Unable to save homepage settings in safari

You may have installed ad-injection malware ("adware").

Don't use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" product on a Mac. There is never a need for it, and relying on it for protection makes you more vulnerable to attack, not less.

Some of the most common types of adware can be removed by following Apple's instructions.

If you're not already running the latest version of OS X ("El Capitan"), updating or upgrading in the App Store may cause the adware to be removed automatically. Back up all data before taking that step. If you're already running the latest version of El Capitan, you can nevertheless download the current updater from the Apple Support Downloads page and run it. Again, some kinds of malware will be removed. That may be all you need to do as far as removal is concerned, but you'll still need to make changes to the way you use the computer to protect yourself from further attacks.

If the above steps don't work for you, see below.

This easy procedure will detect any kind of adware that I know of. Deactivating it is a separate, and even easier, procedure.

Some legitimate software is ad-supported and may display ads in its own windows or in a web browser while it's running. That's not malware and it may not show up. Also, some websites carry intrusive popup ads that may be mistaken for adware.

If none of your web browsers is working well enough to carry out these instructions, restart the computer in safe mode. That will disable the malware temporarily.

Step 1

Please 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/LaunchAgents

In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. Press return. Either a folder named "LaunchAgents" will open, or you'll get a notice that the folder can't be found. If the folder isn't found, go to the next step.

If the folder does open, press the key combination command-2 to select list view, if it's not already selected. Please don't skip this step.

There should be a column in the Finder window headed Date Modified. Click that heading twice to sort the contents by date with the newest at the top. If necessary, enlarge the window so that all of the contents are showing.

Follow the instructions in this support article under the heading "Take a screenshot of a window." An image file with a name beginning in "Screen Shot" should be saved to the Desktop. Open the screenshot and make sure it's readable. If not, capture a smaller part of the screen showing only what needs to be shown.

Start a reply to this message. Drag the image file into the editing window to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.

Leave the folder open for now.

Step 2

Do as in Step 1 with this line:

/Library/LaunchAgents

The folder that may open will have the same name, but is not the same, as the one in Step 1. As in that step, the folder may not exist.

Step 3

Repeat with this line:

/Library/LaunchDaemons

This time the folder will be named "LaunchDaemons."

Step 4

Open the Safari preferences window and select the Extensions tab. If any extensions are listed, post a screenshot. If there are no extensions, or if you can't launch Safari, skip this step.

Step 5

If you use the Firefox or Chrome browser, open its extension list and do as in Step 4.

A

Please back up all data before making any changes.

In the first folder arranged as shown in the screenshots, please delete these items:

the only one ("VSearch")

You may be prompted for your password.

In the second folder:

#2 through #7 ("VSearch")

Restart the computer.

Reset the Safari home page, if it was changed. You may need to do the same in other browsers.

From the Applications folder (not shown in the screenshots), delete items with any of the following names:

MPlayerX

These steps will permanently inactivate the malware, as long as you never reinstall it. A few small files may remain in hidden folders, but they have no effect.

The instructions above apply only to you. I'm including more general—and complete—self-contained removal instructions below for the benefit of others who may find this discussion. You can skip the remaining steps, but you should read them.

B (optional)

You installed one or more variants of the "VSearch" ad-injection malware. Follow Apple Support's instructions to remove it.

If you have trouble following those instructions, or if they don't work, see below.

Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. This procedure works as of now, as far as I know. It may not work in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for a more recent discussion, or start a new one.

The VSearch malware tries to hide itself by varying the names of the files it installs. To remove it, you must first identify the naming pattern.

1. 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 may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

A folder named "LaunchDaemons" may open. Look inside it for two files with names of any of these forms:

com.something.daemon.plist

com.something.helper.plist

com.something.net-preferences.plist

Here something is a variable string of characters, which can be different in each VSearch infection. So far it has always been an alphanumeric string without punctuation, such as "cloud," "dot," "highway," "submarine," or "trusteddownloads." Sometimes it's a meaningless string such as "e8dec5ae7fc75c28" rather than a word. Sometimes the string is "apple," and then you must be especially careful not to delete the wrong files, because many built-in OS X files have similar names.

You could have more than one copy of the malware, with different values of something.

There may also be one or more files with a name of this form:

com.somethingUpd.plist

where something may be a different meaningless string than in the other files.

Here's a specific example of a VSearch infection:

com.disbalance.daemon.plist

com.disbalance.helper.plist

com.thunderbearerUpd.plist

You will have files with names similar, but probably not identical, to these.

2. If you find such files, 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 string something is the same as before.

If you feel confident that you've identified the above files, back up all data, then drag just those files—nothing else—to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Close the Finder 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.

3. This step is optional. Open this folder:

/Library

It may have subfolders named as follows

something

somethingUpd

where something is any of the strings you saw before. Drag any such subfolders to the Trash and close the window.

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

4. This step doesn't apply to OS X 10.11 ("El Capitan") or later, and is optional if you're running an older version of OS X.

In this folder:

/System/Library/Frameworks

there may be an item named exactly

v.framework

or else an item named

something.framework

Again, something is the same string as before.

This item is actually a folder, though it has a different icon than usual. Drag it to the Trash and close the window.

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

5. 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.

6. 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. I don't recommend that you install the genuine "MPlayerX," because it's hosted on the rogue "SourceForge" website and is bundled with other malware.

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.

That's an unrelated issue. If you can't find a solution by searching the site, please start a new discussion to address it.