MainBoardSearch Adware - How to remove

MainBoardSearch is an adware app. It causes online apps to malfunction, it opens unwanted websites, and it may even cause more unknown apps to be installed.

Apps like MainBoardSearch appear unexpectedly – they get installed without permission. But they can be difficult to remove. Just deleting the app might not get rid of it for good. MainBoardSearch has a few components besides the app that also need to be deleted.

MainBoardSearch in short:

Type of threat	Adware, trojan.
Problems caused by MainBoardSearch	Unstable internet connection, browser redirects and pop-ups, data tracking.
How adware is installed	Fake software update prompts, infected app installers.
How to delete MainBoardSearch	Find and delete MainBoardSearch and all related files manually or with antivirus software (Combo Cleaner, etc.), check your settings and remove traces of MainBoardSearch.

Signs of a MainBoardSearch infection

MainBoardSearch (or MainBoardSearchDaemon) is one of many adware apps that infect Macs. It’s a malicious app that gets installed without permission.

Here are some things you might notice after MainBoardSearch is installed:

• Unfamiliar apps (MainBoardSearch, UtilityData, ExecutiveOperation, etc.) are installed on your Mac. They run on their own, but they don’t seem to do anything.
• Online apps (web browsers, email client, chat apps) don’t work, freeze, lag, crash.
• Browsers open unexpected websites (Searchlee.com, Searchmarquis.com, etc.) and show pop-up ads.
• Some websites just don’t open.
• If you change certain settings, they revert when you restart your Mac.
• Your Mac might warn you that MainBoardSearch “will damage your computer”.

These symptoms show that there’s something not right with your network settings and browser settings. When MainBoardSearch and similar adware apps get installed, they take control of certain settings. They want to control how people browse the web.

In addition, MainBoardSearch might log your browsing history, search history, and other data. The problem is that your search history could include some personal information – it should not go to a random site that little is known about.

How aware apps get installed

MainBoardSearch does not ask for permission to be installed. You might not even know how it got on your computer.

It could have been bundled with another app’s installer, it might have been included in an adware bundle, or it might even have been downloaded by another infection.

For example, Flash Player update scams are often used to spread adware like MainBoardSearch. Despite Flash having retired (Adobe Flash is Dead: Here’s What That Means), its name is still being used to push malware. Scammers create web pages to look like software update alerts, then they download installers full of malware.

Other times, the installers for legitimate apps carry adware in them. Infected installers might be shared on unofficial websites, so be careful where you download your software from. You might want to configure your Mac to only allow apps from the App Store to be installed. Though, even then, some malicious installers find ways to get around this security measure.

Trojans that are already on your Mac could cause more malicious apps to be downloaded.

How to remove MainBoardSearch

MainBoardSearch can be very persistent (How Malware Persists on macOS), so removing it is a little complicated but very doable. The instructions can be found below.

Use safe mode to stop MainBoardSearch and other unwanted apps from running.

You can scan your Mac with anti-malware applications – Combo Cleaner and others. They can help you find suspicious apps and files and remove them. But they won’t help you fix the settings that MainBoardSearch changed.

Find MainBoardSearch, related files, other suspicious files and folders, and delete them. Uninstall the MainBoardSearch app and other suspicious apps.

Go into your browser settings and disable extensions. MainBoardSearch likely installs browser hijackers in order to promote certain websites.

Finally, check your system preferences. Review your startup items and configuration profiles and remove unwanted entries. Check if a SOCKS proxy is set up without your permission. If it is, then disable it.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove MainBoardSearch

How to remove MainBoardSearch Adware from macOS

Delete MainBoardSearch Adware from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the MainBoardSearch Adware app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

(Optional) Delete related settings

Some malicious apps make themselves difficult to delete by changing various settings and leaving behind malicious files. Remove settings related to MainBoardSearch Adware.

• Click the Apple logo in the menu bar. Open System Preferences.
• Some malicious applications set profiles to enforce unwanted settings. Remove unwanted configuration profiles.

1. 1. In System Preferences, click the Profiles icon. This icon is only visible if there are profiles on your Mac.
   2. Select unwanted profiles and remove them by pressing the minus '-'  button at the bottom.

• Some adware applications set SOCKS proxy to manipulate your internet traffic. Remove unwanted proxies:

1. 1. In System Preferences, click Network, Advanced, Proxies.
   2. If a proxy is set without your permission, uncheck it and click OK.

(Optional) Delete malicious files

Some malicious apps leave behind dangerous files in your Library folders. Delete files related to MainBoardSearch Adware.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go -> Computer.
3. In the search box, type in MainBoardSearch Adware and variations of it.
4. Delete the files that are found and that seem to be related to MainBoardSearch Adware.