Search.pdftoolkit.net – the hijacker that targets Mac OS X

Search.pdftoolkit.net and Home.pdftoolkit.net domains are associated with a PDF Toolkit Safari extension. All these applications are known as potentially unwanted programs that might hijack Mac web browser, alter its settings and cause various browser-related problems.
Therefore, Search.pdftoolkit.net virus works as a browser hijacker even though it looks like an ordinary search engine. The program infiltrates the system when a user downloads PDF Toolkit app from the official website. However, most of the time this extension is installed without user’s realization with the help of other freeware.
Once inside, the Search.pdftoolkit.net redirect virus might:
- set its domain as default search engine, home or new tab URL;
- install a new toolbar or plugin that allows converting doc to pdf files;
- redirects to potentially dangerous websites;
- displays add;
- possibility collects browsing-related information.
After the hijack, immediate Search.pdftoolkit.net removal is recommended because the hijacker might trick you into visiting suspicious websites. This Yahoo-supported search engine might be capable of initiating redirects to affiliate sites directly from the search results page. Thus, trusting this tool is not recommended.
Another fact that makes Search.pdftoolkit.net a suspicious program is the lack of Privacy Policy and EULA.[1] Even though links to these documents are included, they only lead to Error 404 page. Thus, you cannot know how the hijacker treats your personal information.
However, researchers from No Virus[2] tell that the majority of potentially unwanted programs are capable of tracking at least non-personally identifiable and browsing-related information. This activity is necessary for advertising purposes. However, the problem is that users might be delivered dangerous ads or aggregated data might be shared with unknown third-parties.
Browser hijacker itself is not a dangerous cyber infection. However, its infiltration increases chances to catch malware or suffer from phishing attacks. Thus, it’s better to remove Search.pdftoolkit.net as soon as it hijacks Safari’s startup page. We suggest going for automatic elimination using FortectIntego or another anti-malware.

Guidelines for protecting the browser from the hijacker
As we have mentioned at the beginning, Search.pdftoolkit.net or Home.pdftoolkit.net became your default search tools after the installation of a suspicious browser extension.[3] Security researchers claim that currently, these search tools are spreading via PDF Toolkit which is Safari extension.
This PUP may have sneaked inside your device when you incorrectly installed some free program downloaded from the Internet. To avoid unintentional installation of undesired apps, you should always stick to Advanced/Custom installation and carefully follow the instructions.
Keep in mind that Standard/Quick setup does not let to monitor and adjust installation of free programs. Thus, using these settings, you give indirect permission to third-party apps to get installed.
Remove Search.pdftoolkit.net virus from the Safari entirely
Obviously, to remove Search.pdftoolkit.net from your startup page, you have to uninstall PDF Toolkit extension from Safari:
- Open Safari menu and click Preferences.
- Go to Extensions tab and find the troublesome extension.
- Click Uninstall button.
We also recommend resetting the browser. It’s unknown if the hijacker installed cookies or other tracking technologies. Thus, it’s better to make sure that such invisible entries are eliminated entirely. You can find manual Search.pdftoolkit.net removal below.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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