GlobalToolboxSearch - How to remove

Despite its mundane-sounding name, GlobalToolboxSearch is Mac malware, adware, and a trojan. It changes web browser, network settings, installs an application, browser extensions, and some unwanted configuration profiles. GlobalToolboxSearch can be difficult to delete manually – the app comes back. Luckily, it can be removed, if you know which files to delete.

Details on GlobalToolboxSearch:

Classification	Adware, browser hijacker.
Harm caused by GlobalToolboxSearch	Browser searches are redirected, online apps are unstable, annoying pop-ups appear regularly.
How the trojan gets installed	Fake software updates, infected installers, programs downloaded from malicious websites.
How to remove GlobalToolboxSearch	Delete related files, profiles, app, and browser extensions, Check your Mac for malware with an anti-malware app (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, etc.).

How GlobalToolboxSearch works

GlobalToolboxSearch is a trojan that infects macOS devices and makes some unwanted changes:

• installs browser extensions that hijack your search settings,
• changes network settings to reroute your traffic,
• downloads more adware,
• causes browser redirects and pop-up ads to appear on your screen,
• may show dialogs that hijack your mouse cursor and try to trick you into allowing or giving a malicious app access to your Mac.

GlobalToolboxSearch allows Safe Finder to hijack your web browsers. The GlobalToolboxSearch browser extension can also read your data on all the sites that you visit (usernames, addresses, even passwords), which is a massive privacy issue. You can bet that GlobalToolboxSearch is logging your browsing habits and then using this data for advertisement purposes.

GlobalToolboxSearch is similar to BasicSearchPlatform, CompleteReady, AimSearch, AssistIndex, AphroditeResults, AristotleLookup, and other macOS adware. It is detected by anti-malware programs as an adware bundle or even as Shlayer trojan. For example, here’s a VirusTotal link to one of the installers. You can see that the file was even named “Player”. That fits my experience when downloading fake Adobe Flash Player updates.

Fake software updates that appear as ads on shady, semi-illegal sites. If you’ve ever watched some “free” tv shows, you know what those sites are like: full-screen ads trigger at random, links don’t lead where they should, ads tell you to download or install shady files. Or “free” installers for some expensive programs that turn out to be malware. Always scan your installers before opening them, just to be safe.

How to remove GlobalToolboxSearch

If you want to use an anti-malware app, you can – GlobalToolboxSearch is detected as adware, browser hijacker, or even a trojan. Use any anti-malware app that you trust, such as Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.

If you want to do things on your own, you can, too.

First, restart your Mac and hold the Shift button on your keyboard until you see the login screen or the Apple logo. Holding the Shift button starts a Mac in safe mode. Safe mode is a mode that prevents third-party apps from starting. Safe mode ends with your next reboot.

Open System Preferences and find Profiles. Click on it and select all the profiles that have “GlobalToolboxSearch” in their name or whose text (to the right side of the Profiles window) mentions your browser. Select them and press the minus ‘-‘ button at the bottom left. Profiles are useful for managing Macs, but malicious actors abuse them to force unwanted settings.

Also in System Preferences, go to Users & Groups -> Login Items. If GlobalToolboxSearch is there, remove it by selecting it and pressing the minus ‘-‘ button. System Preferences -> Network -> Advanced -> Proxies probably shouldn’t have SOCKS selected.

Next, open Finder and go to the menu at the top. Press Go and select Go to Folder. Then, type in these folder names:

• Library/LaunchDaemons,
• /Library/LaunchAgents,
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents.

Look for files that have “GlobalToolboxSearch” in their names, such as “com.GlobalToolboxSearchDaemon.plist” or “com.GlobalToolboxSearch.plist”. Delete them.

Open Finder and go to Applications, delete GlobalToolboxSearch if it’s there. Open your web browsers and remove GlobalToolboxSearch from there, too – instructions are below.

Restart your Mac to exit safe mode and check if GlobalToolboxSearch is gone for sure. GlobalToolboxSearch should be gone from Login Items, your network settings should be normal, and your web browsers should no longer redirect to unwanted websites.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove browser extensions

TopHow to remove GlobalToolboxSearch from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find GlobalToolboxSearch on the extensions list and click on the recycle bin icon next to it.
• Click on 'Chrome' button at the top left corner. Select 'Preferences' on a drop-down menu box.
• Find 'Search' options on Settings tab. If your search engine is changed, click 'Manage Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• On the same page find 'Show home button' checkbox and change your homepage.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to GlobalToolboxSearch, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• On the 'Preferences' menu window, scroll down to the bottom and find 'Reset settings' button. Click it.
• Confirm your selection and click 'Reset' on the following window.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove GlobalToolboxSearch from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall GlobalToolboxSearch and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to GlobalToolboxSearch, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program. Top

How To remove GlobalToolboxSearch from Firefox on Mac OS:

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press cmd+Shift+A on your keyboard).
• Go through Extensions list, remove everything GlobalToolboxSearch related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
• Enter “about:preferences” in URL bar and hit enter.
• Open Search settings tab.
• If your search engine is changed, click 'Default Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Preferences-> General. Enter a preferable URL to the home page field.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to GlobalToolboxSearch, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.