How to remove OriginalEngineSearch adware from the operating system

What is OriginalEngineSearch?

OriginalEngineSearchn is an adware-type application with browser hijacker traits. Following successful installation, it runs intrusive advertisement campaigns and makes alterations to browser settings to promote fake search engines. Most apps of this type (adware and browser hijackers) have data tracking capabilities, which are employed to monitor browsing activity.

Due to the dubious techniques used to proliferate OriginalEngineSearch, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). One of these distribution methods is via fake Adobe Flash Player updaters. Note that bogus software updaters and installers are not used to proliferate PUAs exclusively, they also spread Trojans, ransomware and other malware.

Adware delivers pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys and other intrusive advertisements, typically, by enabling their placement on any visited website. These ads overlay web page content and restrict browsing speed. When clicked, intrusive ads redirect to various dubious/dangerous sites and some can even stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs).

Browser hijackers reassign the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of fake search engines. Therefore, with this software installed, each new browser tab/window opened and search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the promoted address.

Rogue search engines are usually unable to provide unique results, and so they redirect to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other legitimate sites. Furthermore, browser hijackers can deny access to browser settings and/or undo any permitted changes made, thereby making recovery of the browser impossible without removal of the software affecting it.

As mentioned, most PUAs can track data. They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather sensitive information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). The collected data is likely to contain personally identifiable information.

Furthermore, PUA developers monetize this information by sharing it with and/or selling it to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). To summarize, the presence of unwanted apps on devices can result in system infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.

To protect device integrity and user safety, all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be eliminated immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by OriginalEngineSearch
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), DrWeb (Adware.Mac.Loader.17), 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.

OperativeFraction, AdjustableSkill and UpdateFilter are some examples of other adware-type applications. They may seem normal and useful, and users are lured into download/installation with a wide variety of "useful"  functionality, however, the features promised are seldom operational.

This is true of most PUAs. The only purpose of this unwanted software is to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than delivering any real value, PUAs run intrusive ad campaigns, hijack browsers, cause redirects and track private data.

How did OriginalEngineSearch install on my computer?

PUAs are distributed through the download/installation set-ups of other products. This highly dubious marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling". Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content into the system.

Some PUAs have "official" download web pages. Intrusive ads also proliferate these applications. When clicked, the advertisements can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research all products before download/installation and/or purchase. All downloads must be done from official and verified sources. Untrusted channels such as unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and/or bundled content.

When downloading/installing, you are advised to read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive ads may seem legitimate, however, they can redirect to dubious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

If you encounter these ads/redirects, inspect the system and remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately. If your computer is already infected with OriginalEngineSearch, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Files related to the OriginalEngineSearch adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.OriginalEngineSearch/OriginalEngineSearch
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.OriginalEngineSearchDaemon/OriginalEngineSearch
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.OriginalEngineSearch.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.OriginalEngineSearchDaemon.plist

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

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

OriginalEngineSearch adware removal:

Remove OriginalEngineSearch-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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