How To Remove Search.locatorunit.com

Effective Guidelines To Delete Search.locatorunit.com

Search.locatorunit.com is discovered as a new browser hijacker or redirect virus that may affect your online sessions. Being more precise to this specific name, the Search.locatorunit.com is just developed to affect computers running Mac OS based computers, and is prone to display various sponsored contents through browsers while browsing the web. Although, such impacts may seem not enough harmful for computers in real time, still it can be extremely annoying and may lead to sever consequences if remains untreated for long time. To learn more about the infection and how to remove Search.locatorunit.com from a compromised system, keep reading this article over here.

Threat Summary

Name: Search.locatorunit.com
Type: Adware, pop up virus for Mac
Description: Search.locatorunit.com is found as another new vicious infection that may trouble you throughout the web sessions, and is mainly prone to promote fake search engine and sponsored contents.
Distribution: Bundled freeware or shareware applications, malicious file downloasd, spam or junk email attachments
Removal: In order to remove Search.locatorunit.com along with all its associated files, processes, and leftovers, we suggest you to follow methods discussed below.

What is Search.locatorunit.com?

Researchers have to say Search.locatorunit.com is just an address of a fake searchg engine or a website which seem probably identical to legitimate search engines. However, it’s technically just a vicious browser hijacker or redirect virus which is mainly developed by malware authors to do promotions of sposnored contents over infected browsers, and specially over Mac OS based platforms. In most of the cases, the adware or browser hijackers are installed by users without their intention and mostly through third party installer packages, software updates, malicious links or ads, and so on. This is why, Search.locatorunit.com can also be referred as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program), which should be treated sooner, once identified.

As already known, browser hijacker applications like Search.locatorunit.com are just made to promote fake search engines. Getting installed, the hijacker changes a number of internal settings in browsers like default address of homepage, new tab, and search engine defaults without any prior notice. Means the victims having their system infected by Search.locatorunit.com, are expected to see unintentional web addresses to be assigned as browser defaults which may affect their search queries. While searching through the same, user may notice the SERP powered by yahoo.com, that seems to be reliable, but brings mostly links of shady online sources. Even eruption of pop ups or banners may disrupt frequent online sessions throughout the day.

According to many researchers, Search.locatorunit.com or similar adware are considered as more hectic infection for users not only because of affecting online sessions through redirects or pop up eruption. But, also, this redirect virus can track and record various data or inputs from computer and may spread them over web for being misused. In such instances, the victims may lose their personal values to hackers like IP addresses, login credentials, bank credentials, financial card information, and many more. To prevent such things to happen in real time, it’s quite necessary to detect and remove Search.locatorunit.com from computers as soon as possible.

How Search.locatorunit.com get installed and how it should be treated?

Adware or browser hijackers are mostly designed to promote some associated vicious online sources, so does Search.locatorunit.com as well. This is why the criminals use to promote this page through various deceptive marketing measures under which the Mac users are tricked to download and install some executable object, and execute them on their system. Once the file is executed, the hidden malicious code runs in system background to configure Search.locatorunit.com as default browser settings. The same can be seen with all active browser variants if installed on Mac, and may trouble users later on while they attempt to make internnet connectivity sessions. If you are having bad time with Mac system infected by Search.locatorunit.com, we highly suggest you to remove Search.locatorunit.com completely with the guidelines discussed.

Remove Files and Folders Related to Search.locatorunit.com

Open the “Menu” bar and click the “Finder” icon. Select “Go” and click on “Go to Folder…”

Step 1: Search the suspicious and doubtful malware generated files in /Library/LaunchAgents folder

Type /Library/LaunchAgents in the “Go to Folder” option

In the “Launch Agent” folder, search for all the files that you have recently downloaded and move them to “Trash”. Few of the examples of files created by browser-hijacker or adware are as follow, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.Itvbit.plist”, installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, and “kuklorest.update.plist” and so on.

Step 2: Detect and remove the files generated by the adware in “/Library/Application” Support folder

In the “Go to Folder..bar”, type “/Library/Application Support”

Search for any suspicious newly added folders in “Application Support” folder. If you detect any one of these like “NicePlayer” or “MPlayerX” then send them to “Trash” folder.

Step 3: Look for the files generated by malware in /Library/LaunchAgent Folder:

Go to Folder bar and type /Library/LaunchAgents

You are in the “LaunchAgents” folder. Here, you have to search for all the newly added files and move them to “Trash” if you find them suspicious. Some of the examples of suspicious files generated by malware are “myppes.download.plist”, “installmac.AppRemoved.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist” and so on.

