• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Geek's Advice

IT News, Software Reviews, How To's & Computer Help

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Removal guides
  • Fix
  • Tutorials
  • Forum
  • ASK A GEEK

Remove SearchMine.net Redirect (2023 Guide)

May 11, 2020 By Norbert Webb Leave a Comment

SearchMine.net browser hijacker infects Mac OS computers

Contents

  • SearchMine.net browser hijacker infects Mac OS computers
    • Threat Summary
  • Hijacker spreads as a fake Adobe Flash Player update
  • SearchMine removal guidelines
  • Remove the malicious configuration profile from Mac
  • Remove the hijacker via Terminal on Mac
  • FAQ about SearchMine.net

Searchmine.net is recognized as a fake search engine that is promoted by a browser-hijacking application that infects Mac computers. It automatically changes your browser’s settings and set itself as the main search engine, new tab search and homepage address. The reason why you are forced to use this suspicious site might be a recent installation of a potentially unwanted program (PUP).

Some security applications set different categories for these PUPs. For example, Malwarebytes SearchMine classification is Crossrider adware. This program gained this name through its aggressive unauthorized browser changes and resistance for removal.

If the user continues to use this website as the main search engine, it gains access to personal information. This happens when people enter private details into the query window to find information. The developers of the PUP then can collect data and share it with third-parties.

remove searchmine.net redirect
SearchMine targets Mac OS users and hijacks the most popular browsers.

This potentially unwanted application is also designed to track user’s technical information, such as software installed on the computer, as well as browsing history, clicks, and interactions on social networks made through the software.

The company admits using collected information to provide personalized and targeted advertisements based on your interests. Usually, the delivered ads promote questionable products and can redirect to unverified sites, including malware distribution networks.

In other words, the SearchMine virus is not an accurate name for this adware. However, its activity on the computer can not only be annoying but also increase the risk of infection with highly dangerous malware. Thus, it is essential to take action once this program hijacks your browser.

As mentioned before, SearchMine.net removal might be hard as the program tries to resist every attempt of elimination. Experienced computer users can try to uninstall this PUP by following the guidelines at the end of this article. Others should get help from a robust antivirus, such as INTEGO.

Threat Summary

NameSearchmine
TypeBrowser hijacker, redirect software
Related domainssearchmine.net, opti-page.com, weknow.ac, webcrawler.com
TargetsMac OS
IP address104.26.8.94
DistributionPromoted via deceptive online ads, fake Adobe Flash Player updates, software bundles, P2P downloads
SymptomsOnce installed, changes default search engine, adds SearchMine New Tab, displays ads and collects user’s online activity-related data
RemovalRemove using free instructions or use a trustworthy anti-virus software for Macs, such as INTEGO.
Related files, programsAdobe Flash Player.dmg, Mac Cleanup Pro, MediaDownloader, MyCouponSmart, Crossrider
GET INTEGO ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC

Hijacker spreads as a fake Adobe Flash Player update

SearchMine Reddit themes are filled with warnings about this browser hijacker. People report that this PUP is mainly distributed as a fake Adobe Flash Player update. You can encounter one if you continuously visit untrustworthy websites.

This Mac browser hijacker comes as an additional software in the fake Adobe Flash Player installer. It is hidden among the installation settings and appears as a pre-selected tick box. If you fail to identify the PUP and do not de-select the tick mark, SearchMine is automatically installed on your computer.

fake adobe flash player spreads searchmine.net redirect virus and additional programs
Fake Adobe Flash Player installer promoting SearchMine.net browser hijacker.

If you want to avoid all types of potentially unwanted programs, you should never visit unverified websites and never click on shady pop-ups or banners. Especially if those ads promote various computer “cleaners” stating that your computer is infected.

Beware that online ads cannot actually scan your computer for problems or threats, as they cannot physically access and overview your files. If you keep installing untrustworthy programs, you might end up with even more serious cyber threats. Thus, get software only from official sites.

SearchMine removal guidelines

You don’t need any SearchMine uninstaller to get rid of the program. Our team has prepared thorough guidelines to help users clean their computers. These instructions are designed to suit all most popular browsers, such as Google Chrome, Safari, etc.

However, Searchmine.net removal is typically not an easy task. If you find it difficult to delete it manually, you can also check and use trustworthy antivirus or anti-malware programs to complete this task.

