Virus Removal For Mac

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May 13, 2013  Mac Malware Remover for Mac is a simple program that effectively scans for a few known Mac viruses, but lacks the features of a full security program.

If web browsers on your Mac are being redirected to Bing, it’s a sign of virus activity that requires fixing and reverting Internet settings to their defaults.

Update: October 2019

Custom browsing settings are among the fundamentals of user-friendly Internet navigation. Ideally, you define the preferences once and enjoy the seamless online experience further on. Cybercriminals, though, have got a twisted perspective in this regard. Some of their troublemaking contrivances bypass the admin permission stage and modify the most important defaults in web browsers installed on a contaminated host. That’s exactly what the Bing redirect virus does to a Mac. It reroutes all searches entered by the victim to bing.com. In other words, every time you try to look up a keyword or phrase via, say, Google or Yahoo!, a stealth script is invoked that changes the destination page to Bing search results.

The Mac users who are confronted with this brain-twisting scenario can’t seem to revert to the right configuration by commonplace means. Getting to the custom settings pane in Safari, Chrome or Firefox and typing the preferred engine’s URL – or selecting the desired provider on the list – turns out to be a no-go. At least, the “repair” won't stay in effect beyond the next browser startup event. The explanation for this is trivial. The Bing redirect virus continues to run in the background and will be altering the preset in an iterative fashion. Therefore, it’s not until you spot the culprit and obliterate it that the problem will be solved. Speaking of the e-perpetrators’ motivation, it’s entirely a matter of traffic monetization. They leverage the infection to obtain and maintain control of the victim’s browsing routine. By partnering with merchants and advertisers, the virus authors benefit from every unique page hit. The shady business model may boil down to pay per visit, pay per click – you name it.

This rerouting problem has nothing to do with an informed decision on the victim’s end. The malicious app usually slithers into a Mac alongside ostensibly legit software. This is what’s called bundling, a method that results in installing several programs under the guise of one. Some users have reported the Bing redirect virus starting to cause problems after they installed and activated the Microsoft Office suite. Some start encountering these issues after falling victim to the fake Adobe Flash Player update hoax. In the latter case, a rogue “Your Flash Player is out of date” popup appears on a malicious website or one compromised by malefactors. By applying the malware-riddled update, the user unwittingly opts for Bing as their default search provider. Additionally, there has been some feedback about the redirect culprit infiltrating Macs alongside a fake system optimizer like Mac Cleanup Pro or another one from the same lineage.

Another frequently reported stratagem has to do with Search Baron, a fishy service that bundles with harmless-looking software and pretends to improve one’s web search experience. Instead of following through with its claims, though, this malicious app changes a victim’s Internet navigation preferences with a rogue landing page at searchbaron.com without due permission. As a result, a regular web search instance will be returning the unwanted site first, and from there the traffic will automatically travel to Bing. The user’s only role in this hoax is to watch this merry-go-round of redirects taking place over and over, and to forget about personalization of the browsing routine until a fix is applied.

It’s noteworthy that, although the core applications in these setup clients vary, all of these occurrences have one common denominator. They are downloaded from fishy dubious websites promoting uncertified or cracked versions of popular utilities. The attack may also be backed by a clickbait campaign or other form of malvertising surreptitiously injected into legit sites. Furthermore, it’s quite likely that the actual name of the adware is Genieo – that’s a notorious malvertising entity wreaking havoc in the Mac world for years.

The key point regarding the Bing redirect virus is that the issue won’t vanish on its own. No browser update or regular manual reconfiguring will take care of the infection. Under the circumstances, the only viable countermeasure is to get rid of the malicious code proper, reset the affected browsers to their original state and then adjust them to your likes again. The how-to’s below cover all of these steps in detail.

Bing redirect virus manual removal for Mac

The steps listed below will walk you through the removal of this malicious application. Be sure to follow the instructions in the order specified.

