How to uninstall TechAdviseSearch adware

What is TechAdviseSearch?

TechAdviseSearch is designed to operate as adware and a browser hijacker. It displays various advertisements and promotes a fake search engine by changing browser settings. Applications of this type are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), since people tend to download and install them inadvertently.

In this particular case, it is very likely that most users install TechAdviseSearch through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

Examples of advertisements that adware-type apps such as TechAdviseSearch serve include coupons, banners, pop-ups, surveys and others. Commonly, these ads open dubious web pages and sometimes execute scripts designed to download and install unwanted, potentially malicious apps.

Since TechAdviseSearch promotes a fake search engine, it sets its associated address as the URL of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab. In this way, it hijacks the browser. Typically, fake search engines do not generate unique results - they simply display results generated by other search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo, Bing).

Some fake search engines generate misleading results. In any case, they should never be used. Furthermore, adware-type applications and browser hijackers often collect browsing data. For example, addresses of visited pages, entered search queries, geolocations, IP addresses, and other data of this kind.

Some PUAs can access and record private, sensitive information. The information could be sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) or misused to generate revenue in other ways. Research shows that TechAdviseSearch is distributed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

Note that these installers are used to distribute PUAs and malicious programs such as ransomware, Trojans.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by TechAdviseSearch
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).
Additional Information	This application belongs to the Adload malware family.
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.

There are many apps similar to TechAdviseSearch. Examples include SmartSignalSearch, ActivelySearch and ExclusiveAction. In most cases, they feed people with advertisements and often track information. PUAs deliver no real value and can be the reason behind problems relating to online privacy, browsing safety, and even identity theft.

Therefore, never trust TechAdviseSearch or other adware, especially when such apps are distributed through fake/rogue installers.

How did TechAdviseSearch install on my computer?

In many cases, people download and install PUAs by clicking deceptive advertisements that execute certain scripts, or when developers distribute PUAs by including them into the download/installation setups. This distribution method is called "bundling" and is used to trick people into downloading and installing PUAs together with regular software.

Developers include PUAs into various set-ups and present them as 'additional offers', which are generally mentioned in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings. When software is downloaded and installed without checking those settings, PUAs are likely to also be downloaded and installed.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Programs and files should not be downloaded from unofficial websites, through Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule, and so on), via third party downloaders, installed through third party installers, etc. The only safe and proper way to download software is using official websites.

Furthermore, download and installation set-ups often contain settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", etc. Generally, these settings include offers to download and install additional, unwanted software. Therefore, check the settings and decline offers to download or install unwanted applications.

Do not click intrusive ads, especially if they are displayed on dubious web pages. They can lead to other dubious websites or cause unwanted downloads and installations. Typically, unwanted ads and redirects can be prevented by removing all unwanted extensions, plug-ins and add-ons from the browser, and programs of this kind from the operating system.

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

Files related to TechAdviseSearch adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.TechAdviseSearch/TechAdviseSearch
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.TechAdviseSearchDaemon/TechAdviseSearch
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.TechAdviseSearch.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.TechAdviseSearchDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote TechAdviseSearch 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 "TechAdviseSearch" 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 this 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 TechAdviseSearch?
• STEP 1. Remove TechAdviseSearch related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove TechAdviseSearch ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove TechAdviseSearch adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove TechAdviseSearch ads from Mozilla Firefox.

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

TechAdviseSearch adware removal:

Remove TechAdviseSearch-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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