Yahoo search engine pre-empts Google Search

[SharLamb]

Sorry. I posted this in the wrong forum. I meant it to be here:

All of a sudden every time I do a search, Yahoo takes over. I have Firefox set to use ONLY Google. Don't know how it happened, and when I do a search to find out how to get Google back, the links are impossible to understand, and smack of bugs themselves. It really feels like Yahoo has invaded my computer. Has anyone else had this problem. It happened when I was using a PC, but I had a Windows-expert-friend who figured out how to get things back to normal. He doesn't know Apple products.

I'm using Firefox on an iMac.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Tamsin]

Hi, it sounds like a redirect is happening. A hijack. Does this happen when you're using Safari?
I haven't used Firefox on a Mac but I think Firefox has an add-on manager or did have. The problem might be one of the Firefox extensions. You can restore Firefox to default settings too I think.

If you can use Safari or Chrome, google yahoo browser hijacker on Mac if you can't find the problem.

Good luck.

 

[SharLamb]

Thanks for the suggestions Tamsin. I'll pursue them tomorrow.

 

[VickiStegall]

Yahoo is famous for this. Try the following:

Click Firefox up in the toolbar - next to the apple before File at the top left of the window

Choose Preferences

About halfway down the page, set your homepage.

 

[hoodsmom]

A browser redirect is actually malware and it looks like a minor pain to get rid of it. If it's happening in all your browsers, you are probably infected. There seems to be a lot of similar advice on the internet as to how to get rid of the malware and reset your browsers.

Even Macs need malware protection these days. I use ClamX AV (inexpensive shareware) and use OpenDNS (free); OpenDNS helps keep all the computers in your house off sites they consider harmful. Even though I like ClamX AV, a number of people in my Mac user group like Malwarebytes enough to pay for it when it went to a paid model. Malwarebytes does have a free virus cleaner product (i.e. won't protect against future infection, but can scan for and remove malware). If all your browsers are infected, I'd probably use their tool. Be very careful where you get downloads from. Even places I normally trust have occasionally gotten infected with malware. Never click on links in email that you weren't expecting; if necessary, contact the sender and ask if they really sent the link (when I send family a link in email I sign the email with a name my family knows to expect, so they know the link is from me and is legit). And never, ever click on a pop-up telling you you need to install this, that or the other (plug-in, viewer, yada, yada) unless you are absolutely sure you have navigated to a legitimate website yourself. Also be aware that while Mac virus scanners can often scan the contents of .zip files, they may not be able to scan the contents of .dmg files. I always mount the .dmg file and then scan the contents for malware.

If you are pretty sure that your family knows how to avoid malware and will stay off dodgy websites, then ClamX AV + openDNS is fine. If you have untrustworthy family members (teenagers! computer-illiterate spouses!), then you might want to do some research into a more robust anti-virus product.

Good luck.

 

[SharLamb]

Thanks Vicki and hoodsmom. It looks like I got rid of it. Not really sure how. Sort of followed advice from several quarters, and one seemed to do the trick. But I'm going to investigate ClamX. I don't know what it means to "mount the .dmg file then scan...." I am the only one in the house who uses my cpu (DH has a PC, and no kids here), and i'm paranoid about clicking links or suspicious email. But who knows. The virus could have come in on one of the free fonts I recently downloads. I am NOT cpu-savvy, and have trouble understanding anything but the simplest of instructions about taking care of stuff like this. I had a computer-dude-friend (2 actually) who helped me all the time when I was on a PC. Now I have to rely on my son, and he's not in the same league they were in.

Nothing is sacred. Not even Mac.

 

[hoodsmom]

I don't know what it means to "mount the .dmg file then scan...."

.dmg files are mac virtual disk images. They're a common way to distribute mac files, so you've probably encountered one already. When you click on one, another icon that looks like an external drive shows up on your desktop. It's the new one that has to be scanned for viruses. Scanning the one ending in .dmg is likely not to work.

By way of example, re-download Firefox from the official Mozilla site and click on the .dmg file. (Don't actually re-install Firefox by dragging the Firefox icon to the Applications sym-link (shortcut) as instructed!). If you were virus checking the Firefox application, you'd have to point your virus checker to the application of the "external drive".

If you ask your son, "what's a DNS nameserver?" and he knows what you're talking about or can figure it out, have him help you with OpenDNS. It's painless once set up and it's kept me off dodgy websites even though I am pretty careful.

 

[SharLamb]

"mount the .dmg file then scan..." Closest I could come to interpreting that is, "climb up on the horse, then lead him through the xray machine."

ROTF...LOL...WMP!!!! I SO appreciate your efforts toward me. But if you were in the room with me, I'd be clapping my hands back and forth over my ears and saying something like, "Blah blah blah blah, Firefox. Blah blah blah blah, disk. Blah blah blah blah, icon........." You get the idea! I am truly hopeless about stuff like this. But, again, thank you for trying. SO SWEET OF YOU!
Sincerely, your friend with the glazed eyes, Sharron