Google adware

Whenever I search at google.com and click on first 4 or 5 links then it redirects me to other shopping sites. No I dont have xulrunner ad-on installed. Behaviour is same even if I remove all the ad-ons. This behaviour is only with firefox and not other browsers.
Any help? I have waited for more than a year and sticking to firefox

Did you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? A standard diagnostic to bypass interference by extensions (and some custom settings) is to try Firefox's Safe Mode.
First, I recommend backing up your Firefox settings in case something goes wrong. See [[Backing up your information]]. (You can copy your entire Firefox profile folder somewhere outside of the Mozilla folder.)
Next, restart Firefox in Firefox's Safe Mode ([[Safe Mode]]) using
Help > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
In the dialog, click "Start in Safe Mode."
If Google works correctly, this points to one of your extensions or custom settings as the problem.
If that doesn't make any difference, external malware may be to blame. You may want to run some supplemental scans. These two free tools are highly regarded:
Malwarebytes Anti-malware : http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free
SUPERAntiSpyware : http://www.superantispyware.com/

Similar Messages

How do I get rid of Bing and adware on my macbook? I have changed the preferences on Safari to google, and tried to download an adware remover, but things are now worse!

Hi can anyone help me to get rid of Bing and all sorts of Adware on my macbook which arrive everytime I use Safari? I have changed the Safari preferences but Bing won't go away, and worse, it comes up with adverts. I also seem to be losing things I do want - like VLC player- its creepy

There is no need to download anything to solve this problem.
If Safari crashes on launch and you don't have another web browser, you should be able to launch Safari by starting up in safe mode.
You may have installed the "Genieo" or "InstallMac" ad-injection malware. Follow the instructions on this Apple Support page to remove it.
Back up all data before making any changes.
One of the steps in the article is to remove malicious Safari extensions. Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those.
After removing the malware, remember to reset your home page in all the web browsers affected, if it was changed.
If you don't find any of the files or extensions listed, or if removing them doesn't stop the ad injection, then you may have one of the other kinds of adware covered by the support article. Follow the rest of the instructions in the article.
If you find Apple's instructions too hard to follow, ask for an alternative that doesn't require you to trust a black-box application without knowing what it does.
Make sure you don't repeat the mistake that led you to install the malware. Chances are you got it from an Internet cesspit such as "Softonic" or "CNET Download." Never visit either of those sites again. You might also have downloaded it from an ad in a page on some other site. The ad would probably have included a large green button labeled "Download" or "Download Now" in white letters. The button is designed to confuse people who intend to download something else on the same page. If you ever download a file that isn't obviously what you expected, delete it immediately.
In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.
Still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked
Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)
or
Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)
if it's not already checked.

Google searches get redirected to unwanted search engines (adware)

I have google on the toolbar but it is also on homepage. If I put in a search criteria such as "Top 40 songs for 2010" it gives me a list which includes billboard's website and description. However, when I click the link or any similar links on that page, It redirects me away from billboard and puts me back at some unwanted search site such as scour search . That site looks like another such engine but it mostly contains advertising or companies selling a product not even related to my search.

Scan for malware: http://www.malwarebytes.org
Faisal Misle
Support Volunteer
support.mozilla.com

How to remove adware from google chrome?

I recently downloaded a mathematical program to my laptop, but immediately after downloading it tons of ads and new tabs began opening every time I click on something. Does anyone know how to fix this problem?! Thank You!!

Try AdwareMedic:
http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php
Ciao.

I downloaded something and now when I click on safari yahoo comes up instead of top sites and I really want top sites back it's easier and google as the search engine on the top bar helped a lot too!! Please answer quick need immediate HELP!!

I Downloaded something onto my computer and now when I click onto safari yahoo pops up instead of top sites I know certain changes come along with downloading but if there is a way back to top sites and google as my search engine I need it!! I'm not one for change and I love the whole original display that the macs have to offer when you first get your mac so thats why I really want top sites back also it was great when your in and rush and so much easier!! Please HELP immediately this is urgent!!

Identify and remove adware
http://www.thesafemac.com/arg/
or use Adware Removal Tool.
http://www.thesafemac.com/art/

Firefox always opens to the pages I was on in the previous session, even though Google is my homepage and it is set to load to my homepage upon opening.

