Search.zanzibog.com is an untrustworthy search engine oriented to Mac OS users

Search.zanzibog.com is on URL address that refers to a potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1] exhibiting the traits of a browser hijacker. It spreads along with freeware as a hidden component and compromises Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, and other browsers once installed. A startup page, search engine, and new tab URL replaced by http://search.zanzibog.com/ is the main symptom indicating the Search.zanzibog.com hijack.
| Name | Search.zanzibog.com |
|---|---|
| Classification | Browser hijacker, PUP |
| Symptoms | Default startup page and search provider altered. Increment of ads. Browser's redirects to doubtful websites |
| Distribution | Bundling |
| Danger level | Low. Corrupts web browser and generates doubtful content, though cannot harm the system directly |
| A scan with FortectIntego is the easiest way to get rid of Search.zanzibog.com | |
It's developer, Zanzibog Software, claims that this platform will improve people's web browsing experience, speed up download speed, and optimize the overall web browsing process. Despite such promises, most of the users refer to this search as Search.zanzibog.com virus, and there's a serious ground for that:
- Zanzibog app gets installed without requiring user's permission properly;
- It injects unwanted browser's extension to the default one and forcefully replaces its start page, search engine, and new tab URL address;
- It delivers altered Yahoo-based search results;
- Installs Browser Helper Objects to evade Search.zanzibog.com removal;
- Generates sponsored links prior to relevant search results;
- Displays intrusive ads linked to third-party websites;
- Uses tracking cookies to collect Search Data;
The real purpose of Search.zanzibog.com virus is to generate advertising-based revenue and drive traffic to predetermined websites. It is actively involved in affiliate marketing with questionable third parties. Thus, any session of search using Zanzibog service pose a risk of redirects to suspicious or even dangerous websites.
Apart from being potentially dangerous, this search site may be extremely annoying. It may generate loads of third-party ads, including but not limited to commercial offers. However, products advertised in such a way are often too expensive or useless. You may also notice non-commercial ads, such as Tech-Support-Scam[2] pop-ups, experience redirects to quick online surveys or get urgency alerts claiming that your software is out-of-date.
Do not fall for such and similar catches as you may inadvertently expose personal information to hackers or download malicious programs without being aware of that.

Most of the websites use cookies. These small pieces of tracking software are employed by most sites to collect non-personal information related to people's web browsing habits. However, the usage of cookies has to be approved by PC's user, which is not done by Search.zanzibog.com virus. By the way, the company may:
share non-personally identifiable information with third parties, when this is required to provide, maintain or improve the Zanzibog operation and services. [They] may NOT share personally identifiable information with any third party, except in an aggregated and statistical form.
To protect your PC from redirects to phishing sites and disable intrusive ads from your browser, perform Search.zanzibog.com removal without delay. For this purpose, you can use FortectIntego or another reliable anti-malware program.
People who prefer manual Search.zanzibog.com removal can find a Search.zanzibog.com removal guide at the end of this post. The elimination process consists of two main parts – immunization of PUPs and restoration of web browser's settings.
Freeware bundling remains the main strategy used for PUP distribution
Freeware bundling is a suspicious strategy, though legitimate, allowing freeware developed to disguise additional components under Quick or Recommended setup. Cybersecurity experts, including our partners from Dieviren.de,[3] are still debating whether setting PUPs as pre-default components of freeware and not disclosing them explicitely is a legitimate move.
Nevertheless, as long as bundling is allowed, you must be careful when downloading and installing applications that are free of charge, especially those offered on third-party download sources.
To unpack the bundle, opt for Advanced or Custom installation all the time and unmark ticks saying that you agree with the installation of browser add-ons, toolbars, and extensions.
Search.zanzibog.com removal tutorial
Typically, PUPs can be eliminated in two ways, i.e., manual and automatic. This particular browser hijacker is not an exception. To remove Search.zanzibog.com virus properly, it's vital to check the system for various PUPs and eliminate all related components. You can do that easily with the help of a professional anti-malware.
If, however, you prefer more challenging Search.zanzibog.com removal method, you can rely on step-by-step instructions provided down below. As we have pointed out, this hijacker targets Mac users in particular, so make sure to clean up Mac's libraries once you drag the unwanted program to Trash.
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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