Search.cucumberhead.com Redirect (Mac)

What is search.cucumberhead.com?

Search.cucumberhead.com is a fake Internet search engine identical to a number of other bogus websites such as search.youppes.com, search.smacklek.com, and search.jakecares.com. 

Initially, this site may seem legitimate, however, developers promote search.cucumberhead.com using rogue installation set-ups that modify browser settings without users' consent. Furthermore, this website gathers various information relating to Internet browsing activity.

Dubious installers modify the Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome new tab URL, homepage, and default search engine browser settings by assigning them to search.cucumberhead.com. 'Helper objects' (third party apps/browser extensions) are then installed to prevent users from rolling back these changes.

Helper objects automatically reassign settings when attempts are made to change them and, thus, users are unable to return browsers to their previous states. Therefore, users continually encounter unwanted browser redirects, significantly diminishing the web browsing experience.

Furthermore, search.cucumberhead.com continually records information regarding users' web browsing activity including, for example, URLs visited, search queries, pages viewed, and so on. Some of this data may be personally identifiable, which the developers of this bogus site share with third parties (who misuse private data to generate revenue).

Data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. If you continually encounter unwanted browser redirects to search.cucumberhead.com, uninstall all recently-installed apps and never visit this site again.

search.cucumberhead.com is identical to the above websites, and also very similar to hundreds of other fake Internet search engines such as tabnewsearch.com, walasearch.com, and search.mysafetabssearch.com. These sites also claim to be legitimate, however, none improve the web browsing experience.

Fake Internet search engines are designed only to generate revenue for the developers - they deliver no real value for users. These websites continually gather private data and cause unwanted browser redirects. Some also generate intrusive online ads.

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

search.cucumberhead.com is promoted via dubious 'installer set-ups' designed to stealthily modify browser settings without users' permission. Developers hide all modification details within the 'Custom/Advanced' settings of the download or installation procedures. Many users skip this section, thereby inadvertently granting set-ups permission to modify various settings.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

There are two main steps you should take to prevent this situation. Firstly, never rush when downloading and installing software. Use the 'Custom/Advanced' settings and closely analyze each step. Secondly, opt-out of all additionally-included programs and never allow set-ups to make modifications to your settings that seem irrelevant to the installation.

Website promoting search.cucumberhead.com:

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Quick menu:

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

Video showing how to remove browser redirects to search.cucumberhead.com using Combo Cleaner:

Search.cucumberhead.com redirect removal:

Remove search.cucumberhead.com-related potentially unwanted applications from the "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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