Every time I open a new session of Firefox, instead of it going to the homepage that I have selected, it simply loads all tabs from the previous session I closed. This even happens after I've turned off and back on my computer. I have the settings so that my homepage is Google, and it is set to always go to my homepage upon startup. Addons is not the problem, I have not installed any new addons, and this is only a recent problem. I think it is a problem with Firefox itself, but of course there is no Mozilla customer service to speak to. I can see on the forums that many people are having this same problem right now. Please Mozilla, if you actually look at the forums, FIX THIS!!! Any anyone providing replies, please do not tell me to check my settings, because they are all correct, and the problem is NOT third party software. There is also NO file in my profile folder called user.js, so that is not the problem, either!

jennifer, if you just see a file titled "user", this is because your windows operating system is set to hide some file extensions: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/show-hide-file-name-extensions#show-hide-file-name-extensions=windows-7
most probably this is exactly the user.js file to delete in order to address your problem...
though i can't say why it appeared in your case, you're right that many times this file is created by malicious software. therefore i'd recommend to run a scan with two security tools specialised on adware and browser hijackers: the [http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free free version of malwarebytes] and [http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/ adwcleaner].
[[Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware]]

HT202225 I keep getting pop ups on my iMac for the first time in 6 years after one of my kids tried to watch football through crichd tv. safari now opens with smart search engine rather than google every time i try to open a new web page.

Ever since one of my kids tried to watch football on a website called crichd tv I keep getting pop us come up like Mackeeper and every time i try to open a web page it comes up with Smartsearch rather than google which is my preferred search engine in preferences. I have blocked extensions and changed homepage to google but this Smartsearch keeps overriding. Also a thing called MacKeeper keeps popping up I have followed the instructions to uninstall but the file it says to move to trash from the Applications folder but it simply isn't there or anywhere else. The file to uninstall Smartsearch is also not where they say it is in Library>frameworks>
Very frustrating from going from a perfectly working system to a now very frustrating and annoying pop ups coming uo after every time i open a new web page.
Any help or assistance in this matter would be very much appreciated.
Russ

You (or your kids) inadvertently installed adware. You do not need to download or install anything to fix it.
Any tips on how to stop it from happening?
Yes. To learn how to avoid it in the future read How to install adware.
If you require them, Apple's removal instructions are linked in the Recovery Procedure near the end of that document. Read and follow them carefully. Pay particular attention to the easily overlooked passages directing you to restart your Mac when required.

How can I get rid of Tencent QQ Adware?

Hey
Just wondering if any one here runs Tencent QQ on mac os x? I have to run QQ as everyone in China uses it for: work, file sharing, blogging, and communication.
The PC version is full of all sorts of horrors. But I'm finding problems with the mac version and I can't find any information about it, having googled around for a day or so.
I'm running there english for mac version which is still in Bata and has been for a year or so now.
I'm getting a lot of random pop up adds in Chinese in all my web browsers, and I don't know what to do to get rid of them!
I have just tried running VirusBarrer X6. It's the only anti virus program I have found good reviews for the mac. But that did not find anything on my computer. It also dose not notice the adds appearing even though its running in the back ground.
I have deleted all cookies and used the mac firewall to block QQ but I still have adware.
Any ideas on how to get rid of it?
Thanks
Eben

I have installed AdBlocker which is 'donation-ware'. It does block some pop-up ads. You might have to add a filter for this particular ad.
http://sweetpproductions.com/safariadblocker/
This hasn't caused me any problems yet that matter and it doesn't block all ads/pop-up ads without adding more specific filters. I haven't tried to add my own filters yet. I have noticed that it blocks part of one section in Yahoo.
Neville

How do I stop firefox from redirecting every page I click on in Google search? No matter what I search for in Google when I click on it Firefox redirects me to some other search, sales, or contest page.

How do I stop firefox from redirecting every page I click on in Google search? No matter what I search for in Google when I click on it Firefox redirects me to some other search, sales, or contest page. I have a security program running, no maleware, adware, or virus on my pc. Thanks for the help in advance.

Sounds like a dose of search redirect malware or a redirect virus.
Install, update, and run these programs in this order. They are listed in order of efficacy. '''''(Not all programs detect the same Malware, so you may need to run them all to solve your problem.)''''' These programs are all free for personal use, but some have limited functionality in the "free mode" - but those are features you really don't need to find and remove the problem that you have. 
''Note: If your Malware infection is bad enough and you are mis-directed to URL's other than what is posted, you may have to use a different PC to download these programs and use a USB stick to transfer them to the afflicted PC.''
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - [http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php] 
SuperAntispyware - [http://www.superantispyware.com/] 
AdAware - [http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/] 
Spybot Search & Destroy - [http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html] 
Windows Defender: Home Page - [http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx] 
Also, if you have a search engine re-direct problem, see this: 
http://deletemalware.blogspot.com/2010/02/remove-google-redirect-virus.html
If these don't find it or can't clear it, post in one of these forums for specialized malware removal help: 
[http://www.spywarewarrior.com/index.php] 
[http://forum.aumha.org/] 
[http://www.spywareinfoforum.com/] 
[http://bleepingcomputer.com]

I will type in google let say tree the search will click on to one of the searches and instead of tree web page showing up a ad page will come up this happens with very thing can you help.

