How To Remove SmartToolboxSearch From Mac Computer

Proper Guide To Delete SmartToolboxSearch From PC

SmartToolboxSearch is a kind of potentially unwanted application that mainly targets Mac PCs and infiltrates the system without users’ permission. It is presented as a real engine that supposedly improves users’ Online experience by providing most relevant, fast and authentic search results. It even looks like a genuine search tool like Google, Yahoo and Bing due to which, many people get trapped into installing this app in their PCs. However, on the contradictory to what it claims and how it appears, it is indeed a notorious computer infection designed by a group of potent Cyber actors for promotional and commercial purposes.

Once SmartToolboxSearch infiltrates your device, first of all, it makes several unexpected modifications in default browser’s settings without even asking for your permission. It replaces the current home page, search engine and new tab addresses with its own perilous domain and grabs full control over the entire browser. It manipulates your search results and shows inorganic outcomes that have no relation with your queries. Your search results are mixed with commercial contents and other forms of advertisements that contain paid links and once you tap upon them, they lead you to affiliated websites where numerous sponsored products and services are promoted. However, SmartToolboxSearch may also redirect you to phishing, scamming or even malware-laden sites that are fully occupied with malicious contents and cause more threats to your system.

Pay Attention to Freeware Installations to Avoid Malware Attacks:

Such kinds of adware infections often intrude the targeted computers secretly without users’ approval. It travels in software-bundles which allows it to hide inside the installers of regular programs. Quick or Recommended settings that are normally offered at the beginning of the download/installation procedure hide the pre-selected boxes that allow installing PUPs. To deselect the unwanted components, you need to choose “Custom” or “Advanced” setup and follow the complete installation process with a purpose to find and opt out of optional downloads. Here you can deselect the undulated components that look suspicious and pick only the main software.

Quick Glance

Name: SmartToolboxSearch

Type: Adware, Potentially unwanted program, Mac virus

Functionality: Aims to redirect users to affiliated 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 default browser’s settings, endless intrusive ads, default Internet search engine, fake pop-up messages, 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 Common Symptoms of SmartToolboxSearch:

SmartToolboxSearch can be also responsible for the intrusion of many other Online infections in your device as well since it has ability to deactivate all the running security measures and open backdoors for them. This nasty PUP consumes enormous amount of memory resources a drags down the overall computer performance severely. Due to this, machine starts responding slower than ever before and take more than usual time to complete any task. In order to get automatically activated every time the system is started, it makes vicious entries in boot section and modifies its default settings. However, this act brings multiple pernicious issues in the work-station such as application malfunctioning, boot errors, frequent system crash, hard drive failure and so on.

SmartToolboxSearch messes with important system files that are essential for smooth computer functioning and prevents many installed apps as well as drivers from working in a proper manner. It displays fake update notifications stating that some of your vital applications need to be updated quickly and then tries to scam you into installing bogus software. This nasty PUP includes potential to monitor your web activities and collect important information relating to your interests and needs which is then utilized by the scammers for the advertisement campaign. It can also steal your personal and confidential data relating to banking and other financial details and expose them to hackers for evil purposes. And therefore, to prevent all these threats from being occurred, your are strongly recommended to remove SmartToolboxSearch from the work-station quickly.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows Click Here For Mac

Important Note: This malware asks you to enable the web browser notifications. So, before you go the manual removal process, execute these steps.

Google Chrome (PC)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the Menu button
• Select “Settings”. Scroll the mouse downward to choose “Advanced” option
• Go to “Privacy and Security” section by scrolling downward and then select “Content settings” and then “Notification” option
• Find each suspicious URLs and click on three dots on the right side and choose “Block” or “Remove” option

Google Chrome (Android)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the menu button and then click on “Settings”
• Scroll down further to click on “site settings” and then press on “notifications” option
• In the newly opened window, choose each suspicious URLs one by one
• In the permission section, select “notification” and “Off” the toggle button

Mozilla Firefox

• On the right corner of the screen, you will notice three dots which is the “Menu” button
• Select “Options” and choose “Privacy and Security” in the toolbar present in the left side of the screen
• Slowly scroll down and go to “Permission” section then choose “Settings” option next to “Notifications”
• In the newly opened window, select all the suspicious URLs. Click on the drop-down menu and select “Block”

Internet Explorer

• In the Internet Explorer window, select the Gear button present on the right corner
• Choose “Internet Options”
• Select “Privacy” tab and then “Settings” under the “Pop-up Blocker” section
• Select all the suspicious URLs one by one and click on the “Remove” option

Microsoft Edge

• Open the Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots on the right corner of the screen to open the menu
• Scroll down and select “Settings”
• Scroll down further to choose “view advanced settings”
• In the “Website Permission” option, click on “Manage” option
• Click on switch under every suspicious URL