TIP. SearchMine is reported to be a Crossrider adware variant, which is not easy to remove. In fact, its elimination isn’t similar to other adware variants. Please complete ALL the given steps to get rid of this annoyance.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND

Keep your Mac virus-free with INTEGO, an exceptional antivirus with an option to scan other iOS devices. The VirusBarrier X9 offers 24/7 real-time protection against Mac and Windows malware, includes intelligent firewall (NetBarrier X9) for protecting your incoming/outgoing connections at home, work or public hotspots and more.

INSTALL INTEGO

INTEGO antivirus is one of the leading security products for Mac that includes VirusBarrier X9 and NetBarrier X9 features allowing detection of viruses, ransomware, adware, browser hijackers, Trojans, backdoors and other threats and blocks suspicious network connections. If any detections are found, the software will eliminate them. Learn more about the software's features in its full review.

GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more.

SearchMine.net Removal Tutorial

To remove the unwanted program from your Mac, use these instructions below to uninstall associated applications from your Mac computer. Then scroll down for instructions how to clean each affected web browser individually.

Remove SearchMine.net from Mac

  1. Click on Finder.
  2. Go to Applications folder.
  3. Look for suspicious applications you can't remember installing. Right-click them and select Move to Trash.uninstall unwanted apps from mac
  4. After moving all suspicious apps to Trash, right-click the Trash bin in Mac's Dock and select Empty Trash.
To remove Mac threats automatically, we strongly recommend using robust and well-reviewed antivirus solution INTEGO.
AUTOMATIC REMOVAL

See Full Review

Remove using INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Mac (includes scanning for iOS devices). The one-of-a-kind security suite provides VirusBarrier X9 real-time protection against Mac and Windows-based malware, removes existing threats and scans for malware in popular e-mail clients. Includes NetBarrier X9, an intelligent firewall for home, work and public connections.

Please follow this guide to remove SearchMine remains from browsers. If you discover that you can't change certain settings as they're greyed out, scroll down and follow the instructions on how to delete maliciously altered Profiles on Mac and run suggested commands via Terminal.
Safari Chrome Firefox

Remove SearchMine.net from Safari

Uninstall suspicious Safari extensions

  1. Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top left corner. Select Preferences in the menu that appears on the screen.
    how to open safari preferences
  2. Now, go to Extensions tab. Look at the left to see all installed extensions, click on suspicious ones and hit that Uninstall button as shown in the picture. Confirm your choice by clicking Uninstall again. Repeat until you get rid of all unwanted extensions.how to uninstall unwanted safari extensions

Change Safari Homepage and default search engine

  1. In Preferences, open the General tab. Here, check what URL is set as your homepage. Delete it and type in whatever URL you want to set as your Safari Start Page.
  2. Next, go to the Search tab. Here, choose what Search engine you want to set as default.how to change safari homepage and search engine
  3. Next, click on Manage websites... then Remove all... and then Done.
    Manage quick website search in Safari

Remove push notifications on Safari

Some suspicious websites can try to corrupt your Safari by asking to enable push notifications. If you have accidentally agreed, your browser will be flooded with various intrusive advertisements and pop-ups. You can get rid of them by following this quick guide:

  1. Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top-left corner of the screen to select Preferences;
    remove push notifications from safari step 1
  2. Go to Websites tab and navigate to Notifications on the left side toolbar.
    remove push notifications from safari steps 2 3

Reset Safari

  1. Click on Safari > Clear History...
  2. Then choose to clear All history and hit Clear History button to confirm.how to reset safari
  3. Go to Safari > Preferences and then open Privacy tab. 
  4. Click Manage Website Data... then Remove All. To finish, click Done.clear website data from safari
  5. Finally, clear Safari cache. In Safari Menu, click Develop > Clear Cache.clear safari Cache
Safari Chrome Firefox

Remove SearchMine.net from Google Chrome

Remove suspicious Chrome extensions

  1. Open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into address bar and press Enter.
  2. Here, look for suspicious extensions, and Remove them.
  3. Don't forget to confirm by pressing Remove in the confirmation pop-up.
    Remove suspicious chrome extensions

Change Start Page settings

  1. In Chrome address bar, type chrome://settings and press Enter.
  2. Scroll down to the On startup section. Check for suspicious extensions controlling these settings, and Disable them.
  3. Additionally, you can set browser to Open a specific page or set of pages via these settings. Simply choose this option, click Add a new page, enter your preferred URL (f.e. www.google.com) and press Add.change hijacked start page in chrome

Change default search settings

  1. In Chrome URL bar, type chrome://settings/searchEngines and press Enter. Make sure you type searchEngines, not searchengines. Additionally, you can go to chrome://settings and find Manage search engines option.
  2. First, look at the list of search engines and find the one you want to set as default. Click the three dots next to it and select Make Default.
  3. Finally, look through the list and eliminate suspicious entries. Right-click the three dots and select Remove from the list.change default search engine in chrome

