Toolbars&Hijackers

PositiveUser is considered an unwanted program that tends to install without users' consent on Mac. Its capabilities are most similar to browser hijackers and adware - both of which are types of unwanted software meant to promote suspicious browser changes and generate low-quality ads. Some of the symptoms can be a replacement of the homepage and a new search engine. Note that many search engines employed by hijackers are fake and unable to generate any unique results. Instead, they execute their features on the basis of legitimate engines like Yahoo, Google, or Bing to generate illegal traffic and gain some revenue. PositiveUser can be installed in the form of a browser extension, but may also be backed by a desktop application. Having such software installed may lead to various security risks, ranging from malware infection through promoted ads/pages or even surveillance of sensitive data (passwords, IP-addresses, geolocations). If you are struggling to get rid of the assigned changes on your own, you can follow our guide to do so fast and correctly. We will also give you some useful information on how to protect yourself against such threats in the future.

Users might see Barosearch.com as their default homepage domain due to a browser hijacker infection. Browser hijackers are a type of unwanted software designed to cause various browser changes, such as replacement of homepages, assignment of new search engines, and even excessive generation of ads. When users are infected with this hijacker (usually a browser extension called Baro Search), all search queries get redirected through barosearch.com to trafficjunction.com and then finish on the legitimate Bing.com. Cybercriminals involve a chain of various domains to generate fake traffic and gain money on advertising content, for instance. It is also worth noting that many hijackers can surveil browser-related data. This means sensitive information like passwords, IP-addresses, or geolocations may end up in the hands of threat actors for future exploitation. This is why we recommend you get rid of these changes and make sure this unwanted software in charge is removed from your browser and PC as well. Follow our guide below to do it fast and without traces.

Looker is an unwanted browser extension that alters browser settings to install its own homepage address. Software of such is notorious for promoting fake search engines - which oftentimes display results provided by legitimate engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing. The Looker hijacker is no different, as it redirects all search queries to Microsoft Bing. Developers in charge of such modifications use such a scheme to generate illegal traffic and gain money on various ads. It is also worth noting that some browser hijacker extensions may be able to control permissions, which prevent users from disabling or removing the add-on. The list of permissions may stretch even further and allow suspicious extensions to monitor browsing data (e.g., passwords, IP-addresses, history, geolocations, etc.) and collect it for selling purposes. Based on the clarifications above, we, therefore, advise you to remove the Looker extension and its residual files from your system. Use our guide below to do it fast and without traces.

Websearches.club is the name of a search engine promoted by browser hijackers. Such engines are usually considered fake due to their inability or poor quality of generating search results. It is also quite often for browser hijackers to use legitimate engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing, to spoof traffic and generate revenue by displaying ads. The Websearches.club URL address has been reported to come along with hijacker extensions like Img downloadit, Newtab, GillCom, SysKey, and others as well. Unwanted programs like browser hijackers may also operate in the form of desktop apps (even together with extensions) that modify certain settings and put up handcuffs on them. This means that changes voluntarily done by users (extension removal, settings reset, etc.) can end up denied or reverted back to unwanted changes. In addition, it is also crucial to note that many browser hijackers (including those associated with Websearches.club) can monitor and collect browsing data like passwords, IP-addresses, geolocations, and other sensitive information that cybercriminaks may capatilize on. For this reason, it is recommended to remove such software and reset your browser to regular settings. You can do it in our tutorial below.

RealAccount is another representative of large Adload family of malware aiming MacOS systems. It comes in form of small application for Mac and browser extension for Safari browser. Once installed, it starts producing ads and pop-ups, as well as search redirects, often changing your default search engine in Safari, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Visually, its icon looks like a magnifying glass on a gray background, just like any other malware from Adload. Sometimes the icon has a green background. Search hijacks redirect users to Yahoo, Bing or some unknown third-party search engines. Generally, RealAccount can be uninstalled just like any regular extension or application in MacOS, however, many victims complain that it immediately re-installs itself or even won't allow users to remove it. For such cases, we provided detailed instructions and handy tools to help you remove RealAccount extension and application from Safari on Mac.

Safe.search.tools is a search domain that may replace your default search settings due to some unwanted software installed on your PC. Such capabilities are inherent in browser hijackers - usually small applications or browser add-ons designed to generate revenue by promoting their own changes. They do so by redirecting all search queries through the newly-assigned address, and also by displaying various ads sponsored by third parties. It is also worth mentioning that browser hijackers often promote fake search engines that cannot make their own results. Instead, developers tend to employ already popular engines like Google or Yahoo to generate fake traffic of queries. A browser hijacker that pinned "Safe.search.tools" instead of your default address could also take care of making these changes irreversible. This means you may not be able to reset your settings through the traditional methods. Note that Safe.search.tools is only one of many search engines promoted by hijackers. There can be many other hijackers with similar domain names like "safesearch.net" and so forth. If you spotted a suspicious change similar to what we described above, we recommend you read our guide and learn how to get rid of such changes along with a piece of unwanted software that caused them.

Mystart Incredibar is considered an unwanted browser add-on that modifies browser settings to promote its homepage under mystart.incredibar.com and change the default search engine to MyStart. Users who have it installed will spot a vivid change in their homepage appearance - a number of new shortcuts, for instance. Depending on which version of Incredibar Toolbar affected the browser, it will promote access to online flash games or music-related features. Although such functionalities may sometimes be useful, they are promoted by unwanted software and therefore should not be trusted. Browsing with unwanted toolbars/hijackers is also likely to bring you into facing deceptive ads that could be potentially involved in the promotion of suspicious content. What is more, such software may also be capable of tracking sensitive browser information (e.g., passwords, IP-addresses, geolocations, etc.). This means any valuable data collected by cybercriminals may be shared or sold to shady third-party figures. Incredibar Toolbar was spotted targeting browsers like Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox the most, however, it is also likely that users may be affected in other popular ones too. For safety reasons, it is important to delete Mystart Incredibar from your system. It may sometimes be hard to do on your own due to anti-deletion algorithms endorsed by such software, thus, we encourage you to use our guide below for working instructions on how to succeed.

Top Search is an unwanted piece of software that alters the default homepage appearance and promotes the fake topsearch.co search engine. Software with such behavioral traits is usually categorized as browser hijackers. Developers behind often seek to generate revenue by displaying personalized ads on various pages. Such ads can be intentionally displayed using multiple layers even on the most legitimate websites and deteriorate users' experience. Browser hijackers may also be able to cause extra redirects to sponsored pages that promote untrustworthy content. These functionalities are not only annoying but dangerous. Pages involved in promotion may be linked to spreading various malware or unwanted software that might become compromising for the safety of users. It is also worth mentioning that many search engines promoted by hijackers are fake because they cannot generate their own results. Instead, they employ already existing and popular engines like Google or Yahoo to display results with extra advertisements. Top Search is not an exception in many of the unwanted features we outlined above. Thus, there is no reason to keep it as we recommend you delete it from your computer. Use our step-by-step guide below to do it correctly and without traces.