WebNewSearch Malware - How to remove

WebNewSearch is a malicious app that hijacks web browsers. It forces them to open unwanted websites and logs their activity. Although it’s not immediately very dangerous, WebNewSearch is malicious enough. It needs to be removed, however, deleting the WebNewSearch app and browser extension isn’t always easy. You need to find related settings and files, delete them, and then delete WebNewSearch for good.

About WebNewSearch:

Type of threat	Trojan, adware.
How to remove WebNewSearch	Delete related files and settings, remove WebNewSearch and other malware with Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, and others.
How WebNewSearch affects the Mac	Changes web browser settings to make it open promoted sites, collects data about the browser.
How it is installed	Advertised online, bundled with the installers of other apps, promoted by deceptive ads.

How to remove WebNewSearch

Deleting WebNewSearch may not be as simple as dragging the app to Trash. If you run into any issues when deleting WebNewSearch, check out the guide below for some ideas of what you can do, including fixing some System Preferences and deleting suspicious files in the Library folders.

Safe mode

Start the WebNewSearch removal process by rebooting your Mac in safe mode. This stops unwanted processes from running without you having to hunt them down in Activity Monitor.

Follow the instructions on Support.apple.com. Hold the Shift keyboard key from when your Mac begins o turn on until you see the Apple logo.

While you’re in safe mode, it’s time to find and delete all the files and settings related to WebNewSearch.

System Preferences

Open System Preferences. You can find it in the Dock or in the Apple menu.

Now, find these sections:

• Users & Groups -> Login Items. Find unknown or unwanted entries. Delete them by selecting them and pressing the minus ‘-‘ button.
• Profiles. The same, delete unwanted items. There might not be a Profiles icon there – this means that there aren’t any profiles on your Mac, which is fine.
• Network -> Advanced -> Proxies. Uncheck unfamiliar proxies if they’re selected.
• Extensions. Delete malicious items if there are any.

Files and apps

WebNewSearch has a bunch of files that help it remain installed.

Use antivirus tools, such as Combo Cleaner for macOS, Malwarebytes, or others to scan your device, then delete the files that were detected.

In addition, you can review yourself the most likely places to hold malicious files.

Open Finder -> Go -> Computer. Use the search box to look for files that have “WebNewSearch” in their names. If you noticed unwanted websites appearing in your web browser, search for those, too. Delete the files that contain instructions for your browser to visit those sites.

Open Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder. Type in these folder names:

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

Now, these folders hold some files that are used by your legitimate apps. But WebNewSearch may have created its own files, as well. Your antivirus app should recognize which files are malicious and which aren’t, but antivirus scanners aren’t always perfect.

Carefully review the files that were added at around the time that WebNewSearch showed up. Preview the files for suspicious URLs. When you think that a file is potentially malicious, delete it. In case it was a legitimate file, restore it from Trash.

What is WebNewSearch

Adware and spyware

But what really is WebNewSearch?

Some people notice it when their macOS shows them a warning saying that WebNewSearch may damage their computer and needs to be removed. Others notice it when it starts up with their browser – a mysterious app with the icon of a magnifying glass that just sits there in the Dock.

WebNewSearch is adware and spyware. It logs user data, including technical information about the Mac, as well as the user’s browsing habits.

In addition, WebNewSearch causes pop-up ads and redirects to promoted websites. It can hijack web browsers – change the home page, the new tab page, and the default search engine of your web browsers. Sites like Safe Finder, Search Baron, and others may appear on your screen. This adware makes money by forcefully advertising to its victims and probably by selling data about them.

A trojan infection

Nobody really wants malware like WebNewSearch on their Mac, but it manages to infect computers anyway. It does this by using malicious ads (fake warnings to install “necessary” software on your Mac) or by being included in the installers of various free apps.

Apple’s Gatekeeper manages to catch some of these infections, but cybercriminals come up with ways to get around it. If an app has very unusual installation instructions, be careful. It might be trying to trick you.

WebNewSearch is similar to MajorPanelSearch and various Shlayer infections.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Fix browser settings

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

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