Search.dolanbaross.com Browser Hijacker Removal

George Herman
George Herman
IT Security Expert

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Some infections like this 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.dolanbaross.com

Search.dolanbaross.com is a website linked to malicious software activity on your Mac. If this page shows up as your homepage and preferred search engine, it means that your browser has been hijacked. The browser hijacker that is controlling your browser is capable of modifying whatever settings it wants, and can also install shady add-ons, toolbars and extensions without your authorization. The main goal of this parasite is to distribute advertisements and create revenue by using the pay-per-click scheme. And, in order to show you ad content you’ll be more likely to click on, the hijacker will monitor your online activity and use your browser history, search queries, most visited pages, etc. To better customize its sponsored content. However, a lot of these advertisements may lead to unreliable third-party websites, which can infect your Mac with viruses.

How it is distributed

Browser hijackers are most commonly distributed through software bundles, freeware, torrent files, email attachments, dubious advertisements and fake update messages. What usually happens is this – the parasite is masked as additional software and can be seen in the installation setup. The thing is, users often don’t pay close attention to the process and can easily miss the bonus software’s existence. Due to this carelessness, the parasite will get automatically installed without your knowledge. What you can do in order to prevent this from happening is to make sure that such optional installations are opted out of. If you are unfamiliar with the bonus software, it is best not to install it on your computer, since there’s a big chance it’s actually a parasite in disguise.

How it operates

As already mentioned, browser hijackers are known to display a large quantity of intrusive advertisements. They can be in the form of banners, pop-ups, fake alert or update messages, ads that appear during a video you’re watching online, etc. In this hijacker case, they may have a tag like ‘Powered by Search.dolanbaross.com‘, ‘Ads by Search.dolanbaross.com‘, or similar. The amount of sponsored content will be so great, that your browser won’t be able to keep up with them. Soon, it will become unresponsive to your actions. Lagging and slow internet connection are also among the symptoms behind a browser hijacker infection on your Mac. What’s more, your online privacy can be jeopardized. Personal data like passwords, IP addresses, credit card numbers, bank account information, Login credentials, etc. can easily be obtained by the creators of Search.dolanbaross.com and even shared with other shady third-parties for profit.

Staying safe from Search.dolanbaross.com browser hijacker

Apart from having a reliable AV software installed on your Mac, there are other things you can do to ensure your device’s safety. We highly recommend you to:

  • Pay close attention when you install third-party software, especially torrent files, so you don’t install shady additional applications that you don’t want. In most cases, that’s how malicious parasites are able to infect your computer;
  • Read any Terms and Conditions you see, so you know exactly what you agree to. The last thing you want is to unknowingly give permission to a nasty virus to infiltrate your Mac;
  • Follow links that lead to trustworthy sites only;
  • It is best to visit only reliable and official websites. You never know what dangers might lurk behind an unfamiliar site;
  • No matter how attractive an ad is, if you are not familiar with the website it redirects to, it might be best to steer clear of it and not click;
  • Always check the sender’s email address before opening a message. If it states that it’s from an official company, compare the email with the one given in their official page. If there is no match, delete the message, since it most likely is fake and has malicious aims;
  • Don’t open email attachments from unknown senders. More often than not, such files carry infections that can seriously damage your computer.

How to manually remove Search.dolanbaross.com browser hijacker from Mac

If you’ve had the misfortune of getting your Mac infected with the Search.dolanbaross.com browser hijacker, the instructions below can help you to remove it manually. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to Utilities. You can do that by using the ⇧+⌘+U key combination, or by going to Finder and choosing Utilities from the Go main menu at the top.

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it.

3. A list will be displayed. Find any processes that seem suspicious to you and use the ‘Force Quit‘ option to quit them completely.

4. Open Finder. Click on the Go button from the main menu at the top, and choose Applications. An alternative way is to use the ⇧+⌘+A key combination.

5. Look for any suspicious applications, especially ones with a name similar to Search.dolanbaross.com. If any are found, right-click on them and select the ‘Move to Trash‘ option.

6. Remove any related left-over files by going to Finder‘s search bar and typing the name of the app you want to remove. Make sure to modify the two drop down menus above to ‘System Files‘ and ‘Are Included‘, so that any hidden files are visible for you to remove. Once you find the files you want to remove, simply drag them to Trash.

7. All that’s left for you to do is remove any related extensions to Search.dolanbaross.com from your Mac browsers.

For Mozilla Firefox extensions:

  • Open the Firefox browser and from the ‘burger’ menu in the top right corner of the window select ‘Add-ons’.
  • Select any suspicious extensions that may be related to the virus and click ‘Remove’.

For Google Chrome extensions:

  • Open the Chrome browser and select Tools > Extensions from the menu (the three dots in the top right corner of the browser window).
  • Locate any suspicious extensions that may be related to the virus and remove them.

For Safari extensions:

  • Open the Safari browser. From the Safari menu choose Preferences. Select Extensions from the options at the top.
  • Find any extensions you think are related to the virus, select them and click ‘Uninstall’. A new window will show up asking for confirmation. Click Uninstall again, for the extension to get deleted permanently from your browser.

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