How To Remove SearchRange Adware From Mac OS

Proper Guide To Delete SearchRange From Computer

SearchRange is another precarious malware infection that belongs to the adware category. It’s a hazardous PC threat has been specially designed by a group of vicious hackers for promotional and commercial purposes. As soon as this nasty PUP gets into your Mac system, it starts performing activities in the background and wreaks havoc onto the device. After getting infected with this potentially unwanted application, you are flooded with thousands of intrusive ads and pop-ups all over the day that makes your web surfing very complex. These ads are in multiple forms such as coupons, deals, banners, pop-ups, offers, promo codes etc. that look very attractive and can easily gain your attention.

More About SearchRange:

Ads delivered by SearchRange are based on pay-per-click scheme and earn revenues for the creators upon being clicked. We strongly advise to avoid interacting with these adverts as they might include spiteful links and redirect you to potentially infectious domains that are fully occupied with malevolent objects. At some web pages, you might be displayed fake security alerts which claim that some issues have been occurred in your machine, and then trapped into installing rogue software. This hazardous threat also makes unexpected changes in default browser’s settings and grabs full control over the entire browser. It sets its own domain as the new homepage, and new tab addresses replacing the previous one and also installs several vicious plug-ins, extensions, toolbars etc. on the browser to prevent the settings from being restored.

SearchRange plants various tracking cookies on the affected browser and constantly monitors your Online activities such as which pages you visit, which links you open, what search queries you use etc. It collects important data regarding your interests and needs which is then utilized by the advertisers for the advertisement campaign. This pernicious hijacker makes spiteful entries in Windows registries and alters its default settings which allows the PUP to get automatically activated every time the machine is started. It messes with vital system files that are essential for smooth computer functioning and prevents many installed apps as well as drivers from working in an appropriate manner. And hence, it is necessary to get rid of SearchRange from the system immediately.

Penetration of SearchRange in Mac PCs:

Such types of adware infections often manage to intrude the targeted device due to carelessness of the user. Attractive contents and other deceptive material quickly lure the person into skipping through steps or installing shady applications from the web directly. PUPs don’t require any permissions, and therefore, when users agree to get everything pre-packed in the bundle, they end up installing such threats and believing that the program they intended to get was the only download at the time. Additionally, SearchRange also hides behind vicious sites or torrent services, corrupted links. Spam emails and fake updates can also deliver shady programs.

How To Avoid PUP Intrusion:

In order to avoid the risk of being a victim of such hijacker programs, it is important to be very cautious while surfing the web. You need to opt for trustworthy sources to download any software and always choose Advanced or Custom installation settings to install the application. This mode gives you full control over the incoming objects. You just have to deselect the components that give a concerning look and choose only the main program. Moreover, avoid clicking on suspicious ads or links, visiting infectious sites like Torrent and opening emails coming from unknown source.

Threat Details

Name: SearchRange

Type: Mac virus, Potentially unwanted program, Adware

Functionality: Aims to redirect users to third-party websites, promote sponsored products, services and programs and make Online revenues for the developers, Also steal users’ personal and confidential information and share them with hackers for evil purposes.

Symptoms: Altered Internet browsers settings like homepage, default Internet search engine, identity theft, new tab settings. Users are enforced to visit hijacker’s website and search the Internet using their search engines, slowness of infected system’s performance.

Distribution methods: Free software installers (bundling), Deceptive emails, malicious pop-ups ads, fake flash player installers.

Damage: Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites.

Removal: To get rid of this infection and other malware threats, our security researchers recommend scanning your computer with a powerful anti-malware tool.

Other Malevolent Deeds of SearchRange:

SearchRange eats up huge amount of memory resources and drags down the overall computer performance severely. Due to this, PC starts responding slower than ever before and takes more than usual time to complete any task. It can also steal your personal and confidential data such as user IDs, passwords, credit card, bank account and other financial details and expose those stuffs to hackers for evil purposes. This perilous infection has ability to deactivate all the running security services and allow other Online parasites to get into your machine as well. And therefore, to prevent all these threats from being occurred, you are strongly recommended to remove SearchRange from the machine without wasting any time.

Remove Files and Folders Related to SearchRange

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 SearchRange 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 SearchRange 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 SearchRange. You can select such harmful files and folders and remove them immediately.