How to uninstall SearchUp adware from your operating system

What is SearchUp?

SearchUp is a rogue application belonging to the Pirrit adware family. Following successful infiltration, it runs intrusive advertisement campaigns. I.e., this app delivers various misleading and possibly dangerous ads. SearchUp also has data tracking capabilities that are used to collect system/personal information.

Additionally, many examples of this software have browser hijacker characteristics, and this is likely to be the case with SearchUp. Due to the dubious techniques used to proliferate this adware, it is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Adware enables the placement of pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys and other intrusive advertisements, typically on any visited website. The delivered ads diminish the browsing experience, as they overlay web page content and reduce browsing speed. Furthermore, these ads pose a threat to device/user safety. When clicked, intrusive advertisements can redirect to various dubious/malicious sites and some can even stealthily download/install software (e.g. PUAs).

SearchUp might cause redirects to various dubious websites, as some adware-type programs operate in this manner. They can force-open harmful sites and/or modify browser settings to promote fake search engines. Applications that cause redirects to fake search engines are categorized as browser hijackers. With this software installed, each new tab/window opened and search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the address of the promoted search engine.

In addition, bogus search engines are rarely able to provide search results, and so they tend to redirect to Google, Bing, Yahoo and other genuine sites. As mentioned, SearchUp can track data. It monitors and collects information relating to the infiltrated system, users' browsing activity and their personally identifiable details. PUA developers monetize such information by sharing it with and/or selling it to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

In summary, the presence of unwanted software on devices can result in system infections, serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To ensure device integrity and user safety, all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be removed immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by SearchUp
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Pirrit-CB [Adw]), BitDefender (Adware.MAC.Pirrit.KN), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/Adware.Pirrit.BM), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Pirrit.ac), Full List (VirusTotal).
Rogue Process Name	SearchUp1, SearchUp2, SearchUp3, SearchUp4, SearchUp5, etc.
Additional Information	This application belongs to the Pirrit 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.

InitialSkill, GeneralChannelSearch, GuideRecord and CleanParameter are some examples of other adware-type apps. They may seem legitimate and harmless, and users are lured into download/installation with offers of various "useful" functionality, however, these functions seldom work as advertised and, in most cases, do not work at all.

In fact, this is true of most PUAs. The only purpose of this unwanted software is to generate revenue for the developers. PUAs run intrusive ad campaigns, force-open untrusted and malicious websites, hijack browsers, and collect sensitive and private information.

How did SearchUp install on my computer?

Browser hijackers, adware-type apps, and other types of PUAs are commonly distributed by integrating them into the download and/or installation set-ups of other programs, so that a proportion of users inadvertently download and install them together with their chosen software. This distribution method is known as "bundling". Offers to download and install additionally-included apps usually appear in "Advanced", "Custom" and other settings of the set-ups (where they can usually be declined). Many users fail to check and change these settings, thereby granting permission for PUAs to be downloaded and installed by default.

In addition, unwanted downloads and installations are sometimes caused by clicking deceptive advertisements capable of executing certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

You are advised to research all software before download/installation. Use only official and verified download channels. Unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule), and other third party downloaders commonly offer harmful and bundled content, and are therefore untrusted and should be avoided.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, however, they can redirect to dubious and malicious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and many others). If you encounter ads or redirects of this kind, inspect the system and remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately.

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

SearchUp adware asking permission for full disk access:

SearchUp adware drops its files into these folders:

• ~/Library/LaunchAgents
• /Library/LaunchDaemons
• /Library/LaunchAgents

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

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

SearchUp adware removal:

Remove SearchUp-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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