Remove SearchMaster Adware

What is SearchMaster Adware

SearchMaster Adware is a redirect virus that affects Mac devices, also called a browser hijacker. While plenty of users refer to them as viruses, browser hijackers aren’t serious system infections because they aren’t directly damaging. Since the hijacker’s main intent is to redirect users and generate traffic/profit, it isn’t a harmless infection either. While hijackers use sly methods to install, their behaviour makes them very obvious infections. You’ll start unexpectedly being redirected to random sites, search results will have sponsored content mixed in, and other weird behaviour. Many users, however, may not realize the weird behaviour is a sign of a browser hijacker if they don’t know what they are. Simply looking into the signs/website redirected to with Google usually points users to a hijacker.

Your browser’s settings will also be modified, in addition to the redirects. Your browser’s homepage and new tabs will be modified, and it may be complicated to undo these modifications. It is because they perform those alterations that hijackers can redirect you.

A lot of users believe that hijackers are malware or viruses, which is not true, meaning they do not simply install without requiring your consent. Users provide them consent to install unknowingly, but they do it themselves. The method is called software bundling, and it is basically adding hijackers, adware, and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) to free programs as additional offers, which is why they are able to install together with the free programs. Preventing these unwanted installation isn’t complicated, and the proceeding section of the article will explain how to do it.

While it may not be a serious infection, we advise that you uninstall SearchMaster Adware from your Mac quickly. The hijacker is not just going to disturb your usual browsing, you might also be subject to malicious software, scams and other harmful content.

SearchMaster Browser hijacker distribution ways

Freeware is usually used by browser hijackers in order to install. Attaching hijackers or similar infections to freeware is called program bundling. Users normally don’t see the items but they are set to install with the free programs, which makes software bundling a dubious installation method. There should not be any trouble with preventing these items from installing as long as you are observant when installing free programs.

It’s important that you choose Advanced (Custom) settings during free software installation. Default mode, even if it will say that they are the recommended option, will allow the offers to stay concealed. However, in Advanced, what’s been attached will not only be made visible, but you will be able to uncheck them. These undesired installations are stoppable by just deselecting the the boxes of those offers. It takes mere seconds to avoid these unwanted installations as deselecting a box is all that needs to be done, while erasing already installed threats is increasingly more time consuming. Furthermore, if you’re vigilant when installing programs, you will block worthless applications from piling up in your PC.

Is SearchMaster Adware hijacker dangerous

Since they take over Safari, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox and other popular browsers, and then redirect you to weird web pages, a hijacker infection will become noticeable rather quickly. As soon as your browser is launched, you you’ll instantly be redirected to the hijacker’s advertised page since it has been set as your homepage. You will also notice that modifications to the search engine have been made. You will be redirected to the hijacker’s promoted website and then displayed search results that have been altered every time you search for something using the browser address bar. Most of the altered results will contain sponsored content so they’ll be unrelated to what you were searching for. Users are redirected to those sponsored pages so that hijackers could generate profit and traffic. Being redirected to unfamiliar, potentially damaging pages is both dangerous and annoying. We would recommend not interacting with any sponsored or advertisement content while a redirect virus is installed because of that. Pages you will be redirected to aren’t reviewed, thus may be dangerous. The sites the hijacker redirects you to to might try to deceive you into installing malware or promote all types of scams. Keeping a hijacker installed is a bad idea, even if they do not do direct harm.

The hijacker will also gather data about what you search for, what kind of content you engage with, the websites you visit, your IP address, etc, it’s basically spying on you. Unknown third-parties may also have access to the data and use it for ad purposes.

In case you’re still questioning how harmful the hijacker is, let’s summarize it used sly installation ways to install on your Mac, made unnecessary browser’s setting modifications, redirected you to dubious websites and exposed you to possibly damaging content. Despite the fact that it may not be the most severe infection, you need to delete SearchMaster Adware as soon as possible.