  1. Open up the Utilities folder as shown below
  2. Locate the Activity Monitor icon on the screen and double-click on it
  3. Under Activity Monitor, find Genieo or some other that appears suspicious, select it and click Quit Process
  4. A dialog should pop up, asking if you are sure you would like to quit the troublemaking process. Select the Force Quit option
  5. Click the Go button again, but this time select Applications on the list. Find the entry for Genieo on the interface or some other one that clearly doesn’t belong there, right-click on it and select Move to Trash. If user password is required, go ahead and enter it
  6. Now go to Apple Menu and pick the System Preferences option
  7. Select Accounts and click the Login Items button. The system will come up with the list of the items that launch when the computer is started up. Locate Genieo or other potentially unwanted app there and click on the “-“ button

Get rid of Bing redirect virus in web browser on Mac

To begin with, settings for the web browser that got hit by the Bing redirect virus should be restored to their default values. The overview of steps for this procedure is as follows:

  1. Remove Bing virus from Safari
    • Open the browser and go to Safari menu. Select Preferences in the drop-down list
    • Once the Preferences screen appears, hit the Privacy tab at the top. Find the option that says Remove All Website Data and click on it
    • The system will display a confirmation dialog that also includes a brief description of what the reset does. Specifically, you may be logged out of some services and encounter other changes of website behavior after the procedure. If you’re okay with that, go ahead and click the Remove Now button
    • In order to selectively clear data generated by certain websites only, not all of them, hit the Details button under the Privacy section of Safari Preferences
    • This feature will list all websites that have stored potentially sensitive data, including cache and cookies. Select the one, or ones, that might be causing trouble and click the appropriate button at the bottom (Remove or Remove All). Click the Done button to exit.
  2. Remove Bing.com redirect from Google Chrome
    • Open Chrome, click the More (⁝) icon in the top right-hand part of the window, and select Settings in the drop-down
    • When on the Settings pane, select Advanced
    • Scroll down to the Reset settings section. Under the Restore settings to their original defaults option, click the Reset settings button
    • Confirm the Chrome reset on a dialog that will pop up. When the procedure is completed, relaunch the browser and check it for malware activity.
  3. Remove Bing redirect virus from Mozilla Firefox
    • Open Firefox and select Help – Troubleshooting Information
    • On the page that opened, click the Reset Firefox button

Get rid of Bing redirect virus Mac using Freshmac removal tool

When confronted with malicious code like the Bing redirect virus on Mac, you can neutralize its toxic impact by leveraging a specially crafted system utility. The Freshmac application (read review) is a perfect match for this purpose as it delivers essential security features along with must-have modules for Mac optimization.

This tool cleans unneeded applications and persistent malware in one click. It also protects your privacy by eliminating tracking cookies, frees up disk space, and manages startup apps to decrease boot time. On top of that, it boasts 24/7 tech support. The following steps will walk you through automatic removal of the Bing redirect infection from Mac.

  1. Download Freshmac installer onto your machine. Double-click the Freshmac.pkg file to trigger the installer window, select the destination disk and click Continue. The system will display a dialog asking for your password to authorize the setup. Type the password and click Install Software.
  2. Once the installation has been completed, Freshmac will automatically start a scan consisting of 5 steps. It scans cache, logs, unused languages, trash, and checks the Mac for privacy issues.
  3. The scan report will then display your current system health status and the number of issues detected for each of the above categories. Click the Fix Safely button to remove junk files and address privacy issues spotted during the scan.
  4. Check whether the Bing redirect problem has been fixed. If it perseveres, go to the Uninstaller option on Freshmac GUI. Locate an entry that appears suspicious, select it and click Fix Safely button to force-uninstall the unwanted application.
  5. Go to Temp and Startup Apps panes on the interface and have all redundant or suspicious items eliminated as well. The Bing redirect virus shouldn’t be causing any further trouble.

FAQs

It depends on whether Bing was set as the default search engine with or without your consent. If the tweak doesn’t stem from an informed decision on your end, then you are dealing with a virus that bypassed regular authorization when putting the unwanted changes into effect.

In case this isn’t a malware issue, simply go to your browser’s preferences, proceed to the search settings, and pick the right search provider on the list. For instance, in Safari you need to open the Preferences screen, then click the Search tab, and opt for Google in the ‘Search engine’ area. This way, Bing will be automatically deselected. The procedure is similar for the other popular web browsers.

