SearchQuest on Mac – What Is It?
We created this article to help people who want to remove SearchQuest from their affected Mac operating systems. Use this removal guide and stay safe.
SearchQuest is a potentially unwanted program that gets installed on Mac devices without users’ consent. It is further categorized as an adware program. The program is ad-supported and displays intrusive pop-up ads and other types of advertisements on visited web pages. When you have SearchQuest installed on your Mac you are likely to be bombarded with lots of advertising banners, pop-up advertisements, and in-text ads. All these ads may be stating that they are brought to you by “SearchQuest”. Be alerted that these ads are highly likely to promote the installation of additional bogus programs such as browser toolbars, rogue anti-malware, optimization tools, and so on. The purpose is that SearchQuest publishers can get paid via the so-called advertising model pay-per-click.
For the sake of your online security, you are strongly advised to uninstall SearchQuest adware as soon as possible.
SearchQuest Summary
| Name | SearchQuest / Search Quest |
| Type | Adware, Browser Hijacker, PUP |
| Removal Time | Less than 15 minutes |
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How Is SearchQuest Spread?
The program is being spread via techniques that hide its installation process including software packages, malicious advertising, and hacked websites. Once the program finds a way to load on your Mac, it may stealthily replace the homepage of your preferred web browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.) with a hoax search engine. This search engine may be designed to redirect your searches to other questionable search engines like Akamaihd.net or shady websites like apple.com-macbook-fixse.galscan2.php.
What Should I Know about SearchQuest Mac Malware?
SearchQuest app on Mac is an adware program that is designed to affect popular browsers installed on Mac operating systems. Mac users whose systems are affected by this adware consider it as a malware/virus. For your reassurance, Search Quest does not infect computer systems to damage personal files or corrupt essential system components.
However, Search Quest alters main browser settings in order to become able to generate various intrusive advertisements.The advertisements that may be displayed by SearchQuest may be of the following types:
- Pop-ups.
- Browser redirects.
- Push notifications.
- Banners.
- Highlighted text ads.
- Ad-supported search results.
This issue should be considered as kind of troublesome due to the fact that some of these ads may redirect your affected browser to malicious sites containing dangerous content. Hence, clicking them may expose your system to the risk of additional adware or even malware infections.
What’s more, is that SearchQuest Mac “malware” is a type of program that is very likely to be monitoring your Internet browsing activity and collecting various data as well. Collected data may later be shared with third-party companies or released on dark web markets for some extra money revenue. This can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.
Is SearchQuest a Computer Virus?
By definition, SearchQuest does not belong to the family of computer viruses. A computer virus is the type of program that replicates itself upon execution by modifying other programs and inserting its own code. Once the replication happens, the affected areas become “infected” with the computer virus. SearchQuest does not have these properties, but could redirect you to malicious pages that download malware onto the computer.
Is SearchQuest Dangerous?
Yes, SearchQuest can be dangerous, as it can lead to malicious websites that may contain malware or phishing scams. It can also be used to track your browsing activity and collect personal information.
How to Remove SearchQuest from Affected Mac
In order to remove SearchQuest along with all entries it created on your macOS, you should complete several removal steps in a precise order. The guide below presents manual and automatic removal approaches. In order to fully get rid of files installed by undesired programs and strengthen Mac security, we recommend that you combine the steps. The manual SearchQuest removal might be quite a complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. If you don’t feel comfortable with the manual steps, navigate to the automatic part of the guide.
Before manually removing files or folders on your Mac, make sure to identify the accurate components of SearchQuest, because deleting other apps’ files or system settings files by mistake may trigger malfunction of installed apps or even your system.
In case you have further questions or need additional help with the removal process, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment.
Gergana Ivanova
Highly motivated writer with 5+ years of experience writing for ransomware, malware, adware, PUPs, and other cybersecurity-related issues. As a writer, I strive to create content that is based on thorough technical research. I find joy in the process of creating articles that are easy to understand, informative, and useful. Follow me on Twitter (@IRGergana) for the latest in the field of computer, mobile, and online security.
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Steps to Prepare Before Removal:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
- Backup your files in case the worst happens.
- Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
- Arm yourself with patience.
- 1. Scan for Mac Malware
- 2. Uninstall Risky Apps
- 3. Clean Your Browsers
Step 1: Scan for and remove SearchQuest files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as SearchQuest, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Quick and Easy Mac Malware Video Removal Guide
Bonus Step: How to Make Your Mac Run Faster?
Mac machines maintain probably the fastest operating system out there. Still, Macs do become slow and sluggish sometimes. The video guide below examines all of the possible problems that may lead to your Mac being slower than usual as well as all of the steps that can help you to speed up your Mac.
Step 2: Uninstall SearchQuest and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to SearchQuest:
4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to SearchQuest. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to SearchQuest. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any leftover files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove SearchQuest via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
1. Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2. Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3. Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as SearchQuest. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 3: Remove SearchQuest – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
SearchQuest-FAQ
What is SearchQuest on your Mac?
The SearchQuest threat is probably a potentially unwanted app. There is also a chance it could be related to Mac malware. If so, such apps tend to slow your Mac down significantly and display advertisements. They could also use cookies and other trackers to obtain browsing information from the installed web browsers on your Mac.
Can Macs Get Viruses?
Yes. As much as any other device, Apple computers do get malware. Apple devices may not be a frequent target by malware authors, but rest assured that almost all of the Apple devices can become infected with a threat.
What Types of Mac Threats Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the types of threats that can currently infect your Mac can be rogue antivirus programs, adware or hijackers (PUPs), Trojan horses, ransomware and crypto-miner malware.
What To Do If I Have a Mac Virus, Like SearchQuest?
Do not panic! You can easily get rid of most Mac threats by firstly isolating them and then removing them. One recommended way to do that is by using a reputable malware removal software that can take care of the removal automatically for you.
There are many Mac anti-malware apps out there that you can choose from. SpyHunter for Mac is one of the reccomended Mac anti-malware apps, that can scan for free and detect any viruses. This saves time for manual removal that you would otherwise have to do.
How to Secure My Data from SearchQuest?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your e-mail passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activiites with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these reccomendations, your network and Apple devices will become significantly more safe against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
More tips you can find on our MacOS Virus section, where you can also ask any questions and comment about your Mac problems.
About the SearchQuest Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this SearchQuest how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific macOS issue.
How did we conduct the research on SearchQuest?
Please note that our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware definitions, including the various types of Mac threats, especially adware and potentially unwanted apps (PUAs).
Furthermore, the research behind the SearchQuest threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by Mac malware, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.