How to uninstall TechFunctionSearch adware

What is TechFunctionSearch?

TechFunctionSearch is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) which functions both as adware and a browser hijacker. It feeds users with advertisements and promotes the address of a fake search engine by changing browser settings. Note that this app is distributed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

Typically, people download and install apps that are distributed in this way inadvertently. Furthermore, most PUAs such as TechFunctionSearch often track and record information.

Generally, installed adware generates revenue for developers by serving advertisements. Some examples of ads that apps of this type display are banners, coupons, pop-ups and surveys.

When clicked, these often open dubious pages. In some cases, they cause download/installation of PUAs by executing certain scripts, however, this is not the only problem with TechFunctionSearch and other apps of this type. The app hijacks browsers by modifying settings.

Typically, browser hijackers assign the address of the homepage, default search engine and new tab to the address of a fake search engine. Therefore, users are forced to open this address when they open a browser, new tab or enter search queries into the URL bar.

Note that TechFunctionSearch might be designed to prevent users from undoing the changes made to browser settings. The only solution is to uninstall this PUA. TechFunctionSearch might also collect browsing-related (and other) data. For example, IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages.

It might also be capable of collecting personal, sensitive details. The information is sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue other ways. As mentioned, TechFunctionSearch is distributed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

Commonly, such installers are used to distribute PUAs (browser hijackers, adware, etc.) and also malicious programs such as Trojans, ransomware and other malware.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by TechFunctionSearch
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), AVG (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/TrojanDownloader.Adload.AE), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Cimpli.k), 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.

TechFunctionSearch is virtually identical to a number of other adware-type apps including, for example, TechBoardSearch, WebAssistSearch and GlobalDeskSearch. These apps generate revenue for developers by serving ads, promoting certain web addresses and/or gathering data.

They are useless and can cause problems relating to online privacy and browsing safety. Some of their users might even become victims of identity theft. Therefore, never trust TechFunctionSearch or other, similar apps. If it is installed on the browser and/or operating system, remove it immediately.

How did TechFunctionSearch install on my computer?

TechFunctionSearch is distributed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer. Therefore, people who use this app to install and/or update Flash Player end up installing TechFunctionSearch instead. PUAs are often distributed through the download and/or installation set-ups of other programs.

This distribution method is called "bundling". Developers include PUAs into set-ups as 'additional offers' and hope that people fail to decline them. In most cases, these offers can be dismiss through "Advanced", "Custom" or other settings, however, many users do not even check these settings, thereby agreeing by default to download and install rogue apps.

In some cases these unwanted downloads and installations are caused by clicking dubious ads that execute certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to download programs and files from official websites and via direct links. It is not safe to use other sources/channels such as third party downloaders/installers, unofficial pages, or Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., eMule, torrent clients) to download or install software, since they are often used to distribute unwanted, potentially malicious software.

Check all "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings, and decline offers to download or install additionally-included unwanted apps. Do not click ads on dubious pages, since these can lead to other websites of this kind and might cause unwanted downloads/installations.

Remove all unwanted, suspicious extensions, plug-ins and add-ons installed on the browser, and software of this kind installed on the computer/operating system immediately. If your computer is already infected with TechFunctionSearch, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Files related to TechFunctionSearch adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.TechFunctionSearch/TechFunctionSearch
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.TechFunctionSearchDaemon/TechFunctionSearch
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.TechFunctionSearch.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.TechFunctionSearchDaemon.plist

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

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

TechFunctionSearch adware removal:

Remove TechFunctionSearch-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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