Hi, see if following this does any better : https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-unwanted-yahoo.com-search-results

I neglected to mention I'm a Mac user (High Sierra 10.13.6), so the rKill program seems to be all PC (.exe files). I will try upgrading the Malwarebytes to Premium and see if that will find something and check back with you.

Turns out I do have Premium, ran it as usual, but nothing to report.

I am not aware of any connection between DuckDuckGo and Yahoo. Are you sure you are searching on DuckDuckGo?

What is the address of the results page in the address bar? For example, if I send a search for firefox to DDG using the built-in DDG search option, I get:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=firefox&t=ffab&ia=web

To check whether your default search engine has changed, and to change it again, see: Change your default search settings in Firefox.

The search on DDG is redirecting to r.search.yahoo.com. DDG is the only search engine I have in Firefox---all others have been "de-selected". So my question is, how does a DDG search result in a timeout error for a non-responding server at r.search.yahoo.com even happening?

Try Eset : https://www.eset.com/us/

Sorry should be : https://www.eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/ or if not in the US : https://www.eset.com/int/home/online-scanner/

I think I see what it is: the AD items at the top of the results must be from the Yahoo ad network. When I hover over those, they route back through Yahoo:

The "organic" web results do not have that kind of address; they go directly to the sites.

Do your results follow that pattern if you scroll down and check the non-paid results section?

As a footnote, I always suggest people to go to their favorite sites using either the address bar -- Firefox should list it as a suggestion after you type a few letters of its name, or if you have bookmarked it -- or using non-paid, organic results. If you go to a site through its paid ad, they have to pay the search engine for your visit.

ThePkshadow said

Sorry should be : https://www.eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/ or if not in the US : https://www.eset.com/int/home/online-scanner/

This is a PC .exe file; I have a Mac.

jscher2000 said

As a footnote, I always suggest people to go to their favorite sites using either the address bar -- Firefox should list it as a suggestion after you type a few letters of its name, or if you have bookmarked it -- or using non-paid, organic results. If you go to a site through its paid ad, they have to pay the search engine for your visit.

I always use the address bar--I'm not selecting a sponsored ad from a general search. The site is simply "rockler.com". Woodworking supplies and tools. DDG is redirected to r.search.yahoo.com and either never results anything, or I get the Firefox "blue bug" timeout (server not responding). Malwarebytes for Mac finds no problems. Neither does Norton Security.

JCosmoAsp said

I always use the address bar--I'm not selecting a sponsored ad from a general search. The site is simply "rockler.com". Woodworking supplies and tools. DDG is redirected to r.search.yahoo.com and either never results anything, or I get the Firefox "blue bug" timeout (server not responding).

If you use the address bar, how is DDG getting involved? Can you walk me through it:

• you type rockler.com in the address bar and press Enter
• you end up on some other page? what is the address of the unexpected page? (you can copy/paste from the address bar)

When I type rockler.com in the address bar, either 1 of 2 things occur: 1. The Tab (shows as "New Tab) with the small moving dot next to it will stay like that for as long as you care to wait, or: 2. The search times out (not always) and a blue-text message from Firefox appears (with a small blue bug-looking creature) telling me that the server at r.search.yahoo.com is not responding. I assumed that any search in the address bar was using DDG. If this is wrong, my apologies as DDG is the one and only (default) search engine.

JCosmoAsp said

ThePkshadow said

Sorry should be : https://www.eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/ or if not in the US : https://www.eset.com/int/home/online-scanner/

This is a PC .exe file; I have a Mac.

Yes I know and the Eset scanner shows in google that it also scans Mac's and Androids.

Scan your computer for malware for free with the ESET Online Scanner. Our free ... Comprehensive internet security for your PC, Mac and Android devices.

The connection has timed out

The server at r.search.yahoo.com is taking too long to respond.

   The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.
   If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network connection.
   If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

Found this:

What should happen when you put something that looks like a server name in the address bar is that Firefox finds the corresponding IP address and sends a request to that server. Firefox should not send it to a search engine. If there is a problem, Firefox should report that the server was not found, or the connection timed out.

For example, a nonexistent server that you've never been to before: http://BobIsNotHere.com/

Sometimes an add-on or your internet service provider will intercept "server not found" and show a different page.

Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In its Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox. (On Mac, hold down the option/alt key instead of the Shift key.)

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
• (menu bar) Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

Pkshadow said

Yes I know and the Eset scanner shows in google that it also scans Mac's and Androids. Scan your computer for malware for free with the ESET Online Scanner. Our free ... Comprehensive internet security for your PC, Mac and Android devices.

The SCAN NOW just links to a esetonlinescanner_enu.exe

The Mac downloads are at https://www.eset.com/int/home/#?platform=mac

jscher2000 said

What should happen when you put something that looks like a server name in the address bar is that Firefox finds the corresponding IP address and sends a request to that server. Firefox should not send it to a search engine. If there is a problem, Firefox should report that the server was not found, or the connection timed out. For example, a nonexistent server that you've never been to before: http://BobIsNotHere.com/ Sometimes an add-on or your internet service provider will intercept "server not found" and show a different page.

---

Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In its Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox. (On Mac, hold down the option/alt key instead of the Shift key.)

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
• (menu bar) Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

Nope, same result in Safe Mode.

James said

Pkshadow said

Yes I know and the Eset scanner shows in google that it also scans Mac's and Androids. Scan your computer for malware for free with the ESET Online Scanner. Our free ... Comprehensive internet security for your PC, Mac and Android devices.

The SCAN NOW just links to a esetonlinescanner_enu.exe

The Mac downloads are at https://www.eset.com/int/home/#?platform=mac

I saw that page earlier, but I going to pass on $59.95 just to try. Thanks, James.