Remove Search.publicorigins.com from (Safari/Chrome/Firefox) Mac Virus

George Herman
George Herman
IT Security Expert

Get a FREE scan to check for Search.publicorigins.com problems

Some infections like this Search.publicorigins.com virus can regenerate themselves. There is no better way to detect, remediate and prevent malware infection, than to use a professional anti-malware software like SpyHunter. One Application that is capable of solving all MAC problems.

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What Is Search.publicorigins.com Mac Virus?

 

remove search.publicorigins.com mac virus

Search.publicorigins.com is categorized as a browser hijacker that infects Mac and replaces Safari’s default search. This page redirects to malware sites and tries to sign the user up for different programs. The hijacker also displays fake alerts with an aim of deceiving the user into believing that their computer is infected. The redirect from Search.publicorigins.com does not give the user an option to remove this malware, instead it tries to trick the user and infect their computer with more malware. Just like other browser hijackers, this one also changes browser settings so that the user is redirected to Search.publicorigins.com every time they open a new tab or click on a link. When installed on the computer, the browser hijacker collects non-personally identifiable information about the user’s browsing habits. This data is then sent to third parties for the purpose of targeted advertising.

How Is Search.publicorigins.com Mac Virus Distributed?

The Public Origins Mac Virus is bundled with other Mac applications and shared on websites that offer them for free. The virus spreads when users click on malicious links or attachments in email messages, install software from suspicious websites or download files from third-party web pages. Recognizing the Symptoms of the Public Origins Virus.
The virus often takes control of the Mac and displays parasite ads. The user’s browser settings may be altered and the search engine is hijacked. The virus may appear as a new icon on your Mac’s menu bar. When trying to open it, the virus page opens instead of your default page that you are used to seeing. There is no way to close this particular program because it does not have an “X” button in the top corner. It also doesn’t have a menu bar icon. The virus will create pop-up ads that promote use of other applications that are available on the same website. These annoying ads will redirect the user to a landing page and then ask them to sign up for things they do not want.

How harmful is Search.publicorigins.com hijacker? 

The Public Origins Virus can make your Mac operate more slowly and the entire computer may become unstable.

  1. Search.publicorigins.com is a browser hijacker that is installed without your knowledge or consent, making it difficult to remove searching in the default search engine and using the web on your Mac computer, while at the same time slowing down computer performance.
  2. Can impact all Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers.
  3. Can degrade the performance of your Mac computer.
  4. You can use antivirus/anti-malware software to delete Search.publicorigins.com and get your default search engine and web browsing back to normal on your computer.
  5. Search.publicorigins.com will not go away on its own; you must delete it or it will continue to run in the background, take up processing power and slow down your Mac computer.

How did I get infected?

Some Mac users are infected after they install “Public Origins” using Apple Application Store, during the installation of some programs. It is very important that you check your Safari preferences and settings carefully, after installing “Public Origins” virus. It is very important that you remove this virus completely, before it has a chance to cause more damage on your system. Try to get rid of Search.publicorigins.com as soon as possible.

How can I Remove Search.publicorigins.com virus ?

Step 1: Uninstall Search.publicorigins.com and remove related files and objects

  • Open your Finder –> Click on GO –>Click on Utilities

macos utilities

  • Find Activity Monitor and open it

activity monitor macos

  • Review all the processes in Activity Monitor and write down the ones related to Search.publicorigins.com virus

Search.publicorigins.com stop

  • Select Quit

Search.publicorigins.com info

  • To kill the malicious process, choose the Force Quit option.

force quit Search.publicorigins.com

Step 2: Remove Search.publicorigins.com – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox

The first thing you need to do is to make sure Safari is not running. If you have troubles closing it, you may need to Force Quit Safari - (Start Activity Monitor by opening up Finder, then proceed to Application --> Utilities --> Activity monitor. Locate the Safari process and force quit it.

Safely launch Safari again by holding the Shift key and clicking on the Safari application icon - This will prevent Safari’s previously opened malicious web pages.

In case that you still are having trouble with scripts interrupting the closing of unwanted pages, please do the following:

  • Force Quit Safari again.
  • Disconnect form Internet and try again.

Then Re-Launch Safari but don’t forget to press and hold the Shift button to prevent pop-ups. Then, click on Preferences.

  • Carefully take a look at your default home page and change it if the hijacker altered it.