Safari (Mac):

• On the upper right side corner, click on “Safari” and then select “Preferences”
• Go to “website” tab and then choose “Notification” section on the left pane
• Search for the suspicious URLs and choose “Deny” option for each one of them

Manual Steps to Remove SmartToolboxSearch:

Remove the related items of SmartToolboxSearch using Control-Panel

Windows 7 Users

Click “Start” (the windows logo at the bottom left corner of the desktop screen), select “Control Panel”. Locate the “Programs” and then followed by clicking on “Uninstall Program”

Windows XP Users

Click “Start” and then choose “Settings” and then click “Control Panel”. Search and click on “Add or Remove Program’ option

Windows 10 and 8 Users:

Go to the lower left corner of the screen and right-click. In the “Quick Access” menu, choose “Control Panel”. In the newly opened window, choose “Program and Features”

Mac OSX Users

Click on “Finder” option. Choose “Application” in the newly opened screen. In the “Application” folder, drag the app to “Trash”. Right click on the Trash icon and then click on “Empty Trash”.

In the uninstall programs window, search for the PUAs. Choose all the unwanted and suspicious entries and click on “Uninstall” or “Remove”.

After you uninstall all the potentially unwanted program causing SmartToolboxSearch issues, scan your computer with an anti-malware tool for any remaining PUPs and PUAs or possible malware infection. To scan the PC, use the recommended the anti-malware tool.

How to Remove Adware (SmartToolboxSearch) from Internet Browsers

Delete malicious add-ons and extensions from IE

Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of Internet Explorer. Select “Manage Add-ons”. Search for any recently installed plug-ins or add-ons and click on “Remove”.

Additional Option

If you still face issues related to SmartToolboxSearch removal, you can reset the Internet Explorer to its default setting.

Windows XP users: Press on “Start” and click “Run”. In the newly opened window, type “inetcpl.cpl” and click on the “Advanced” tab and then press on “Reset”.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users: Press the Windows logo, type inetcpl.cpl in the start search box and press enter.  In the newly opened window, click on the “Advanced Tab” followed by “Reset” button.

For Windows 8 Users: Open IE and click on the “gear” icon. Choose “Internet Options”

Select the “Advanced” tab in the newly opened window

Press on “Reset” option

You have to press on the “Reset” button again to confirm that you really want to reset the IE

Remove Doubtful and Harmful Extension from Google Chrome

Go to menu of Google Chrome by pressing on three vertical dots and select on “More tools” and then “Extensions”. You can search for all the recently installed add-ons and remove all of them.

Optional Method

If the problems related to SmartToolboxSearch still persists or you face any issue in removing, then it is advised that your reset the Google Chrome browse settings. Go to three dotted points at the top right corner and choose “Settings”. Scroll down bottom and click on “Advanced”.

At the bottom, notice the “Reset” option and click on it.

In the next opened window, confirm that you want to reset the Google Chrome settings by click on the “Reset” button.

Remove SmartToolboxSearch plugins (including all other doubtful plug-ins) from Firefox Mozilla

Open the Firefox menu and select “Add-ons”. Click “Extensions”.  Select all the recently installed browser plug-ins.

Optional Method

If you face problems in SmartToolboxSearch removal then you have the option to rese the settings of Mozilla Firefox.

Open the browser (Mozilla Firefox) and click on the “menu” and then click on “Help”.

Choose “Troubleshooting Information”

In the newly opened pop-up window, click “Refresh Firefox” button

The next step is to confirm that really want to reset the Mozilla Firefox settings to its default by clicking on “Refresh Firefox” button.

Remove Malicious Extension from Safari

Open the Safari and go to its “Menu” and select “Preferences”.

Click on the “Extension” and select all the recently installed “Extensions” and then click on “Uninstall”.

Optional Method

Open the “Safari” and go menu. In the drop-down menu, choose “Clear History and Website Data”.

In the newly opened window, select “All History” and then press on “Clear History” option.

Delete SmartToolboxSearch (malicious add-ons) from Microsoft Edge

Open Microsoft Edge and go to three horizontal dot icons at the top right corner of the browser. Select all the recently installed extensions and right click on the mouse to “uninstall”

Optional Method

Open the browser (Microsoft Edge) and select “Settings”

Next steps is to click on “Choose what to clear” button

Click on “show more” and then select everything and then press on “Clear” button.

Conclusion

In most cases, the PUPs and adware gets inside the marked PC through unsafe freeware downloads. It is advised that you should only choose developers website only while downloading any kind of free applications.  Choose custom or advanced installation process so that you can trace the additional PUPs listed for installation along with the main program.