Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

nation advanced search on my IMac, which I think is a spyware. When I want wo go to google chrome it redirects me to this ominous nation search engeen. Has anybody got some information about it and how I can get rid of

I just caught a thing called nation advanced search on my iMac computer, which I think is a spyware. When I want wo go to google chrome it redirects me to this ominous nation search engeen. Has anybody got some information about it and how I can get rid of it? What does can it do to my data and is it really a spyware? I just found information in youtube, that it is a spyware, and that it has to be removed, but the information they give for the removal is just working for PCs not for Macs.


Please help!

iMac

Posted on Jul 10, 2013 3:49 AM

Reply
18 replies

Jul 13, 2013 9:51 PM in response to zweifler

Thank you all for the friendly assistance provided.


I have found a solutiton to the problem I was having. I hope that many more can benefit from the information I will provide.


I started at Finder, then went to GO selected COMPUTER and then Machintosh HD, then Library, Scripting Additions folder and trashed all that was there. This is what worked for me, if you choose to not delete your content its up to you. Happy Computing.


God Bless!!

Jul 21, 2013 8:16 AM in response to Fishifishi

I am having the same problem on my daughter's MacBook after nation arrived and installed itself with a game she downloaded.


I have done everything suggested here, including the search through the library for anything connected to 'nation'. I have reset Safari, downloaded Sophos antivirus and ran a check which turned up nothing, despite the continued hijacking of Safari browser.


The Nation Toolbar uninstaller.pkg has disappeared and Spotlight can find no trace of anything called 'nation', nevertheless, each time we want to open a new tab in Safari, it automatically goes to Nation advanced search. There are no extensions in Safari left to get rid of and I am at my wit's end!


Can anybody tell me how to get Safari back to default Google?

Jul 22, 2013 12:55 AM in response to Baldemarz

Thanks! About to give up completely, I returned to the Scripting Additions and just trashed whatever was there (only one item), this finally fixed it!


By the way, if anybody comes across this Malware and tries the Nation Toolbar Uninstaller.pkg just beware that it is actually an INSTALLER, I didn't use it. Best thing seems to be to wade through your Library and do what Baldemarz suggests; keep Script Additions on your desktop and selectively delete, test your Safari and continue until you have it back to normal.


Thanks again!

Aug 11, 2013 7:48 AM in response to Leviathan74

Are you sure you have gone into Library >Scripting additions and trashed everything? These are not extensions, but in the more tricky to find in the Hard Drive Library. Read through the posts above very carefully, I don't use Chrome so I am not certain if the procedure will be different.


Perhaps you should quit Chrome and do the above, then restart your computer and restart Chrome. Sometimes all it takes is a restart after trashing.


Hope it works.

Aug 11, 2013 1:36 PM in response to emmamh

How do i uninstall Nation from Chrome?

for chrome click on the wrench -> settings
first make sure you have removed the Nation and new tab extensions - click extensions, stand on the extension name and click the trash bin icon.
then under options you will see the second paragraph "On Startup"
click on set pages to whatever you want.


to change the search engine under Settings you can see "Search"
click manage and set it to whatever you wish.

Sep 9, 2013 3:17 AM in response to kokopilau

I managed to remove it from my system - it was a bit tricky as the identification of the components does not allude to the name of the search. I am on campus at the moment so will write it up tonight (Perth, WA - UTC+8) time and put it up tomorrow morning. What is annoying is that this is site is owned by a listed company that has professional investors and generate profit from their annoying behaviour. One would not call it an ethical investment. Cost me hours. I sent the parent company an email requesting their assistance in removing it. The response - . (Silence)

Sep 9, 2013 8:37 AM in response to kokopilau

Here is what I have prepared:


Removal of Nation Advanced Search


Caveat: The following worked for me in early September, 2013. There is no guarantee that these guys will not change their modus operandii. Proceed with caution. I am not responsible for any issues that may arise. Let me know how you get on or if you want me to look at other options, such as Chrome as I have an old macbook that I have left infected.


This company is owned by InfoSpace which is in turn owned by publicly listed company Blucora (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blucora). It has a colourful background. If interested, look at their SEC filings - quite interesting the revenue available from hijacking one's browser. See http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html and enter Blucora. The interesting filing is 10-Q.


Protect yourself from future intrusion by using Web of Trust plugin (http://www.mywot.com) and a product such as Intego Virus Barrier - and don't do what I did - turn off the real time scanner!!!! Intego picks this malware up and quarantines it.


Hope this helps….



Safari & Firefox

  1. Open Safari.
  2. Select /Preferences/Extension
  3. Click on 'NationBar' and then "Uninstall" on right hand panel.
  4. Click on "General".
  5. Change default search engine to your preferred search engine.
  6. Change the "Homepage" to your preferred home page.
  7. In Spotlight search for "zako".
  8. Select option to open all the zako's that have been found in a Finder window.
  9. Carefully go through and delete any that are not associated with an application that you know. I found one that commenced with "com.zako".
  10. In Spotlight enter "Nation Toolbar".
  11. Open the results in a Finder window.
  12. Look through the list and remove the "Nation Toolbar Uninstaller.pkg" and any others that appear to belong to this crowd. DO NOT run this package as it will uninstall the package AND report aspects of your system back to Search Nation.
  13. If you DO NOT have Firefox installed go to step 17
  14. In the Spotlight toolbar enter "ADFA33FD-16F5-4355-8504-DF4D664CFE09"
  15. Open the result in Finder and delete this directory.
  16. Go to Firefox preferences and reset the default search engine and homepage as in Safari.
  17. Go to your apps folder and then the "Utilities" folder.
  18. Open "Activity Monitor"
  19. Click on "Process column" to sort the process list into alphabetic order.
  20. Look down the list for a process that contains the word "zako" and click it.
  21. Click red "Quit Process" on top left hand side.
  22. Select "Force Quit".
  23. Restart

nation advanced search on my IMac, which I think is a spyware. When I want wo go to google chrome it redirects me to this ominous nation search engeen. Has anybody got some information about it and how I can get rid of

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