Stop browsers from opening the searchtown.net web address

What is searchtown.net?

searchtown.net is a fake search engine promoted through a potentially unwanted application (PUA), a browser hijacker called Patriot PDF Converter.

Generally, browser hijackers promote fake search engines by changing browser settings. Additionally, these PUAs are often designed to gather information relating to users. In most cases, people download and install browser hijackers and other PUAs unintentionally.

Most browser hijackers can be installed on browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. They change settings such as the homepage, default search engine, and new tab URL, however, they might also be designed to change other settings. In this case, Patriot PDF Converter assigns them to searchtown.net.

Therefore, users of hijacked browsers are forced to visit searchtown.net when they open browsers, new tabs, or enter search queries into the URL bar. The only way to undo the appointed settings is to uninstall Patriot PDF Converter, otherwise it will reassign settings immediately after any attempts to modify them.

Furthermore, browser hijackers and fake search engines collect details such as users' IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited websites, and so on. They might also record personal, sensitive information. Developers usually share the information with other people (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

Thus, having a browser hijacker installed and using fake search engines can lead to problems relating to browsing safety, online privacy, or even identity theft. You are strongly advised to uninstall Patriot PDF Converter and other browser hijackers. In addition, never use fake search engines.

Threat Summary:

Name	Patriot PDF Converter browser hijacker
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names (searchtown.net)	Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (searchtown.net)	141.8.225.124
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.

Other examples of apps classified as browser hijackers include File Converter Master, Wiz Convert, and Margamish. Unfortunately, there are many more apps of this type that promote fake search engines and gather browsing-related (and possibly other) information.

Typically, developers advertise them as useful applications, however, most do not operate as promised and simply help developers and other parties to generate revenue.

How did searchtown.net install on my computer?

Typically, potentially unwanted applications are installed without users' knowledge through clicked intrusive ads or together with other software. To trick users into downloading or installing potentially unwanted applications with other programs, developers use a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - they include PUAs into the set-ups of other software.

Typically, information about the inclusion of these unwanted apps is hidden in settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar sections. People who download or install software without checking these settings often give PUAs permission to be installed with regular software by default.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Download software from official websites and via direct download links. Do not use third party software downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrent clients, eMule, dubious websites, or other similar sources/channels.

Set-ups that contain settings such as "Advanced", "Custom" should be studied carefully - if they contain offers to download or install unwanted apps, dismiss them before finishing the download or installation process. Furthermore, many intrusive ads redirect to potentially malicious or untrustworthy websites.

These ads are often displayed on sites relating to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on. If unwanted ads appear often or the browser opens dubious web pages automatically, remove all unwanted/unknown extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins. Additionally, apply this to software of this kind installed 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.

Website promoting Patriot PDF Converter browser hijacker:

Patriot PDF Converter installed on Google Chrome:

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 searchtown.net?
• STEP 1. Remove Patriot PDF Converter related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove searchtown.net redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove Patriot PDF Converter browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove searchtown.net homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove unwanted applications that promote searchtown.net using Combo Cleaner:

searchtown.net redirect removal:

Remove searchtown.net-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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