I will type in google let say tree the search will click on to one of the searches and instead of tree web page showing up a ad page will come up this happens with very thing can you help.

You (or your kids) inadvertently installed adware. You do not need to download or install anything to fix it.
Any tips on how to stop it from happening?
Yes. To learn how to avoid it in the future read How to install adware.
If you require them, Apple's removal instructions are linked in the Recovery Procedure near the end of that document. Read and follow them carefully. Pay particular attention to the easily overlooked passages directing you to restart your Mac when required.

Using OSX 10.6.8, recently been having popups, think it's adware/malware from MediaDownloader, one of the first pop ups to occur. The second pop up to occur was Trojanalert. Never had a virus on this computer. Please help remove.

I'm currently using OSX 10.6.8, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM Memory. I am not able to upgrade the operating system, and the computer still has 67 GB of memory on the harddrive. I don't use it for anything very intense, mostly internet browsing. I was at a hotel over the weekend and connected to their free wifi. Once back home, two days later, I started receiving pop ups in Chrome. The first was MediaDownloader, so I assume that is the culprit. The second pop up to occur was Trojanalert. I looked through some online community forums and was pointed towards downloading and running AdwareMedic. My operating system does not support this program. Next I read up on how to examine libraries and extensions to find the issue. I'm not well versed in this, but I followed the directions and did not find any malicious looking extensions or items in the libraries. Before looking for the "thing" to remove, I backed up my computer as recommended.
I have never, to my knowledge, had a virus on this computer. I have never experienced pop ups, and I very rarely download any program, especially not software included with other programs.
Could someone recommend a virus/adware/malware utility that will find and remove this issue or provide me with a detailed set of instructions on how to find the issue and then correct it? Are there free online scans or removal tools that are trusted and could help? Also, if I should be posting this somewhere else, please let me know. I have not used this community tool much at all. Thank you in advance for any assistance.

First, thanks for the quick response. This is the website that I looked at and was trying to follow. There are no extensions listed in my Safari, and the only two in Chrome are: Google Docs and Java for Browsing. In Firefox the only extension is Garmin Communicator 4.1.0.
To the best of my novice ability I followed the directions to look at the libraries and have not found malicious things there either. As I cannot upgrade to 10.7, is there anything else I'm missing? Again, I've tried my best to locate the cause, but I'm new to looking at files and paths. Nothing jumps out as abnormal or as something listed on thesafemac.com/arg .

How do i change the setting so that when i type something in the address bar, it searches with google. it's started using yahoo and i hate yahoo, i'm even considering leaving firefox

somethings i type something in the address bar, like 'paypal', mozilla used to go straight to that website, which was helpful... then it started searching with google, this i was not too upset about... however now it has started searching with yahoo, this i am upset about, and i would like to change this, however i do not know how?

1. Use free AdwareMedic by clicking “Download ” from here
    http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php
    Install , open, and run it by clicking “Scan for Adware” button   to remove adware.
    Once done, quit AdwareMedic by clicking AdwareMedic in the menu bar and selecting
    “Quit AdwareMedic”.
2. Safari > Preferences > Extensions
     Turn those off and relaunch Safari to test .
     Turn those on one by one and test.
3. Safari > Preferences > Search > Search Engine :
    Select your preferred   search engine.
4. Safari > Preferences > General > Homepage:
     Set your Homepage.

Had problem with bookmarks, history, back button and google links not working.

