Difficulty in searching information with the Google search engine in the Mac book

Dear friends,


I prefer to use Google as my default search engine. When I start with the Google home page, since recently in the URL bar, I note that the search results are brought up using various other sites. Then the ultimate search ends with something called ' my browser-search.com' and displays a page called 'Google custom search' thus the search results are not the best as in Google.


Appreciate your advice.

Best regards!

Vickmyaro

MacBook, macOS 11.0

Posted on May 13, 2021 10:02 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 13, 2021 11:41 AM

There's a lot to unpack here, but here are my thoughts:


  • You should enable automatic security and software updates. They reduce the risk of malware and often patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities in macOS.
  • You have Teamviewer installed. Did you intentionally install it? Did someone tell you to install it?
  • You have a Safari Extension called MajorLauncher. Did you install it intentionally?
  • You have something installed called "AdvancedMacTuneUp." Advanced Mac Tuneup is a fake optimization tool that claims to upscale the system performance. It hijacks web browsers and sends the traffic to malicious sites riddled with bogus virus alerts. Essentially, this app is malware. Deleting the app will not remove all of its components; you need to remove it fully to stop the infection.


The first thing you need to do, before anything else, is download and run malwarebytes. You can download it from https://malwarebytes.com for free. It removes many variants of mac adware/malware. Hopefully it will be able to clean out the adware you have installed. Please run a scan using the app and reply with the results.

Similar questions

16 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 13, 2021 11:41 AM in response to vickmyaro

There's a lot to unpack here, but here are my thoughts:


  • You should enable automatic security and software updates. They reduce the risk of malware and often patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities in macOS.
  • You have Teamviewer installed. Did you intentionally install it? Did someone tell you to install it?
  • You have a Safari Extension called MajorLauncher. Did you install it intentionally?
  • You have something installed called "AdvancedMacTuneUp." Advanced Mac Tuneup is a fake optimization tool that claims to upscale the system performance. It hijacks web browsers and sends the traffic to malicious sites riddled with bogus virus alerts. Essentially, this app is malware. Deleting the app will not remove all of its components; you need to remove it fully to stop the infection.


The first thing you need to do, before anything else, is download and run malwarebytes. You can download it from https://malwarebytes.com for free. It removes many variants of mac adware/malware. Hopefully it will be able to clean out the adware you have installed. Please run a scan using the app and reply with the results.

May 13, 2021 10:10 AM in response to vickmyaro

You have a browser hijacker installed. This is a type of adware that takes control of your browser to display ads, redirect you to strange websites, etc.


Please follow this guide and post the Etrecheck report here when you're done. Using the information in the report, we can gather more information about how the adware might be removed. If you have any questions about using Etrecheck or posting the report, feel free to ask :)

May 13, 2021 8:16 PM in response to sea116

Hi,


I ran the scanner twice and now there's no detectable malware.


These are the reports: Threats -28, PUPs - 3


First report


Threats:

Adware.CrossRider (Adware) - failed action

Adware.NewTab (Adware)- quarantined

Adware.OperatorMac (Adware)- Action not marked

OSX.Generic.Suspicious (Malware) - Action -failed


Potentially Unwanted Programs(PUPs) - 3

PUP.Jawego.Advanced Mac tuner(PUP) - Quarantined


Second Scan:


Threat - 1 , PUPs -0


Adware.OperartorMac - (Adware) - Quarantined

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Difficulty in searching information with the Google search engine in the Mac book

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.