Remove push notifications from Chrome

If you want to get rid of the annoying ads and so-called push-notifications viruses, you must identify their components and clean your browser. You can easily remove ads from Chrome by following these steps:

  1. In Google Chrome, press on Menu (upward arrow) in the top-right corner of the window.
  2. Select Settings.remove push notifications from chrome steps 1 2
  3. Go to Privacy and Security > Site Settings.
    remove push notifications from chrome step 3
  4. Open Notifications.
    remove push notifications from chrome step 4
  5. Here, go to the Allow list and identify suspicious URLs. You can either Block or Remove by pressing on the three vertical dots on the right side of the URL. However, we suggest the Block option, so the site won't ask you to enable the notifications if you ever visit it again.
    remove push notifications from google chrome step 5

Reset Google Chrome browser

  1. The final option is to reset Google Chrome. Type chrome://settings in the URL bar, press Enter  and then scroll down until you see Advanced option. Click it and scroll to the bottom of the settings.
  2. Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  3. Click Restore settings to confirm.
    how to reset google chrome
Safari Chrome Firefox

Remove SearchMine.net from Mozilla Firefox

Remove unwanted add-ons from Firefox

  1. Open Firefox and type about:addons in the URL bar. Press Enter.
  2. Now, click on Extensions (in the left section).
  3. Click Remove next to every suspicious browser add-on that you can't remember installing.
    Remove suspicious extensions from Firefox

Change Firefox Homepage

  1. In Firefox address bar, type about:preferences and hit Enter.
  2. Look at the left and click the Home tab.
  3. Here, delete the suspicious URL and type or paste in the URL of a website you'd like to set as your homepage.
    change firefox homepage altered by the unwanted program

Alter preferences in Firefox

  1. Type about:config in Firefox address bar and hit Enter.
  2. Click I accept the risk! to continue.
  3. Here, type in the URL which has taken over your browser without your knowledge. Right-click each value that includes it and choose Reset.
    remove firefox preferences associated with the unwanted program

Remove annoying push notifications from Firefox

Suspicious sites that ask to enable push notifications gain access to Mozilla's settings and can deliver intrusive advertisements when browsing the Internet. Therefore, you should remove access to your browser by following these simple steps:

  1. In Mozilla Firefox, click on Menu (the three horizontal bars) on the top-right corner of the window, then choose Options.disable firefox push notifications step 1
  2. Click on Privacy and Security, then scroll down to Permissions section.
  3. Here, find Notifications and click Settings button next to it.
    disable firefox push notifications step 2
  4. Identify all unknown URLs and choose to Block them. Click Save Changes afterward.
    disable push notifications in firefox step 3

Reset Mozilla Firefox

  1. In Firefox, type about:support in the address bar and press Enter.
  2. Click on Refresh Firefox...
  3. Click Refresh Firefox again to confirm.
    how to reset firefox browser

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Remove the malicious configuration profile from Mac

You might notice that you can’t remove searchmine.net from Safari settings. If so, it means that the adware has manipulated some profile settings on your Mac. Here is what you need to do to get rid of it:

  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Open Profiles section.
  3. Scroll through the added Profiles and look for profiles with references to Searchmine.net. Then select such profile and click the minus icon (-) to remove such profile from your Mac.
  4. You’re done. The hijacker now should be erased from your system.
remove the malicious mac profile configuration by crossrider adware
Delete the deceptive system profile that prevents you from removing searchmine.net hijacker

Remove the hijacker via Terminal on Mac

Another way to remove Searchmine virus is to run certain commands via Mac’s Terminal. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Before you begin, remove malicious AdminPrefs profiles as explained in the previous method.
  2. Now, navigate to Go>Utilities>Terminal.
  3. Enter the following commands into the Terminal window. Press Enter after each of them:
  • defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageIsNewTabPage -bool false
  • defaults write com.google.Chrome NewTabPageLocation -string “https://www.google.com/”
  • defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageLocation -string “https://www.google.com/”
  • defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL
  • defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURL
  • defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderName

Restart your computer after completing these steps. Your Searchmine virus should now be removed from Google Chrome.

FAQ about SearchMine.net

Q: SearchMine is managing Chrome. How is it possible?

A: This browser hijacker primarily targets Mac OS and all installed legitimate search engines. Once installed, SearchMine replaces default browser settings with manipulated values. Thus, it gains control over Google Chrome or any other infected browser. These settings are overwritten for a reason — the browser is then flooded with various pop-ups, banners, and other types of advertisements.

