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How to remove SmartSearchQuest adware?

Also Known As: Ads by SmartSearchQuest
Type: Mac Virus
Damage level: Medium

What type of application is SmartSearchQuest?

SmartSearchQuest is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) that has two purposes: to display advertisements and hijack a web browser/promote a fake search engine. It hijacks a browser by changing its settings. SmartSearchQuest is distributed via a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

SmartSearchQuest adware

SmartSearchQuest adware in detail

SmartSearchQuest can generate advertisements (for example, pop-ups, banners) designed to promote untrustworthy pages. Those pages can be used to trick visitors into providing personal information, downloading (and installing) PUAs, and for other purposes. Ads displayed by SmartSearchQuest also might cause unwanted downloads or even installations.

SmartSearchQuest promotes a fake search engine by making it as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab page. It also does not allow users to remove that fake search engine from the browser's settings. Fake search engines cannot be trusted - they can be used as tools to promote shady web pages.

Threat Summary:
Name Ads by SmartSearchQuest
Threat Type Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names N/A
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.

More details about SmartSearchQuest

Additionally, SmartSearchQuest might be capable of accessing and collecting various data, for example, visited pages, credit card details, passwords. Either way, this application cannot be trusted. There are many examples of similar apps. Some of them are UpgradeSearchView, SearchMultiplyResults, and CleanSearch.

How did SmartSearchQuest install on my computer?

SmartSearchQuest is distributed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer. Usually, fake installers are promoted using deceptive websites claiming that a computer is infected, installed software is out of date, and so on. It is important to mention that fake installers can be malicious.

Apps like SmartSearchQuest can also be distributed through certain advertisements and downloaders, installers for other programs. In the second case, users download or install unwanted apps when they do not change "Advanced", "Custom", or similar settings available in downloaders or installers.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Avoid clicking on ads that questionable pages have on them and using unofficial pages or other unreliable sources for downloading files, programs. Also, do not download or install programs without checking their downloaders or installers for potentially unwanted applications.

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

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

  • ~/Library/Application Support/com.SmartSearchQuest/SmartSearchQuest
  • ~/Library/Application Support/com.SmartSearchQuestDaemon/SmartSearchQuest
  • ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.SmartSearchQuest.plist
  • ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.SmartSearchQuestDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote the SmartSearchQuest 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 (Dock) and select "Profiles".

Remove malicious profiles added by SmartSearchQuest (step 1)

2) Locate all suspicious profiles and delete them.

Remove malicious profiles added by SmartSearchQuest (step 2)

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/browser hijacker.

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:

Video showing how to remove SmartSearchQuest adware using Combo Cleaner:

SmartSearchQuest adware removal:

Remove SmartSearchQuest-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

mac browser hijacker removal from 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

Mac Go To Folder step

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

Mac removing related files and folders - step 1Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

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.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 2Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 2

In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 3Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

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.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 4Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 1

In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 2

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.

Mac removing malware related files and folders - step 5Scan 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.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 1

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.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 2

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Safari iconRemove malicious Safari extensions:

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 1

Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 2

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.

Google Chrome logoRemove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 1

Click the Chrome menu icon Google 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".

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 2

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

Mozilla Firefox logoRemove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 1

Click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (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".

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 2

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What harm can adware cause?

Adware can affect computer performance, web browsing experience. It also can be the reason behind problems related to online privacy, browsing safety.

What does adware do?

The main purpose of adware is to generate revenue for its developer by displaying ads. Also, software of this type can change the browser's settings and collect various data.

How do adware developers generate revenue?

Most advertising-supported programs are used to promote various websites, products, services, etc. Usually, their developers use affiliate programs for that.

Will Combo Cleaner remove SmartSearchQuest adware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan your computer and eliminate SmartSearchQuest or other adware-type applications. It is recommended to eliminate adware using specialized software. Manual removal might not be enough - some of the adware components might still be present and running even after its removal.

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Removal Instructions in other languages
Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

QR Code
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