TechLetterSearch Pop-ups - How to remove

TechLetterSearch is malware targeted at Macs. It slows down the internet, crashes applications, changes web search settings, injects ads to your browser, and refuses to stay uninstalled. TechLetterSearch gets installed by fake software updates and roots itself in, becoming impossible to remove normally. To remove TechLetterSearch, you need to delete the files that it created.

TechLetterSearch is malware and it can be quite dangerous:

What TechLetterSearch does	Spies on you, injects ads into your browser, reinstalls after being removed normally.
How it gets installed	Downloaded in fake software updates, shown in pop-ups on pirating sites.
Classification	Adware, trojan, browser hijacker.
How to get rid of TechLetterSearch	Delete malicious profiles, delete files that belong to malware, remove all malware with an antivirus program (Combo Cleaner or another), change your passwords.

How to remove TechLetterSearch

Safe mode stops unnecessary applications like TechLetterSearch from running. So, you may want to start your Mac in safe mode for the next part. You can do that by starting or restarting your Mac and holding the Shift key while your Mac is booting up until you see the login screen. Next time you start your Mac, it will boot into normal mode

TechLetterSearch probably created Profiles to stop you from uninstalling it. Go to System Preferences. If there’s a Profiles icon, open it, select the profile, and press the minus button, then remove the profile.

Now try to uninstall TechLetterSearch from your applications.

If something doesn’t work, like if TechLetterSearch is still there or the profile can’t be deleted, try opening these folders (Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder) and looking for files related to TechLetterSearch:

• ~/Library/LaunchAgents
• /Library/LaunchAgents
• ~/Library/Application Support
• /Library/Application Support
• /Library/LaunchDaemons

It’s possible that the files are named something similar to “TechLetterSearch” but not it exactly. Look up each suspicious file name online, see if you find any stories about it being malware. If you do, go ahead and delete it.

Finally, you should be able to delete the TechLetterSearch application and browser extension (instructions at the bottom) and have it stick.

For removing malware generally (undoubtedly, TechLetterSearch came to your computer with other malware), use Combo Cleaner or another trusted anti-malware program.

TechLetterSearch symptoms

You might first see TechLetterSearch on your Mac as it asks you to allow it to complete installation or to access internet connection.

TechLetterSearch is trying to hijack your web traffic, probably by modifying your proxy settings. This would let malicious actors to spy on your actions and force your browser to open malicious sites. They could also replace ads on some websites, defrauding them of a portion of their ad revenue and profiting illegitimately.

Encryption won’t keep you entirely safe because TechLetterSearch, as a browser extension, has permissions to read what you do on every website – including reading your passwords. If you use the browser infected with TechLetterSearch, you could be putting your login credentials and other private information in danger. Change your password after you delete TechLetterSearch for good.

Thanks to TechLetterSearch, your browser and other programs that use the internet may not work right. They can freeze, crash, and you might need to restart your Mac to get everything back to normal.

if you try to remove TechLetterSearch from your Applications folder, it’s likely to return in a few hours to a few days. Interestingly, it might change its name. This is something common between TechLetterSearch and a bunch of similar Mac malware programs, including SystemSpot, ActionHow, ReachChoice, and others. They morph from one to another but they all work the same.

How TechLetterSearch infects Macs

Those who got infected with TechLetterSearch and similar malware pretty consistently insist that they didn’t install anything but some software updates before they got it. This fits with the recent rise in malvertising in the form of fake software updates.

Basically, there are a ton of sites that claim that you must update your Adobe Flash media player. They show windows that loot like Mac OS system windows, so it’s easy to get fooled into thinking that you’re following the honest instructions from Apple itself. Not so – the file that gets downloaded ends up being an adware bundle. Two that I scanned on VirusTotal (link, link) got declared “Bundlore”. They install a dubious Mac optimizer and some adware on top.

And that’s how TechLetterSearch might have made it on your Mac. These fake software update sites appear on sites with goofy URLs like Mainplaceupgradesfree.info and Mainplaceofupgrades.best. They pop up on free streaming sites, mostly. Be careful when pirating TV shows and movies because those websites show a lot of malicious ads. And scan each installer with an antivirus program before you run it.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove remnants of TechLetterSearch from your browser

How to remove TechLetterSearch Pop-ups from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall TechLetterSearch Pop-ups 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 TechLetterSearch, 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 TechLetterSearch Pop-ups from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find TechLetterSearch Pop-ups 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 TechLetterSearch, 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 TechLetterSearch Pop-ups 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 TechLetterSearch Pop-ups 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 TechLetterSearch Pop-ups, 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.