How to remove VirtualToolboxSearch adware from the operating system

What is VirtualToolboxSearch?

Belonging to the AdLoad adware family, VirtualToolboxSearch is a rogue application that runs intrusive ad campaigns (i.e., deploys various annoying and harmful advertisements). Additionally, most adware-type apps have data tracking capabilities, which are employed to monitor users' browsing habits.

This application also contains browser hijacker functions: browser modification and promotion of fake search engines. VirtualToolboxSearch is also categorized as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA) due to its dubious proliferation methods. For example, it has been promoted via bogus Flash Player updates.

Note that fake software updaters are often used to infiltrate PUAs into systems and infect them with malware (e.g. ransomware, trojans, etc.).

VirtualToolboxSearch adware delivers various intrusive advertisements such as pop-ups, surveys, banners, coupons and many others. These significantly diminish the browsing experience, as they limit browsing speed and website visibility (i.e., overlay web page content).

Furthermore, when intrusive ads are clicked they can redirect to sale-based, untrusted/rogue, compromised, deceptive/scam and malicious sites. These ads can also be triggered (by clicking) to execute scripts that stealthily download/install software (e.g. PUAs).

VirtualToolboxSearch shares traits with other browser hijackers, which assign the addresses of their fake search engines as the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs. Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to a bogus search engine.

Few of these fake searching tools can provide unique results, and so they redirect to legitimate sites (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.). These changes may seem minor and relatively easy to undo, but this is not the case - access to the browser settings can be restricted/denied and any permitted changes made, automatically reset.

To recover the hijacked browser it is necessary to remove the software responsible. Most PUAs (adware and browser hijackers included) can track data. They can record browsing activity (browsing and search engine histories) and gather users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

This sensitive data is shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) seeking to misuse it for financial gain. In summary, the presence of PUAs on systems can lead to various infiltration and infections, serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft.

To ensure device and user safety, you are advised to eliminate all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Symptoms

Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by VirtualToolboxSearch
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Adware.MAC.AdLoad.1), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/TrojanDownloader.Adload.AE), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Cimpli.d), Full List (VirusTotal)
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.

MajorChannelSearch, PanelStart, UtilityParse and UpgradeSearchSystem are some examples of other adware infections. Apps within this classification typically seem legitimate and entice users into download/installation with offers of "useful" features, however, they are rarely operational.

Even if they do work, it is not as promised. In fact, this applies to all PUAs. These unwanted applications are designed simply to generate profit for the developers - rather than operating as advertised, PUAs run intrusive ad campaigns, cause redirects to untrusted and malicious web pages, hijack browsers and collect vulnerable data.

How did VirtualToolboxSearch install on my computer?

VirtualToolboxSearch can be installed through fake Flash Player updaters, which are commonly promoted by deceptive/scam pages, however, PUAs have several popular proliferation methods. They can also be downloaded/installed together with other software via "bundling", a deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing normal products with unwanted or malicious additions.

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, using presets, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content onto systems. Some PUAs have "official" download sites. Intrusive ads also proliferate these apps. When clicked, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All products should be researched, prior to download/installation or purchase. Use official and verified download channels. Free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule, etc.) and other third party downloaders are untrusted and should be avoided.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, functions and so on. Software should be updated only with tools/functions provided by genuine developers.

Intrusive advertisements often seem legitimate and harmless, however, they redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. pornography, adult-dating, gambling, etc.). If you experience these ads/redirects, check the system and immediately remove all dubious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins.

If your computer is already infected with VirtualToolboxSearch, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Files related to VirtualToolboxSearch adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.VirtualToolboxSearch/VirtualToolboxSearch
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.VirtualToolboxSearchDaemon/VirtualToolboxSearch
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.VirtualToolboxSearch.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.VirtualToolboxSearchDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote VirtualToolboxSearch adware are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:

1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles".

2) Select the "VirtualToolboxSearch" profile and delete it.

3) Perform a full system scan with Combo Cleaner anti-virus suite.

After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for the VirtualToolboxSearch adware.

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 VirtualToolboxSearch?
• STEP 1. Remove VirtualToolboxSearch related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove VirtualToolboxSearch ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove VirtualToolboxSearch adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove VirtualToolboxSearch ads from Mozilla Firefox.

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

VirtualToolboxSearch adware removal:

Remove VirtualToolboxSearch-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 adware-related files and folders

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware 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 adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware 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 adware 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 adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware 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 adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Remove malicious Safari extensions:

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.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

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".

• 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".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

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