The fix isn’t nearly as easy if malicious code is involved. The Bing redirect virus will prevent you from changing the default search engine via the commonplace technique. The search providers may be grayed out and not clickable. In this scenario, you’ll need to remove the harmful app before reverting to Google manually. Try to turn off all the extensions in the malfunctioning browser for a start. If this doesn’t do the trick, follow the virus cleanup walkthrough in the article above.

To begin with, this is a telltale sign of malware activity. Your Mac has been most likely infected with a strain that changes the custom web surfing settings without your awareness and approval. The distorted configuration of your browser makes the Internet traffic travel through a merry-go-round of intermediary URLs, with Bing.com being the landing page. The transitional domains may include searchbaron.com and low-quality ad networks. Bing is, essentially, a smokescreen that adds a false sense of legitimacy to the attack. The malware operators benefit from the interim hits to auxiliary services that aren’t easy to notice with the naked eye.

The root cause of this search engine takeover is malicious code that spreads in a surreptitious way. The common entry points span application bundling and drive-by downloads triggered on compromised or harmful websites. Once inside a Mac, the toxic code alters the search settings in Safari, Chrome or Firefox (depending on which one is set as default) so that the Internet navigation follows a rogue route and keeps resolving Bing in a recurrent fashion.

Best Virus Removal For Mac

A rule of thumb is to eliminate the underlying cause of the hijack first. Otherwise, the issue will re-emerge no matter how hard you may try to restore the right browsing preferences. Keep in mind that this is a malware issue, so it needs to be sorted out accordingly.

Manual troubleshooting is a good starting point that’s definitely worth a shot. Look for suspicious entries in the Activity Monitor, Applications, and Login Items as outlined in the appropriate section of the tutorial above. If you find sketchy items that clearly don’t belong there, go ahead and delete them. Then, reset the affected web browser using the step-by-step guide provided in the article.

In some cases, the hijack may turn out too severe to be remedied manually. If so, consider opting for a procedure based on the use of an automated cleaning utility. The tool will detect and delete both the non-obfuscated and hidden components of the Bing redirect virus so that you can safely rectify the mutilated browsing settings without malicious interference.

This technique of resetting your MacBook Air to its factory state should only be applied in a persistent Bing redirect scenario where all the other fixes end up futile. Be advised, though, that you need to back up all your personal data first otherwise you’ll lose it for good. Thankfully, macOS is equipped with the Time Machine utility that allows you to back up all the files to an external storage device without using any third-party apps. The procedure is as follows:

  • Plug the backup disk into your Mac
  • Open Time Machine and click Select Backup Disk
  • Pick the external drive you’d like to back up your MacBook Air to
  • Enable the Encrypt backups option for extra security, click Use Disk, and wait for the backup to be completed.

To perform the reset proper, boot up your MacBook Air in Recovery Mode. This is doable by long-pressing Command + R keys when your computer is starting up or restarting. Release the buttons once you see the Apple logo and wait for the macOS Utilities window to appear. Here’s what you need to do next:

  • Select Disk Utility in the macOS Utilities screen and click Continue
  • Go to View and select Show All Devices
  • Choose your hard disk and click Erase
  • If you are using macOS High Sierra or later, select APFS in the Format area. Otherwise, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system
  • Click Erase again.

Now that your hard disk has been wiped, you need to reinstall the operating system. Follow these steps to do it:

  • In the macOS Utilities screen, select Reinstall macOS
  • Click Continue
  • Follow subsequent prompts to complete the reinstall.

Once you start fresh with your MacBook Air, you can import your data from the backup disk and customize the system along with the software you use.

When faced with the Bing redirect virus issue on MacBook Pro, you may experience sluggish system performance – occasionally to a point where the laptop becomes hardly responsive or even freezes. If this happens, you may need to force-restart the machine. Here’s a quick overview of the possible scenarios and the appropriate ways to reboot.

