Search.strtpoint.com Browser Hijacker on Mac
The string Search.strtpoint.com is the name associated with a browser hijacker that may have silently landed on your Mac's favorite browser without your knowledge.
Browser hijackers are usually classified as potentially unwanted applications - a gray area of software, occupying the space between legitimate applications and full-blown malware. The threat level associated with most browser hijackers is low, compared to most other malware.
Still, they make changes to your system without your knowledge and explicit consent, can impair your browsing experience and can potentially expose you to further malware through referrals to questionable websites and links.
Once Search.strtpoint.com ends up on your computer, it will change your browser's home page to its own. The default search engine your browser uses will also be swapped out to the search engine of the browser hijacker. This is done silently and the user is never asked for permission or even notified. This is what makes similar applications get the "potentially unwanted" classification.
In most cases potentially unwanted applications are distributed using what is called bundle installers. In a bundle installer, you would usually find one legitimate application, with one or more potentially unwanted apps that piggy-back inside the same bundle and install quietly.
The best way to steer clear of similar bundle installers that might ferry potentially unwanted apps on your Mac is to never download files from free download websites. Source all your applications and their installers from strictly moderated platforms such as the official App Store, or simply use the website or the application's publisher or developer.
Do not install files that pop-up from ransom web pages and claim that they are an update for a web component of your browser or some other application on your system. There are a lot of potentially unwanted apps that will pose as updates to Adobe Acrobat or your browser's Flash Player plugin, even though Flash Player has been officially dropped from all major browsers due to the fact that it's no longer supported by Adobe.
