iqkjo

Q: My browser is being redirected to MacKeeper and other sites

My browser is being redirected to MacKeeper and other sites. How do I fix this?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Jan 14, 2015 1:49 PM

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Q: My browser is being redirected to MacKeeper and other sites

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  • Helpful answers

  • by dominic23,

    dominic23 dominic23 Jan 14, 2015 1:53 PM in response to iqkjo
    Level 8 (41,728 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 14, 2015 1:53 PM in response to iqkjo

    1. Download and use free AdwareMedic to remove the adware

     

        http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php

     

        Install , open,  and run it by clicking “Scan for Adware” button   to remove adware.

        Once done, quit AdwareMedic.

     

    2. Safari > Preferences > Extensions

         Turn those off and relaunch Safari to test .

         Turn those on one by one and test.

     

                   or

     

        Remove the adware  manually  by following the “HowTo” from Apple.

        http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203987

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 14, 2015 11:17 PM in response to iqkjo
    Level 10 (207,995 points)
    Applications
    Jan 14, 2015 11:17 PM in response to iqkjo

    There is no need to download anything to solve this problem. You may have installed a variant of the "VSearch" ad-injection malware.

    Triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination  command-C:

    /Library/LaunchDaemons

    In the Finder, select

              Go Go to Folder...

    from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

    A folder named "LaunchDaemons" may open. Look inside it for a file with a name of the form

              com.something.daemon.plist

    Here something is a variable word, which can be different in each case. It could be "cloud," "dot," "highway," "submarine," "trusteddownloads," or pretty much anything else.

    There may also be a file named

               com.something.helper.plist

    in the same folder.

    Leave the LaunchDaemons folder open, and open the following folder in the same way:

    /Library/LaunchAgents

    In this folder, there may be a file named

              com.something.agent.plist

    where the word something is exactly the same as before.

    If you feel confident that you've identified these three files, back up all data, then drag the three files you found to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Close the windows and restart the computer.

    Don't delete the "LaunchAgents" or "LaunchDaemons" folder or anything else inside either one.

    The malware is now permanently inactivated, as long as you never reinstall it. You can stop here if you like, or you can remove two remaining components for the sake of completeness.

    Open this folder:

    /Library/Application Support

    If it has a subfolder named just

               something

    (where something is the same word as before), drag that subfolder to the Trash and close the window.

    Don't delete the "Application Support" folder or anything else inside it.

    Finally, in this folder:

    /System/Library/Frameworks

    there may an item named exactly

                v.framework

    It's actually another folder, though it has a different icon. Drag it to the Trash and close the window.

    Don't delete the "Frameworks" folder or anything else inside it.

    If you didn't find the files or you're not sure about the identification, post what you found.

    If in doubt, or if you have no backups, change nothing at all.

    The trouble may have started when you downloaded and ran an application called "MPlayerX." That's the name of a legitimate free movie player, but the name is also used fraudulently to distribute VSearch. If there is an item with that name in the Applications folder, delete it, and if you wish, replace it with the genuine article from mplayerx.org.

    This trojan is often found on illegal websites that traffic in pirated content such as movies. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect more of the same, and worse, to follow. Never install any software that you downloaded from a bittorrent, or that was downloaded by someone else from an unknown source.

    In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere  should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.

    Then, still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked

              Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)

    or

              Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)

    if it's not already checked.

  • by Lilaqbabe,

    Lilaqbabe Lilaqbabe Feb 16, 2015 6:59 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 16, 2015 6:59 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thank you Linc Davis, i followed your instruction and I was able to get rid of the annoying adware.

  • by mrelopez650,

    mrelopez650 mrelopez650 Aug 23, 2015 11:41 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 23, 2015 11:41 PM in response to Linc Davis

    i found these files in the launch/daemons

    com.8288892b34632ef.daemonplist

    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

     

    I am also having the same issues with the redirecting.

  • by vu.tran,

    vu.tran vu.tran Aug 24, 2015 6:53 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 24, 2015 6:53 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks Davis . I did solved my issue.