Search.portsayd.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.portsayd.com?

Search.portsayd.com is a rogue Internet search engine identical to a number of other bogus sites such as search.opinteks.com, search.lexside.com, and search.tragiclivs.com. The appearance of this website is similar to Google, Bing, and many others. Therefore, users often believe that search.portsayd.com is legitimate. 

In fact, this site is promoted using dubious 'installer set-ups' that stealthily modify Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome browser settings without users' permission. Furthermore, search.portsayd.com continually monitors browsing activity by gathering various user/system information.

After the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL browser settings are assigned to search.portsayd.com, several 'helper objects' (browser add-ons and/or apps) are installed to automatically reassign the settings to search.portsayd.com when attempts are made to change them.

Thus, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible. Users are continually redirected to search.portsayd.com against their will, significantly diminishing the Internet browsing experience. Furthermore, research shows that search.portsayd.com gathers search queries, URLs visited, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (to determine geo-location), and other similar information that might be personally identifiable.

The developers of this site share collected data with third parties who misuse personal data to generate revenue. Thus, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues. If you are continually redirected to search.portsayd.com, remove all suspicious applications and never visit this site again.

There are many fake Internet search engines also claiming to enhance the Internet browsing experience. Websites such as search.portsayd.com provide no real value for users. The actual purpose of these sites is to generate revenue for the developers - they simply cause unwanted browser redirects, track Internet browsing activity, and deliver intrusive online advertisements.

How did search.portsayd.com install on my computer?

Developers promote search.portsayd.com using a deceptive software marketing method called 'bundling' (stealth installation of third party apps with regular software/apps). The details regarding modification of browser settings are concealed within the 'Custom/Advanced' download or installation section. Thus, by skipping this section, users often allow set-ups to perform various modifications.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

This situation can be prevented by taking two simple steps. Firstly, never rush when downloading and installing apps - closely analyze these procedures using the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings. Secondly, never accept offers to install third party programs and do not allow set-ups to perform modifications that are irrelevant or suspicious.

Website promoting search.portsayd.com:

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Quick menu:

• What is search.portsayd.com?
• STEP 1. Remove search.portsayd.com related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove search.portsayd.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove search.portsayd.com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search.portsayd.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

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

Search.portsayd.com redirect removal:

Remove search.portsayd.com 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 browser hijacker-related files and folders

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

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove browser hijackers from Internet browsers

Remove Safari browser hijackers:

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.

Change your homepage:

In the "Preferences" window, select the "General" tab. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage field. You can also click the "Set to Current Page" button if you wish to set your homepage to the website you are currently visiting.

Change your default search engine:

In the "Preferences" window, select the "Search" tab. Here you will find a drop-down menu labeled "Search engine:" Simply select your preferred search engine from the drop-down list.

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

Remove Google Chrome browser hijackers:

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".

Change your homepage

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable the malicious extension (if present), look for a browser hijacker URL below the "Open a specific or set of pages" option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select "Remove".

Change your default search engine:

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list look for a browser hijacker URL, when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".

• 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".

Change your homepage

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable malicious extension (if present), remove the browser hijacker URL and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

In the URL address bar, type "about:config" and press Enter. Click "Accept the Risk and Continue".

In the search filter at the top, type: "extensionControlled". Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

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

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