Step4: Go to /Library/LaunchDaemons Folder and search for the files created by malware

Type /Library/LaunchDaemons in the “Go To Folder” option

In the newly opened “LaunchDaemons” folder, search for any recently added suspicious files and move them to “Trash”. Examples of some of the suspicious files are “com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preference.plist”, “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist” and so on.

Step 5: Use Combo Cleaner Anti-Malware and Scan your Mac PC

The malware infections could be removed from the Mac PC if you execute all the steps mentioned above in the correct way. However, it is always advised to be sure that your PC is not infected. It is suggested to scan the work-station with “Combo Cleaner Anti-virus”.

Once the file gets downloaded, double click on combocleaner.dmg installer in the newly opened window. Next is to open the “Launchpad” and press on “Combo Cleaner” icon. It is advised to wait until “Combo Cleaner” updates the latest definition for malware detection. Click on “Start Combo Scan” button.

A depth scan of your Mac PC will be executed in order to detect malware. If the Anti-virus scan report says “no threat found” then you can continue with guide further. On the other hand, it is recommended to delete the detected malware infection before continuing.

Now the files and folders created by the adware is removed, you have to remove the rogue extensions from the browsers.

Remove Search.locatorunit.com from Internet Browsers

Delete Doubtful and Malicious Extension from Safari

Go to “Menu Bar” and open “Safari” browser. Select “Safari” and then “Preferences”

In the opened “preferences” window, select “Extensions” that you have recently installed. All such extensions should be detected and click the “Uninstall” button next to it. If you are doubtful then you can remove all the extensions from “Safari” browser as none of them are important for smooth functionality of the browser.

In case if you continue facing unwanted webpage redirections or aggressive advertisements bombarding, you can reset the “Safari” browser.

“Reset Safari”

Open the Safari menu and choose “preferences…” from the drop-down menu.

Go to the “Extension” tab and set the extension slider to “Off” position. This disables all the installed extensions in the Safari browser

Next step is to check the homepage. Go to “Preferences…” option and choose “General” tab. Change the homepage to your preferred URL.

Also check the default search-engine provider settings. Go to “Preferences…” window and select the “Search” tab and select the search-engine provider that you want such as “Google”.

Next is to clear the Safari browser Cache- Go to “Preferences…” window and select “Advanced” tab and click on “Show develop menu in the menu bar.“

Go to “Develop” menu and select “Empty Caches”.

Remove website data and browsing history. Go to “Safari” menu and select “Clear History and Website Data”. Choose “all history” and then click on “Clear History”.

Remove Unwanted and Malicious Plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox

Delete Search.locatorunit.com add-ons from Mozilla Firefox

Open the Firefox Mozilla browser. Click on the “Open Menu” present in the top right corner of the screen. From the newly opened menu, choose “Add-ons”.

Go to “Extension” option and detect all the latest installed add-ons. Select each of the suspicious add-ons and click on “Remove” button next to them.

In case if you want to “reset” the Mozilla Firefox browser then follow the steps that has been mentioned below.

Reset Mozilla Firefox Settings

Open the Firefox Mozilla browser and click on “Firefox” button situated at the top left corner of the screen.

In the new menu, go to “Help” sub-menu and choose “Troubleshooting Information”

In the “Troubleshooting Information” page, click on “Reset Firefox” button.

Confirm that you want to reset the Mozilla Firefox settings to default by pressing on “Reset Firefox” option

The browser will get restarted and the settings changes to factory default

Delete Unwanted and Malicious Extensions from Google Chrome

Open the chrome browser and click on “Chrome menu”. From the drop down option, choose “More Tools” and then “Extensions”.

In the “Extensions” option, search for all the recently installed add-ons and extensions. Select them and choose “Trash” button. Any third-party extension is not important for the smooth functionality of the browser.

Reset Google Chrome Settings

Open the browser and click on three line bar at the top right side corner of the window.

Go to the bottom of the newly opened window and select “Show advanced settings”.

In the newly opened window, scroll down to the bottom and choose “Reset browser settings”

Click on the “Reset” button on the opened “Reset browser settings” window

Restart the browser and the changes you get will be applied

The above mentioned manual process should be executed as it is mentioned. It is a cumbersome process and requires a lot of technical expertise. And hence it is advised for technical experts only. To be sure that your PC is free from malware, it is better that you scan the work-station with a powerful anti-malware tool. The automatic malware removal application is preferred because it doesn’t requires any additional technical skills and expertise.

Download the application and execute it on the PC to begin the depth scanning. Once the scanning gets completed, it shows the list of all the files related to Search.locatorunit.com. You can select such harmful files and folders and remove them immediately.