Ways to delete SearchMaster Adware from your Mac computer

For the simplest way to delete SearchMaster Adware, use anti-spyware programs. The program would take care of everything and ensure the threat is fully gone. Manual SearchMaster Adware deletion is also possible, if you understand how and ensure to delete all hijacker files. There should not be any issues restoring your browser’s settings back to what they were after SearchMaster Adware removal.

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Quick Menu

Step 1. Uninstall SearchMaster Adware and related programs.

• Windows 8
• Windows 7
• Windows XP
• Mac OS

Remove SearchMaster Adware from Windows 8

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel choose Programs and Features and select to Uninstall a software.

Uninstall SearchMaster Adware from Windows 7

Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features → Uninstall a program.

Delete SearchMaster Adware from Windows XP

Click Start → Settings → Control Panel. Locate and click → Add or Remove Programs.

Remove SearchMaster Adware from Mac OS X

Click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Select applications folder and look for SearchMaster Adware or any other suspicious software. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash, then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

Step 2. Delete SearchMaster Adware from your browsers

• Internet Explorer
• Chrome
• Firefox
• Safari

Terminate the unwanted extensions from Internet Explorer

1. Tap the Gear icon and go to Manage Add-ons.
2. Pick Toolbars and Extensions and eliminate all suspicious entries (other than Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle or Adobe)
3. Leave the window.

Change Internet Explorer homepage if it was changed by virus:

1. Tap the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of your browser and click Internet Options.
2. In General Tab remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Press Apply to save changes.

Reset your browser

1. Click the Gear icon and move to Internet Options.
2. Open the Advanced tab and press Reset.
3. Choose Delete personal settings and pick Reset one more time.
4. Tap Close and leave your browser.
5. If you were unable to reset your browsers, employ a reputable anti-malware and scan your entire computer with it.

Erase SearchMaster Adware from Google Chrome

1. Access menu (top right corner of the window) and pick Settings.
2. Choose Extensions.
3. Eliminate the suspicious extensions from the list by clicking the Trash bin next to them.
4. If you are unsure which extensions to remove, you can disable them temporarily.

Reset Google Chrome homepage and default search engine if it was hijacker by virus

1. Press on menu icon and click Settings.
2. Look for the “Open a specific page” or “Set Pages” under “On start up” option and click on Set pages.
3. In another window remove malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
4. Under the Search section choose Manage Search engines. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search websites. You should leave only Google or your preferred search name.
   

Reset your browser

1. If the browser still does not work the way you prefer, you can reset its settings.
2. Open menu and navigate to Settings.
3. Press Reset button at the end of the page.
4. Tap Reset button one more time in the confirmation box.
5. If you cannot reset the settings, purchase a legitimate anti-malware and scan your PC.

Remove SearchMaster Adware from Mozilla Firefox

1. In the top right corner of the screen, press menu and choose Add-ons (or tap Ctrl+Shift+A simultaneously).
2. Move to Extensions and Add-ons list and uninstall all suspicious and unknown entries.

Change Mozilla Firefox homepage if it was changed by virus:

1. Tap on the menu (top right corner), choose Options.
2. On General tab delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
3. Press OK to save these changes.

Reset your browser

1. Open the menu and tap Help button.
2. Select Troubleshooting Information.
3. Press Refresh Firefox.
4. In the confirmation box, click Refresh Firefox once more.
5. If you are unable to reset Mozilla Firefox, scan your entire computer with a trustworthy anti-malware.

Uninstall SearchMaster Adware from Safari (Mac OS X)

1. Access the menu.
2. Pick Preferences.
3. Go to the Extensions Tab.
4. Tap the Uninstall button next to the undesirable SearchMaster Adware and get rid of all the other unknown entries as well. If you are unsure whether the extension is reliable or not, simply uncheck the Enable box in order to disable it temporarily.
5. Restart Safari.

Reset your browser

1. Tap the menu icon and choose Reset Safari.
2. Pick the options which you want to reset (often all of them are preselected) and press Reset.
3. If you cannot reset the browser, scan your whole PC with an authentic malware removal software.