Lkysearch Lkysearch is a browser hijacking software that can redirect your web searches to sponsored sites and fill your browser’s screen with ads. Though not as dangerous as a virus, if not removed, Lkysearch may potentially expose you to questionable web locations that may hide security hazards.
One of the most unpleasant traits of browser hijackers like Lkysearch is that they could lead to the generation of fake notifications in your browser. You might see online pop-up messages warning you about non-existent malware in your computer and prompting you to buy sham security software promoted by Lkysearch.
The Lkysearch Virus will redirect your searches and display pop up ads
If a browser hijacker like Lkysearch has invaded your system, it is almost impossible not to notice it. Usually, the changes such software can impose on your Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, or other web browser are quite obvious and even quite irritating. For example, if you open the web browser that has been hijacked, you may be greeted by a new homepage and an unfamiliar search engine. In addition, you may also start to experience regular page redirects to sites full of online ads, pop-ups, banners, box notifications, etc. But here, we’re going to provide you with a detailed removal guide with step-by-step instructions on how to uninstall those changes and safely remove the software that initiates them. So, stay with us and carefully read the information that follows.
The Lkysearch Virus The Lkysearch Virus is an ad-generating browser hijacker that will infect the main browser on your Mac and start displaying page-redirecting ads on each tab and page. The goal of the Lkysearch Virus is to draw more traffic to certain sites that earn ad revenue. If you have Lkysearch in your browser, in addition to the changes it could make in the browser’s settings, it might also spam your screen with fake offers and messages. Some of the pop-ups and ads Lkysearch shows may even be designed to look like malware warnings in order to get you to buy some obscure security app that the hijacker is supposed to promote.
If you are faced with a program like Lkysearch for the first time, you may be wondering why it is spamming you with so many ads, and why it makes changes to your browser and redirects you to random websites. Well, to put it simply, the goal of these programs is to make you see and click on as many online promotional messages as possible because this is how the developers of browser hijackers earn money. Each click of yours on the ads contributes to the developers’ profit from this advertising scheme thanks to popular remuneration methods such as Pay Per Click. However, programs like Lkysearch tend to employ some rather aggressive online advertising tactics, which makes these apps unwanted.
For instance, once such apps integrate with your main web browser, they may replace the homepage, modify the default search engine, install different shortcuts and redirect buttons, and even monitor your search queries by keeping track of things like the websites you’re visiting and the things you’re searching for online. Based on this information, the hijacker will then rearrange the ads it displays on the screen and will initiate auto-redirects to sponsored sites that match the individual preferences.
As smart and convenient as this may sound, many web users don’t want their web browsing activity to get interrupted like this. In fact, the reaction of most people is often quite negative and they seek ways to quickly uninstall the browser hijacker and remove its ads and browser changes.
Besides, users who are more concerned about their online safety know that, when exposed to random ads, there is an increased chance of clicking on something misleading and landing a virus, a Ransomware, a Trojan, or another form of malware. This is indeed a risk that needs to be taken into consideration because hackers and cybercriminals often inject ads like those that get shown on your screen with all types of viruses, including the above-mentioned Ransomware, Spyware, Trojans, and other threats. And, most of the time, one-click is all it takes for the contamination to happen. With this in mind, it would simply be better to remove Lkysearch with the help of the instructions below than to allow it to remain in your system any longer.
Summary
Name Lkysearch
Type Trojan
Detection Tool
How to get rid of Lkysearch Some users may be able to remove Lkysearch from their Mac browsers with the help of the following quick instructions:
Launch your affected Mac browser and from the main menu , select Preferences. Once in Preferences, find the Extensions sub-menu an select it. You should see a list of extensions that have been installed inside your browser. Specifically look for extensions that could be linked to the activity of Lkysearch, as well as other unfamiliar extensions that you can’t remember installing. Remove Lkysearch and the other unfamliliar entires from your Mac browser by clicking on the trash bin icon. If these steps can’t help you get rid of Lkysearch, then please follow the detailed steps in the removal guide below:
Step 1. Quit the affected browser appication
If Lkysearch is causing you trouble, firstly Quit the Safari browser or Force Quit it if it doesn’t want to get closed the normal way (Apple menu>>>Force Quit option)
Step 2. Locate any unfamiliar Processes
Next, launch the Activity Monitor by opening Finder and navigating to this directory:
Once you are in the Activity Monitor look for processes that seem to be linked to Lkysearch. Also, check for other processes that seem questionable or unfamiliar. Once you detect any, highlight each one of them by tapping on it. Then, click on the information (i) button that is found at the top. An information window will open:
Head to the Sample button at the bottom and press it to generate a sampel of each of the questionable processes:
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Step 3. Open the affected browser safely
Once you have removed the malicious files and processes that you have detected, lauch the Safari browser again. However, instead of just opening it the usual way, press and hold the Shift key while launching the browser to stop any previously opened sites and scripts to get loaded automatically.
If, despite holding the Shift key while launching Safari, some unwanted pages still manage to get loaded on their own, Force Quit Safari again and stop the internet connection. For Wi-Fi, switch it off from the Mac’s Menu and for cable internet, simply unplug the cable. After that re-launch Safari again and don’t forget to keep the Shift key while re-launching.
Step 4. IP and DNS Settings
Once in Safari, go to its menu and from the fall-down menu select Preferences.
After that go to the Extensions tab and take a careful look of the list of installed extensions in your browser.
Step 5. Uninstall Browser Extensions
Programs like Lkysearch typically add different extensions to the browser in order to faciliate their activities. Thus, once you get inside the Extensions tab and take a good look at all the installed extensions, try to locate the ones that you haven’t installed or are most likely installed by Lkysearch (as well as other unfamiliar extensions) and click on the Uninstall button . It is not a mistake even if you unisntall all the extensions – they aren’t essential elements of the Operating System.
Attention! Lkysearch may affect different browsers, thus, the instrucitons that you see below should be applied to all the browsers that are in use.
In Safari, go to the main browser’s menu and select Preferences. Then choose the Privacy tab that is marked in red in the image:
Once in the Privacy section, click on Remove All Website Data. Please note that this will log you out of any websites that you have loged in! Confirm the action by clicking on Remove Now .
The next thing is to go pack to the Preferences menu, and select the General tab this time:
Check what is written in the textbox that writes Homepage. If there is some URL that isn’t the one that you want to be your homepage, change it to whatever you like. .
After you do that, go to the History menu and clear your history by selecting the Clear History option . In this way, problematic links will be deleted and you won’t be able to open them again by accident.
Remove Lkysearch from FireFox If you are using a Firefox browser, then open it and tap on the menu icon that is found at the top right corder of the window.
Then, once inside the menu select Add-ons and tap on the Extensions tab as it is shown on the image below:
Just as you did with Safari, search through the list of extensions for the ones that Lkysearch has installed and Remove them. Also, remove any other unwanted extensions and, once you are done, Refresh Your Firefox Settings
Remove Lkysearch from Chrome In Google Chrome, you basically have to do a similar thing. C lick on the menu icon but this time navigate to More Tools and select the Extensions tab. Once you find the unwanted extensions select the trash bin icon
After you are done with that, c lick the menu button again. Head to Settings and select the Search tab. Then, select Manage Search Engines in order to delete any unwanted search engines that might have been installed to the browser. Leave just those that you use and Reset Your Chrome Settings
Hopefully, after you have completed the steps in this guide, you should have successfully removed Lkysearch but if this isn’t the case, then you might need to use the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner . In case that any questions arise, do leave us a comment so we can help.
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