This article aims to help you with the removal of m.smartsrch.com redirect from affected browser and system. Follow the detailed guide at the end to get rid of this annoying website in full.
M.smartsrch.com is a browser redirect that could make you use its suspicious services by hijacking basic browser settings. After infection, its main page starts to appear as browser homepage and new tab page while its deceptive search engine is the default one. The website could also redirect you to websites of unknown origin where a lot of sponsored content is displayed.
Threat Summary
| Name | m.smartsrch.com |
| Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, PUP |
| Short Description | M.smartsrch.com is the domain of browser redirect that affects commonly used web browsers by modifying their settigns. It pushes a deceptive search engine. |
| Symptoms | The homepage and new tab page of affected browsers redirect to the domain of the suspicious m.smartsrch.com. Many advertisements can make the affected browser sluggish and unresponsive. |
| Distribution Method | Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages |
| Detection Tool |
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| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss m.smartsrch.com. |
M.smartsrch.com – Spread Techniques
M.smartsrch.com redirect is likely to land on computer systems along with other desired third-party freeware. As a typical potentially unwanted program it aims to sneak into the system unnoticeably. This is easily achievable with the help of third-party apps because their installers could be set to install the redirect by default. In order that m.smartsrch.com’s presence remains unseen the regular configuration steps do not provide any information about it. The majority of online users prefer to follow the regular steps instead of configuring the installation process through the Advanced or Custom steps. And that’s how infections like m.smartsrch.com take place on computer and mobile systems. So be advised to reveal the information on the Advanced/Custom installation steps each time you decide to install a new app on your PC. They could help you to avoid infections with nasty programs like m.smartsrch.com.
Misleading browser extensions that pretend to enhance your browsing experience may also be used for the distribution of Mmsmartsrch.com. They could be offered on Chrome Web Store or pushed by web pages that contain malicious scripts. Such scripts are able to trigger drive-by download attacks which deliver the infection code unnoticeably on the computer.
Frequently used web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari could be hijacked by m.smartsrch.com redirect.
M.smartsrch.com – More About Its Impact
M.smartsrch.com redirect is able to hijack essential browser settings after it lands on the system. It is known to modify the settings of the homepage, new tab page and default search engine. As a result, the redirect starts to appear during each browsing session. And you are forced to use its deceptive services. Below you can see a picture of the main page of this nasty redirect:
The primary goal of this dubious website is to generate revenue to its owners. For the purpose, its search engine is set to flood search results with links to sponsored content and redirect your browsing sessions to websites of unknown origin where lots of online ads appear as well. Thus, your access to websites that provide the most adequate information for your search queries is limited and you risk being misinformed. In addition, all intrusive ads could slow down browser loads or even cause crashes at times. You need to be careful with all the ads that appear as a click on the wrong one could land you on a corrupted web page that is set to deliver and install malicious code directly on your system.
Even though this dubious search engine website resembles a lot the look of some of the most reliable search engines, it lowers the security of system and browser. As long as its files are available on your system, they could be used as a gateway by malicious intenders. They may compromise the whole system and steal the data you keep on the hard drives.
M.smartsrch.com is also known to obtain various details from the affected browser and keeps a record of them on its servers. In the next paragraph, you could find more information about data collection practices utilized by the redirect.
M.smartsrch.com – Privacy Policy
You can access the Privacy Policy page associated with m.smartsrch.com redirect by clicking on the link presented in the footer of its main page. As found in the policy the website is owned by a company called AirFind. Its products are known to invade computer and mobile systems in order to deliver sponsored content and spy on users’ activities. Other hijacking websites owned by AirFind are Mobisearch.co and MyPortal.us, as detected by our team.
