TotalConsoleSearch Mac Malware - How to remove

TotalConsoleSearch is a malicious app that can steal data, open unwanted sites in your browser, and change your system preferences in unhelpful ways. It also might come back after you delete it. TotalConsoleSearch spreads to Macs through fake and infected app installers. To remove it, delete all malicious files, apps, and extensions and check your Mac’s settings.

TotalConsoleSearch in short:

Type of threat	Adware, spyware, trojan.
How TotalConsoleSearch affects a Mac	Forces the browse to open unwanted sites, reads data about the victim, could download more malware.
How it gets installed	Downloaded in fake software updates, downloaded by other trojans.
How to remove TotalConsoleSearch	Delete TotalConsoleSearch and other malware, find and remove malware automatically (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, etc.), fix system settings.

What is TotalConsoleSearch?

Browser-hijacking adware

TotalConsoleSearch is an adware infection that attacks macOS devices. Victims of TotalConsoleSearch have their searches redirected to Safe Finder and other unexpected sites, their traffic – redirected to unsafe servers, their browsing history and other data – stolen.

More specifically, if TotalConsoleSearch is on your Mac, here are a few things that you may notice:

• Web browsers (especially Safari) opening unexpected websites, such as SearchBaron or Yahoo by Safe Finder.
• Large and mostly empty pop-ups appear on your screen when you open web browsers.
• Warnings from macOS that certain files may damage your computer.
• TotalConsoleSearch starting automatically when you turn on your Mac. Web browsers opening on their own.
• New apps that look similar to TotalConsoleSearch being installed on their own.

TotalConsoleSearch can start apps as you turn on your Mac, so it can always be running. It can control which sites open in your browser. As such, it might inject ads into your webpages. This, as well as hijacking your searches, could be used by TotalConsoleSearch’s operators to make money.

TotalConsoleSearch can also track your browsing data. This could also make money for its operators if they sell it.

In addition to everything, TotalConsoleSearch is hard to remove. Deleting it may not be as simple as dragging the app to Trash.

Trojan

“TotalConsoleSearch” is a deliberately meaningless name given to this malware. TotalConsoleSearch is related to Mac infections like AssistiveFile, UtilityData, ConnectionFormat, and others. There’s a lot of them.

TotalConsoleSearch gets detected by antivirus scanners as Adware, Trojan, Adload, Downloader (Virustotal.com). Some of these detections, such as Trojan and Downloader, reveal how TotalConsoleSearch and related apps spread.

You probably didn’t install TotalConsoleSearch intentionally. It doesn’t have a homepage or any real features. It downloads and installs without asking.

One way that TotalConsoleSearch does this is by being bundled with trusted apps and programs. Have you seen a Flash Player pop-up recently? Maybe an unusual macOS update? Malicious actors create misleading ads and impersonate trusted companies to get people to download what they think are safe apps. Only, these apps are actually collections of malware. That’s why TotalConsoleSearch gets labeled a Trojan – because it’s malware that pretends to be a safe app.

How to remove TotalConsoleSearch

To remove TotalConsoleSearch, here are the things you should do:

1. Quit all malicious apps or start your Mac in safe mode.
2. Scan your device and remove all malware.
3. Check your System Preferences and fix startup, network, and configuration profile settings.
4. If needed, delete malicious files.

Remove malware

Using safe mode is the best way to quit TotalConsoleSearch and other malware. Shut down your Mac, then start it again and hold the Shift key until you see the loading bar on your screen. More detailed instructions can be found on Support.apple.com.

Then, delete the TotalConsoleSearch app, all other suspicious apps, downloaded files, and browser extensions. Find them manually and/or use an anti-malware app, such as Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.

Check System Preferences

TotalConsoleSearch might have made some changes to your system settings. Open System Preferences to fix them:

• Open Users & Groups -> Login Items. Remove all unfamiliar or unwanted items (remove by selecting, then clicking the minus ‘-‘ button at the bottom of the window).
• Open Profiles. Delete all unfamiliar profiles.
• Open Network -> Advanced -> Proxies. If a proxy is configured but you (or other users of your Mac) didn’t do it, then deselect it and click OK.
• Open Extensions. Remove any that are suspicious.

Delete malicious files

If you want to be especially thorough, open Finder -> Go -> Computer, type in “TotalConsoleSearch”, and delete all files that come up.

To go even deeper (though be careful as you will be messing with files that belong to your legitimate apps, too), open Go -> Go to Folder and look for suspicious items in these folders:

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

Besides having “TotalConsoleSearch” in their names, malicious files may also be named mundane things like “MacPerformance”, as well as strings of random characters. Some of these files may be responsible for reinstalling TotalConsoleSearch when you delete it (How malware persists on Macs). Though, after disabling startup items and your anti-malware apps removing malware, you should be fine.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Fix browser settings

How to remove TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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 TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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 TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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 TotalConsoleSearch Mac Malware from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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 TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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 TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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 TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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 TotalConsoleSearch Mac 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.