Search.pollicare.com

You may have been lead to believe that Search.pollicare.com is a safe and reliable search engine. However, our research has shown that it is a browser hijacker that targets Mac OS-based computers and replaces the homepage and default search engine of the web browser. This hijacker is distributed using deceptive means to get it onto your PC without your permission, so you might be interested in removing it. The reason why it does that is to make you use this hijacker as a regular search engine. The problem is that it can show you modified search results that can feature promoted links and ads that can be misleading and potentially unreliable. For more detailed information on this peculiar hijacker, please read this whole article.

Search.pollicare.com is a Mac OS only hijacker so, evidently, you can get it if you go to websites that host software downloads for Mac. The problem is that the installers featured on those sites can be configured to hide the presence of this hijacker and inject it into your browser without your knowledge or consent. Hence, you might not be given the opportunity to deselect the installation of this search engine. Thus, we have classified it as a browser hijacker due to its deliberate shady distribution methods. We have found that this hijacker is compatible with the Safari browser for Mac OS as well as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

If you have any one of these three browsers on your Mac machine, then this hijacker will replace their homepage and search engine. Obviously, the hijacking is carried out by the software installer that injects it into your browser or a browser extension that is also installed on the browser. An extension can be used to manage the hijacking process, so the installers might not be part of the hijacking process.

Search.pollicare.com works just as well as Google or Bing, but that is due to the fact that it redirects all entered search queries to a modified Yahoo search engine that can present you with potentially misleading search results. The results can be configured include specific promoted links and other ads that might appear legitimate but can actually redirect you to somewhat questionable websites that can feature content that could jeopardize your computer’s security and privacy.

In order to present you with as much relevant search results as possible, this hijacker can collect some anonymous usage and technical information. Like most hijackers, Search.pollicare.com should collect information such as your IP address, Internet Search Provider domain name, search terms entered, links clicked, approximate location, browser type and version, operating system type and version, and so on. This information is legally collected since it is anonymous, but you should not allow this hijacker to obtain it because it is used to tailor shady ads according to your browsing habits.

As you can see, Search.pollicare.com is just another browser hijacker, but it is different only in that it targets Mac OS-based computer. It can replace your browser’s homepage address and search engine in order to show you ad-supported search results that can contain misleading links. Therefore, to be on the safe side of things and get your old search engine and homepage back, we recommend that you remove this hijacker as soon as the opportunity arises. Please consult the guide below on how you might be able to get rid of it.

Removal Guide

Apple Safari

1. Open Safari.
2. Select Safari and click Preferences.
3. Select the General tab.
4. Erase http://search.yofitofix.com/ from the Homepage field.
5. Type a new homepage address.
6. Then, select the Search tab.
7. Click the dropdown menu and select your preferred search engine.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Firefox and click Open Menu button.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Erase search.yofitofix.com
4. Type a new homepage address.

Google Chrome

1. Open Chrome and click the Chrome menu button.
2. Select Settings.
3. In the On Startup, click Set pages.
4. Erase search.yofitofix.com
5. Type a new homepage address.
6. In the Settings menu, select Search.
7. Select Manage search engines…
8. Click X next to search.yofitofix.com
9. Choose your preferred search engine and click Make default.