Search-operator.com (Mac virus)

Search-operator.com – a browser hijacker which has been spreading together with Advanced Mac Cleaner

Search-operator.com is a browser hijacker that has been targeting MacOS with an infamous Advanced Mac Cleaner or similar software.^[1] It has been using Google's colors in its logo, so there is no surprise that people have been taking it as a legitimate app. Once it infects the system, it modifies the main search engine, homepage and new tab URL to http://search-operator.com/. If you try performing a search request by using the new engine, you will still be provided with query results by Google, so why not use just the original search engine? Also, all redirects are filled with ads displayed to trick users into visiting sponsored sites, including the suspicious ones.

Name	Search-operator.com
Program type	Browser hijacker/Potentially unwanted program/PUP/Mac virus
Operating system affected	MacOS is the main target if the virus
Distribution	Software bundling, rogue websites, fake reviews
travels in one bundle	Advanced Mac Cleaner, Weknow.ac, Smart Search virus
Engine	http://search-operator.com/
unnoticed activities initiated behind THE user's back	Tracking, the collection of details provided while browsing the web, the collection of browsing habits
Annoying actions caused on the system	Redirects to third-party sites, numerous ads displayed in search results
Elimination	You can complete the removal of this browser hijacker with Fortect Intego

Search-operator.com virus is also a term that is used for this rogue app as it pushes unwanted actions straight on the infected web browser application. However, technically, it is not malware but some actions might cause you trouble. One of them is frequent redirecting to other third-party sources and affiliate websites.

Search-operator.com might accidentally take you to an infectious website where malware might be distributed and waiting for its turn to infect a user. Furthermore, browser hijackers are famous for collecting browsing details about various activities, for example, what type of pages are commonly visited, what kind of bookmarks were recently saved, etc.

Later on, Search-operator.com might also start providing a big number of advertisements on the targeted computer. The cost-per-click marketing strategy^[2] is also known as a beneficial one which is supported by numerous browser hijacker and adware developers. It works every time a user steps on the pop-ups.

Besides, changes that are applied to web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari cannot be reversed unless you complete the Search-operator.com removal automatically or manually. Fortect Intego is a tool which will help you to deal with the entire process much faster and easier.

If you do not remove Search-operator.com from your Mac computer, the unwanted activities might become even worse and cause regular computer freezes. Overusing system resources such as the CPU's^[3] power is a common occurrence when potentially unwanted programs are hiding somewhere on the machine.

Additionally, Search-operator.com might come together with other suspicious software or components. Adware or even fake system tools might be distributed within the software bundle and you will supposedly end up with a few or even several potentially unwanted applications on your computer system.

Distribution guidance of potentially unwanted applications

LosVirus.es experts^[4] believe that it is very important to be aware of all possible adware or browser hijacker distribution sources so that these PUPs will not enter your computer system. Nevertheless, where a PUP is planted, there might also be some malware traces left which is ten times more dangerous.

Talking about the main distribution source it is bundled programs. Browser hijackers and similar products often appear on the system after completing suspicious downloads from unreliable sources. You can prevent secret entrance all possibly infectious content by using the Custom/Advanced configuration mode.

Furthermore, if you have a reputable antimalware tool on your system, it will also guard your computer system against suspicious and malicious programs. What you need to do is just choose a reliable program and make sure that it never lacks required updates or contain any bugs.

Search-operator.com browser hijacker can be terminated within a few mouse clicks

If you are interested in Search-operator.com removal, you have come to the right place. Here you can learn how to complete the elimination from all web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Safari) manually and remove suspicious processes, files, software from your Mac operating system on your own.

Additionally, our expert team has provided some reliable anti-malware programs that can appear very beneficial for you. Choose the right tool and remove Search-operator.com from the system with putting less effort then you would if you decided to take care of the potentially unwanted program by yourself.

Furthermore, automatical removal for Search-operator.com hijack is a better option also when you lack the required skills and capabilities in the virus elimination field. However, if you are sure that the process will be successful and you are self-confident enough, take a look at the below-provided instructions.

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 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.