Their Policy page reveals all data collection practices done by their browser hijackers. Below, you can see exactly what information can be obtained from you when you are using any of the m.smartsrch.com services, according to its Policy:
- Your full name
- E-mail address
- Phone number
- Your physical address
- Your online contacts
- Your social networks’ data
- Cookies data
- Information you provide directly or via 3rd parties
More details related to your internet activities are acquired via cookies and additional tracking technologies. Eventually, m.smartsrch.com service could collect even more data which identifies you. Thus, you should be careful what kind of information you enter in the affected browser as the nasty redirect could send it to its servers and keeps records of it there. In case that you want to prevent m.smartsrch.com from collecting all the details mentioned above you should consider removing it.
How to Remove М.smartsrch.com Redirect
The steps listed below will help you to remove m.smartsrch.com redirect completely from affected Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, or Safari web browser. The guide that follows will also be helpful for the removal of this nasty program from your Windows system. You will find two removal approaches – manual and automatic. Have in mind that the manual removal steps may not reveal all harmful files dropped on the system. If these files remain on the system you can still experience redirects to m.smartsrch.com during browsing sessions. For maximum protection, it is good to scan the system for some leftovers with certified anti-malware tool.
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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- Guide 1: How to Remove m.smartsrch.com from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of m.smartsrch.com on Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove m.smartsrch.com in Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase m.smartsrch.com from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall m.smartsrch.com from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove m.smartsrch.com from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate m.smartsrch.com from Internet Explorer.
- Guide 8: Disable m.smartsrch.com Push Notifications in Your Browsers.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
About the m.smartsrch.com Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this m.smartsrch.com how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on m.smartsrch.com?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the m.smartsrch.com threat is backed with VirusTotal https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.
References
1.Browser Redirect – What Is It?
2.Adware Is Malicious, and It Uses Advanced Techniques to Infect
3.The Thin Red Line Between Potentially Unwanted Programs and Malware
4.The Pay-Per-Install Affiliate Business – Making Millions out of Adware
5.Malicious Firefox Extensions Installed by 455,000 Users Blocked Updates
How to Remove m.smartsrch.com from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove m.smartsrch.com
Step 2: Uninstall m.smartsrch.com and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by m.smartsrch.com on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by m.smartsrch.com there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for m.smartsrch.com with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.
4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.
Video Removal Guide for m.smartsrch.com (Windows).
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Get rid of m.smartsrch.com from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall m.smartsrch.com 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 m.smartsrch.com:
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 m.smartsrch.com. 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 m.smartsrch.com. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7: Remove any left-over 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 m.smartsrch.com 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 m.smartsrch.com. 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 2: Scan for and remove m.smartsrch.com files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as m.smartsrch.com, 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.
Video Removal Guide for m.smartsrch.com (Mac)
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Remove m.smartsrch.com from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2:Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Erase m.smartsrch.com from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Uninstall m.smartsrch.com from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Remove m.smartsrch.com from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the m.smartsrch.com will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Eliminate m.smartsrch.com from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications caused by m.smartsrch.com from Your Browsers.
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
m.smartsrch.com FAQ
What is m.smartsrch.com?
The m.smartsrch.com threat is adware or browser redirect virus. It may slow your computer down siginficantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What are the symptoms of m.smartsrch.com?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and has poor performance in general.
Symtpom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts reccomend that you check your computer for viruses.
What types of Unwanted Programs are there?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your Mac can be the following types:
- Rogue Antivirus programs.
- Adware.
- Browser hijackers.
- Clickers.
- Fake optimizers.
What to do if I have a "virus" like m.smartsrch.com?
Do not panic! You can easily get rid of most adware or unwanted program threats by firstly isolating them and then removing them from your browser and computer. One reccomended 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 anti-malware apps out there that you can choose from. SpyHunter is one of the reccomended anti-malware apps, that can scan your computer for free and detect any viruses, tracking cookies and unwanted adware apps and eliminate them quickly. This saves time when compared to doing the removal manually.
How to secure my passwords and other data from m.smartsrch.com?
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 all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
More tips you can find on our website, where you can also ask any questions and comment underneath the articles about your computer problems. We will try to respond as fast as possible.
