MajorPanelSearch Malware - How to remove

Did MajorPanelSearch unexpectedly appear in your Dock? It is a malicious app/extension that affects macOS devices and primarily attacks the browser. MajorPanelSearch opens random websites, collects user data, and is annoyingly difficult to remove. It can even download more malware in the background, causing new unfamiliar apps to pop up. Luckily, it (and related malware) can be removed, even if it’s a bit more effort than any old hijacker.

MajorPanelSearch in short:

Classification	Adware, browser hijacker.
How MajorPanelSearch affects a Mac	It causes stability issues, it opens unwanted sites in the browser.
How it gets installed	Promoted by deceptive sites that lie to get people to download malware, hidden in installers and not properly disclosed during the installation.
How to remove MajorPanelSearch	Delete files and apps related to MajorPanelSearch with anti-malware tools like Combo Cleaner and manually, fix the settings and preferences that were changed.

What is MajorPanelSearch?

Search hijacker

MajorPanelSearch – this name may seem kind of technical, kind of legitimate in a boring sort of way. It’s just a mashup of random words, like ElementaryUnit or ControlFraction. It’s deliberately boring because this malware does not want to stand out.

MajorPanelSearch runs automatically when you open your browser. It changes the home page, the default search engine, and possibly even network settings. As a result, MajorPanelSearch causes unexpected websites to open on your screen, randomly redirects from one site to another, and makes it really frustrating to use your preferred search engine (for instance, many people use Google.com) instead of whatever it wants to promote (like Anysearchmanager.com).

In addition, MajorPanelSearch collects data about its victims: their browsing history, their location, other data.

Frustrating malware

Also, MajorPanelSearch can cause a lot of technical issues:

• It may hijack the mouse cursor, getting it stuck in a window.
• It can crash apps that use the internet, including web browsers.
• It can cause the computer to slow down to a point where it’s unusable.
• Thanks to it, some sites might refuse to open or they might open in an unexpected language.
• You may experience problems logging into iCloud, iTunes, etc.

Some of these effects may not be intended, but I’ve seen complaints about them and I think they’re worth mentioning.

Trojan

The way that MajorPanelSearch infects Macs defines it as a Trojan. It hides inside installers that, on the surface, appear to be for safe and trustworthy apps. Even starting the installer doesn’t cause suspicion.

However, the installer does download MajorPanelSearch, which is malware, and the user (the victim) never gave informed consent to have this spying adware on their device.

One example of how MajorPanelSearch could have been installed is fake software updates – some websites are designed to look like they have macOS windows displaying on them. They trick people into thinking that the infected installers that they offer are coming from Apple, Adobe, or another reliable company. In reality, scammers just made a pretty website and are abusing the names of reliable companies.

Indeed, Apple’s main advice on how to protect your Mac is to only download apps from reliable sources – Support.apple.com.

How to remove MajorPanelSearch

MajorPanelSearch is made up of a few parts: an app, a browser add-on, settings and plist files. They need to be deleted together to prevent the malware from reinstalling itself.

It might help to enter safe mode – reboot your Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift key – Support.apple.com.

Fix settings and preferences

MajorPanelSearch likely changed some settings on your computer in order to take control of it. Anti-malware apps can help here some, but you can also fix these things manually in System Preferences.

Open System Preferences:

• Profiles – delete unfamiliar or unwanted items (select a profile and press the minus ‘-‘ button). If there are no profiles on your computer, then this icon won’t be in your System Preferences window.
• Users & Groups -> Login Items – the same.
• Extensions – check for suspicious entries, though you may want to check online before deleting them.
• Network -> Advanced -> Proxies – if unfamiliar proxies are set up, uncheck them and save.

Delete related apps and files

You can delete the app by going into Finder -> Applications, finding MajorPanelSearch, and dragging it to Trash. Or have an anti-malware tool do it. Combo Cleaner or any other reliable anti-malware tool should be able to recognize MajorPanelSearch as malicious and scoop up its related files.

Browser extensions can be removed by opening the browsers’ Settings/Preferences, clicking Extensions, and removing MajorPanelSearch if it’s there.

As for the other files and settings, you can check by opening Finder -> Go -> Computer. Type “MajorPanelSearch” (without quotes) into the search box and see what’s found. The files must be related to MajorPanelSearch, so feel free to delete them.

Have you had infections similar to MajorPanelSearch? Search for their names, too. Also, you can search for terms like “SafeFinder” and “Anysearchmanager” – names of websites that MajorPanelSearch may have forced you to use.

Exit safe mode (reboot your Mac normally) and, at a later time, scan your Mac again to make sure that MajorPanelSearch was thoroughyl removed.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Fix browser settings

How to remove MajorPanelSearch Malware from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall MajorPanelSearch Malware and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to MajorPanelSearch Malware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopHow to remove MajorPanelSearch Malware from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find MajorPanelSearch Malware on the extensions list and click on the recycle bin icon next to it.
• Click on 'Chrome' button at the top left corner. Select 'Preferences' on a drop-down menu box.
• Find 'Search' options on Settings tab. If your search engine is changed, click 'Manage Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• On the same page find 'Show home button' checkbox and change your homepage.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to MajorPanelSearch Malware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• On the 'Preferences' menu window, scroll down to the bottom and find 'Reset settings' button. Click it.
• Confirm your selection and click 'Reset' on the following window.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program. Top

How To remove MajorPanelSearch Malware from Firefox on Mac OS:

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press cmd+Shift+A on your keyboard).
• Go through Extensions list, remove everything MajorPanelSearch Malware related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
• Enter “about:preferences” in URL bar and hit enter.
• Open Search settings tab.
• If your search engine is changed, click 'Default Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Preferences-> General. Enter a preferable URL to the home page field.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to MajorPanelSearch Malware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.