For the last five days i've had problems with firefox. First, i noticed that it was running incredibly slowly and then that all the links in the google search were not working. Then i noticed that neither was the history, bookmarks or back button. I went on to facebook chat to ask for help. First, I was told to reinstall firefox, which didn't work. Then i was told to do a "clean" install where you rename the old firefox folder in the programs folder so that it makes sure when it's installed that everything is new and nothing is corrupted. That didn't work either. I then disabled my antivirus software and firewall to see if that was causing the problem. It was not. Then I installed an anti-malware program to remove any adware or spywar,e which it did remove from my computer, but it didn't solve the problem. The chat person was at a loss and I don't blame him/her because so was I.
The reason I'm writing this is in case anyone else has the same problem. The only way I solved it was first by uninstalling and making sure to check the little box asking if you want all personal data and such associated with firefox also removed (which removes cookies as well) and then I finally thought to delete all the cookies from the rest of my computer also. Once all the cookies were gone and i had fully uninstalled firefox and personal data, I reinstalled it with a newly downloaded file and it is once again functioning properly. Hope this is helpful to anyone who's been ripping their hair out. :)

'''I have the same problem!!
But in my case, not just Google links.
The problem happens with all the websites links.
Please...
Help us!!
Thnx'''

I am trying to watch videos online, but a message saying "You are currently browsing the web with Google Chrome..."

I have a MacBook Pro, which I just bought in August.
When I try to watch videos on my computer, a message pops up saying, "You are currently browsing the web with Google Chrome and your Video Player might be outdated." I know it's a pop up, but I don't know how to get rid of it and watch videos on my computer. I did look it up online and I downloaded the TSM Adware Removal Tool, which removed some adware files. Then I also downloaded Bitdefender Virus Scanner from the app store to scan my entire computer - nothing came up.
Please help me solve this problem. Thanks.

The update alerts are fake, and are intended to dupe you into installing malware or disclosing private information so that your identity can be stolen.
You might get the alerts when visiting a website that has been hacked. Don't visit the site again. If applicable, notify the site administrator of the problem, but don't send email to an unknown party.
If you get the alerts when visiting more than one well-known website, such as Google, YouTube, or Facebook, then they're almost certainly the result of an attack on your router that has caused you to get false results from looking up the addresses of Internet servers. Requests sent to those sites are redirected to a server controlled by the attacker. It's possible, but less likely, that the DNS server used by your ISP has been attacked, but you should assume that the router is at fault until proven otherwise.
The router's documentation should tell you how to reset it to the factory default state. Usually there's a pinhole switch somewhere in the back. It may be labeled "RESET." Insert the end of a straightened paper clip or a similar tool and press the button inside for perhaps 15 seconds, or as long as the instructions specify.
After resetting the router, quit the web browser and relaunch it while holding down the shift key. From the Safari menu bar, select
Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data
and confirm. Do the equivalent if you use another browser. Open the Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.
Then go through the router's initial setup procedure. I can't be specific, because it's different for every model. The key points are these:
1. Don't allow the router to be administered from the WAN (Internet) port, if it has that option. Most do.
2. Set a strong password to protect the router's settings: at least ten random upper- and lower-case letters and digits. Don't use the default password or any other that could be guessed. Save the password in your keychain. Any password that you can remember is weak.
3. If the router is wireless, or if you have a wireless access point on the network, use "WPA 2 Personal" security and set a different strong password to protect the network. If the router or access point doesn't support WPA 2, it's obsolete and must be replaced.
During the time the router was compromised, you were redirected to bogus websites. If you ever connected to a secure site and got a warning from your browser that the identity of the server could not be verified, and you dismissed that warning in order to log in, assume that your credentials for the site have been stolen and that the attacker has control of the account. This warning also applies to all websites on which you saw the fake update alerts.
Check the router manufacturer's website for a firmware update.
If you downloaded and installed what you thought was a software update, ask for instructions.

Can't use google. Little help please

For some reason I cannot use Google as a search engine or access its website. Would really like to resolve this. Any help is really appreciated.
Things I have tried:
1.) Ping google and it was successful
The address it is using is 173.194.117.242
To make things weird, if I use this numerical address in the search cue I in fact get access to the google website
2.) I flushed the DNS in "Terminal"
Not sure if that did anything. I read somewhere to try it
Important background information
When I enter google in my search function, I am directed to this page strangely http://122.132.196.148/33407BMULZ/dsawfffs.php?64198
I do live in South Korea so that's why its in Korean. Basically it tells me I need to update google chrome (which I am not even using) or download some binary patch that really only is meant for Microsoft users so it doesn't work on my computer anyway.
So...Why is it that I can reach 173.194.117.242 (google) but then am directed to that strange web page in korean when I use google as a search engine in my browser (firefox,safari)
Thanks!

Please review the options below to determine which method is best to remove the Adware installed on your computer.
The Easy, safe, effective method:
http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php
If you are comfortable doing manual file removals use the somewhat more difficult method:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203987
Also read the articles below to be more prepared for the next time there is an issue on your computer.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7471
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8071
http://www.thesafemac.com/tech-support-scam-pop-ups/

Google adware

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