	104.24.121.81
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious 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.

All fake search engines are similar. By offering improved search results and other useful features, they attempt to give the impression of legitimacy and trick users to install, however, the only purpose of these sites is to generate revenue for the developers.

Rather than giving any real value for regular users, fake search engines cause unwanted redirects, gather information, and deliver intrusive advertisements and false search results (most of which redirect to other dubious/malicious websites).

How did my-search.site install on my computer?

As mentioned above, my-search.site is promoted using rogue downloaders/installers. This method is called "bundling". Developers are aware that many users rush download/installation processes and skip steps. Therefore, all details regarding modification of browser settings are hidden behind "Custom/Advanced" options (or other sections) of these procedures.

Potentially unwanted applications are also distributed using an identical method. Therefore, by rushing and skipping steps, many users grant set-ups permission to modify browser options, 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 browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Carefully analyze each step of the download/installation processes using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Opt-out of additionally-included programs and never allow set-ups to perform any changes.

You are also advised to download software from official sources only, using direct download links. Third party downloaders/installers often include rogue apps, and thus using these tools is risky. Furthermore, unwanted apps are often distributed using intrusive advertisements.

Developers invest many resources into intrusive ad design, and thus most seem legitimate.

Once clicked, however, they redirect to dubious websites. If you experience these redirects, 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.

My-search.site generating questionable search results alongside with a number of intrusive advertisements (GIF):

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

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

my-search.site redirect removal:

Remove my-search.site-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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