GoSearch22 Malware - How to remove

GoSearch22 is a malicious app that gets installed without user permission. It infects Macs, spies on users, displays advertisements, hijacks internet searches, and might cause internet connectivity issues.

Removing GoSearch22 might be difficult: you need to find the related files and settings and take care of those before you can remove GoSearch22 for good.

GoSearch22 in short:

Classification	Adware, browser hijacker.
How GoSearch22 spreads	It’s advertised online with fake warnings and update prompts, it’s included in the installers of other apps.
How adware affects Macs	It shows ads and hijacks search settings in web browsers, it collects user data, it might install other apps.
How to remove GoSearch22	Delete malicious files and apps manually and with antivirus apps, like Combo Cleaner, fix your Mac’s settings to remove traces of GoSearch22.

How GoSearch22 gets installed

GoSearch22 is a malicious app that gets installed unexpectedly – you likely didn’t install it on purpose. There’s really no way to do that.

GoSearch22 gets promoted online by malicious ads on pirating sites and other websites that tend to show deceptive ads. Notification hijackers (like Maranhesduve.club) might also show harmful ads on your screen.

These deceptive ads might look like Adobe Flash Player update prompts, which seems to be the most common fake ad used to spread malware to Macs. There are also fake virus detections that are used to spread infected apps.

GoSearch22 is hidden in the installers of these apps. The apps often present you with installation instructions meant to get around Gatekeeper, which is there to protect you from malicious apps.

How it affects a Mac

Once GoSearch22 is installed, it makes a lot of changes to your Mac’s settings:

• It installs browser extensions that show you ads and track your browsing history.
• It redirects internet traffic and causes affiliated websites to open.
• GoSearch22 also tracks user data, likely for use in targeted advertising.
• Finally, GoSearch22 makes sure to become persistent by making itself very difficult to remove.

So, GoSearch22 shows unwanted advertisements, promotes related websites, tracks user data, and might even install other malicious apps, such as AuraSearch, SearchAdditionally, and others. Anti-malware scanners detect these apps as Pirrit (it’s a family of malware infections), Malware, Adware, and Trojan. It’s important to remove this infection as quickly as possible.

How to remove GoSearch22

GoSearch22 is an app, so you might have tried to remove it like you would any other app – by dragging it to Trash from the Applications folder, just like Apple advises (Support.apple.com).

But it might not be so easy. GoSearch22 leaves behind settings and files that can help it return the next time you log in to your Mac. If this happens to you, you need to delete those files and settings in order to remove GoSearch22 for good.

Delete GoSearch22’s files

To begin with, it’s advisable to start your Mac in safe mode (hold the Shift key as your Mac is booting) – this stops unnecessary processes from running.

To find the files used by GoSearch22, you should start by looking in Library folders, including ~/Library/LaunchAgents, ~/Library/Application Support, /Library/Application Support, and /Library/LaunchDaemons.

Since these folders are hidden by default, you might need to use the menu on Finder –  Go -> Go to Folder. Then just type in the name of the folder that you wish to open.

In truth, it’s advisable to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Combo Cleaner. Anti-malware programs can help you find malicious and suspicious files that are difficult to find manually. The malicious files might be named anything from “MacPerformance” and “MacCheck” to random letters and numbers.

Remove GoSearch22 from your settings

Still in safe mode, open the System Preferences app and check these sections:

• Profiles – select and delete (press the minus ‘-‘ button at the bottom) unwanted configuration profiles. Configuration profiles are often misused by malicious apps to force your Mac to take on various settings.
• Network -> Advanced -> Proxies – deselect all unwanted proxies.
• Users & Groups -> Login Items – remove all files and programs that you don’t want to run when you log in.

Login items, profiles, and network settings should be under your control. Malicious apps inject their own unhelpful changes to your settings.

If you successfully delete the GoSearch22 app, other malicious apps, related files, and settings, then your Mac should be free from malware now. If the settings revert, then there must still be some malicious app left on your system.

If you can’t remove GoSearch22 no matter how hard you try, you can always restore your Mac to an earlier date or reinstall macOS (you can keep your files).

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