Usually, clicks on these ads can either trigger an automatic installation of other cyber threats or redirect to suspicious sites. Additionally, this PUP replaces the primary search engine to SearchMine.net and forces people to use it for search queries.

Unfortunately, all the typed information is collected and might be shared with third-parties. Therefore, if you notice Google Chrome managed by SearchMine, you must immediately get rid of the PUP. For that, either use manual guidelines on this article or run a full system scan with a robust antivirus.

Q: Is SearchMine adware?

A: SearchMine is categorized as CrossRider adware by Malwarebytes since it can generate a never-ending stream of questionable ads. Those ads might cover content on various pages while browsing and become more than annoying.

However, the main issue is that the displayed ads can increase the risk of malware infections. Usually, pop-ups are designed to redirect users to various untrustworthy sites or even scams. Additionally, some ads trigger an automatic installation of other PUPs.

Even though SearchMine is an adware, it also takes over the installed browser and sets itself as a primary search engine. Thus, it falls into multiple categories, including browser hijacker directory.

norbert webb author at geeksadvice.com
Norbert Webb

Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.

Related posts:

  1. Remove Mazy Search Browser Hijacker (Virus Removal Guide) Mazy Search is a browser hijacker that manages users’ Google...
  2. Remove TapuFind Virus (2023 Guide) TapuFind is an adware that automatically delivers ads once the...
  3. Remove Go-Movix.com Redirect (Virus Removal Guide 2021) Go-Movix.com redirects to Yahoo searchContentsGo-Movix.com redirects to Yahoo searchThreat SummaryBrowser...

Filed Under: Browser hijackers, Removal guides Tagged With: searchmine

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

SEARCH OUR SITE

Trending

decrypt files locked by stop djvu ransomware virus

Decrypt Files Locked by STOP/DJVU Ransomware (Updated 2023 Guide)

Some STOP/DJVU ransomware victims can decrypt or … [Read More...] about Decrypt Files Locked by STOP/DJVU Ransomware (Updated 2023 Guide)

Remove STOP/DJVU Ransomware Virus (2023 Guide)

STOP/DJVU in 2023: more than 690 versions, latest … [Read More...] about Remove STOP/DJVU Ransomware Virus (2023 Guide)

Remove Segurazo Antivirus (SAntivirus Removal Guide 2023)

Segurazo review: is it a virus? Segurazo … [Read More...] about Remove Segurazo Antivirus (SAntivirus Removal Guide 2023)

easy ways to fix dns_probe_finished_nxdomain error on windows, mac, android, chromebook

Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error (Windows, Mac, Android, Chromebook)

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error … [Read More...] about Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error (Windows, Mac, Android, Chromebook)

POPULAR SOFTWARE REVIEWS

Intego Mac Washing Machine X9 review 2022

Intego Mac Washing Machine X9 Review (2023)

Mac Washing Machine X9 is an essential Mac cleaner that keeps your computer clutter-free Intego … [Read More...] about Intego Mac Washing Machine X9 Review (2023)

Private Internet Access Review

Private Internet Access Review 2023: Fast, Secure & Cheap VPN

Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN maintains its long-term role as a leader Private Internet … [Read More...] about Private Internet Access Review 2023: Fast, Secure & Cheap VPN

restoro review 2020

Restoro Review 2023: Best Windows Repair Tool?

What is Restoro and how it works? Restoro is primarily a PC repair software designed for Windows … [Read More...] about Restoro Review 2023: Best Windows Repair Tool?

OUR EXPERTS RECOMMEND

Comprehensive PC Repair Software

geek's advice recommends restoro pc repair as editors choice
DOWNLOAD NOW
  • Uses Avira engine to remove malware
  • Repairs Virus Damage
  • Fixes Windows Errors & BSOD
  • Replaces Damaged DLLs
  • Repairs Damaged Windows Settings
  • Identifies Hardware Problems

Compatible with Microsoft Windows.

Read Full Review

Robust Mac Antivirus

geek's advice recommends intego mac internet security x9 as editors choice
GET INTEGO
  • 24/7 real-time protection
  • Intelligent firewall
  • Scans emails for malware
  • Scans iOS devices & external drives
  • Excellent malware detection rate
  • Easy-to-use

Compatible with Mac OS X 10.9-13.

Read Full Review

Copyright © 2023 Geeksadvice.com. Any unauthorized copying, redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the site contents in any form is prohibited.

About Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Contact Us