  • Then go to the Extensions tab and make sure there are no unknow extensions installed.

  • Next step is to click on Privacy tab

  • Manage website data

  • Here you can remove any unwanted website data or just remove them all. Please, keep in mind that after you do this all stored website data will be deleted. You will need to sign-in again for all websites that require any form of authentication.
  • The next step is to Clear History (if you want), select the tab.

  • Click the menu next to clear and choose a time period — if you want to completely reset Safari, choose all history.
  • Press Clear History
  • To remove from Chrome, open the browser and click the icon with the three dots located in the top-right.
  • Select to More Tools --> Extensions and review what Chrome Extensions are present in the browser
  • Remove the ones that you do not recognize.

bad toolbar

  • If the parasite continues to disrupt your browsing with Chrome, this is what else you can do:
    1. Click again the menu of Google Chrome, and open Settings.
    2. Select the Search Engine from the left panel, review the available search engines and change the default to your preference.default search engine
    3. Then, click on Manage Search Engines, review the list of search engine availabilities and if any of the listed items looks suspicious, click the three-dots next to them, and delete.suspicious search engine
    4. Click on Privacy and Security in the left panel, select the Clear browsing data option, check every box except the Passwords one, and click Clear Data.clear browsing data
    5. Next step is to clear Notifications, select the Site settings option in the Privacy and Security section, then locate Notifications.clear notifications
    6. Review the listed websites in the Allow to send notifications section and if any of the entries shown there seem dubious or related to the browser hijacker, select the three dots next to the object and click on Remove.
  • Start Mozilla Firefox
  • On the top right click the three dashes

  • go to add-ons and themes
  • The add-ons manager will open
  • Carefully review review four Firefox Extensions
  • If any unwanted extension is present, click on the three horizontal dots and then Remove

  • After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red dot in the top left and start it again.
To make sure Search.publicorigins.com is removed from the browser  we recommend to scan with a reputable antimalware program like SpyHunter for Mac

Step 3: Scan for and remove Search.publicorigins.com files from your Mac

Fix your browser settings with SpyHunter Anti-Malware

Once you download and install SpyHunter for Mac run a scan.

Once the scan is complete, your mac will be virus free.

Search.publicorigins.com malware Frequently Asked Questions:

  • How do I get rid of Search.publicorigins.com?

Search.publicorigins.com is a Browser hijacker – malicious software that can be installed by third-party applications or websites. They usually change the settings of web browsers and search engines to display certain ads, pop-ups, banners, etc.

  • What are the symptoms of Search.publicorigins.com infection in your Mac?

Search.publicorigins.com becomes your web browser’s built-in search engine.

Your browser’ s search queries are redirected through Search.publicorigins.com.com

The “Search.publicorigins.com” browser extension or some shady software is installed on your Mac.

  • How do I remove Search.publicorigins.com from my browser?

In Internet Explorer, click the gear icon on the top left and select Manage add-ons. Under Add-on Types, select Search Providers. Select your search engine from the list of providers and click Remove to remove it. In Google Chrome, go to Settings (at the top right) and choose Search in the On Startup drop down menu.

  • How do I uninstall Search.publicorigins.com?
If you made a mistake when installing an app on your mac, the easiest way to uninstall it is by right clicking on its icon in your dock, then going to ‘move to trash’. Once it’s gone, restart your mac. If that didn’t work for you, try rebooting and looking for an icon opening up. Once you’ve found that, go to utilities/get info, then go to the ‘Applications’ tab and look for the app. Right-click it and select ‘Get Info’ and then look for the option to ‘Uninstall this Version’. If that doesn’t work, restart your mac again. If you don’t have any luck you can always use the SpyHunter free uninstall.

How to Make Your Mac Run Faster?

You might be wondering how to make your Mac run faster? It is a common misconception that the more processing power you have, the faster your computer will run. In reality, it’s actually about what’s going on in your processor and memory. For the average person using a computer for just general applications like word processing and web browsing, you don’t need much in the way of computing power.

– Use an SSD drive instead of a hard disk drive.

– Double your RAM if possible.

– Disable System Integrity Protection (SIP). (Attention! – do this only if you know the consequences.)

References:

  1. More about pop-up advertisements on Wikipedia.
  2. MacOS malware
  3. SpyHunter Anti-Malware overview and also the reasons why we recommend it for malware elimination.

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