For
  • If macOS appears to be frozen but you can still use your mouse, point the cursor to the Apple icon in the upper left-hand part of the screen, click it and select the Restart option in the drop-down menu.
  • In case you are using a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and the system isn’t responding altogether, you should long-press the Touch ID button (which is also the Power button, by the way) until the laptop restarts. Importantly, it’s not a matter of simply placing your finger on the sensor like you routinely do to log in – you actually need to push it and wait for the reboot to take place.
  • One more method is to press and hold a combo of the Command (⌘) and Control (Ctrl) keys while also pushing the Touch ID button. If you are using an older MacBook Pro that has an optical drive, press Command (⌘) and Control (Ctrl) and the Eject button simultaneously.

That’s it. As soon as you have restarted your MacBook Pro, get down to the virus cleaning job to ensure proper performance of the laptop further on.

Jul 19,2019 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

Gone are the days when only Windows users had to worry about adware and malware. Mac’s defenses have been breached and now, there’s an influx of these pesky software infecting macOS too.

McAfee labs shared this statistic in its Threat Report: In 2016, Malware attacks on Mac systems had shot up to an astonishing 744%. And over 460,000 samples of malware were discovered on Mac machines. That’s more than alarming, wouldn’t you say?

Don’t allow yourself to be a victim too. Take charge of your Mac’s security and buff it up by following these detailed steps.

Part 1. Signs and Symptoms of Adware or Malware

Technology is all about evolution. The machine you use today won’t be the machine you use tomorrow. Technology and human ingenuity have given machines unprecedented autonomy because they end up executing commands of their own will.

What does all this have to do with adware and malware? Well, that’s just one of the effects they have on their targets. They can give that same autonomy to your Mac, because it can end up executing its own commands.

More than that, adware and malware were programmed to be autonomous because they can coerce or cajole you into accessing websites where they lie in wait. Simply clicking through a website is all that’s needed for them to seep hidden virus into your Mac. You have to deal with them or they’ll deal with you.

Symptoms (Malware)

  • Bad Performance - Your macOS keeps freezing and it drops performance.
  • Incessant Ads - Webpages you visit will be saturated with ads.
  • Self-Boot - Your Mac will reboot itself and your freeze without rhyme or reason.
  • Self-Install - Your Mac will auto-update itself with suspicious and, possibly, malicious updates.

Symptoms (Adware)

  • Pop-Up Overload - Numerous pop-ups will appear if you click an advertisement to a fake software.
  • Ad-Overload - In-text advertisements and banner ads will make up the bulk of your search results.
  • Glitchy Homepage - Your homepage constantly redirects you to other websites.
  • Bad Performance - Your Mac’s performance is unusually slow.
  • Toolbar Errors - Random toolbars install themselves in your browser.

Part 2. How to Remove Malware from Mac Manually

Malware is on the rise, unfortunately. In 2017, Malwarebytes reported that there was a 230% increase in Mac systems plagued by malware.

In the early months of 2019, Trend Micro revealed an active strain of Mac malware that was able to break through Mac’s Gatekeeper (built-in security feature). What makes this particular malware different is the fact it’s actually a Windows application, but it seizes the advantage of a compatibility framework to open and run on Macs.

It’s very deadly because it reads the information on your Mac and attempts to install malware and adware on it, infecting your macOS and exposing your sensitive data to threats. Even worse, it has the ability to hide in popular Mac shareware software that is hosted on torrent sites. This means unsuspecting users can easily get infected by it even if they browse safe websites.

As you would expect, there are several other malware out there with prime examples being KeRanger and Proton Remote Access Trojan.

As tenacious as both adware and malware can be, they are not invisible. Regardless of the kind of damage they have dealt your Mac, you can still remove them without leaving a single trace.

Step 1: Activity Monitor

  1. Click anywhere on your desktop.
  2. At the top of your Mac’s screen, you will see a status bar. Click on “Go.”
  3. A drop-down menu will appear. Click on “Utilities.”
  4. Look for “Activity Monitor” and launch it.
  5. You can also search for it by typing “Activity Monitor” in your Mac’s “Spotlight’s” search bar. Launch it from there. In the “Activity Monitor”, go over what you think the suspect applications are (InstallMac and Genio are two very persistent and common adware, so watch out for them). Kill its process by clicking the “X” icon located atop the window and to the left.
  6. A dialogue box will appear, asking you if you wish to “Force Quit”. Click on it to get rid of the application.
  7. Navigate back to your “Applications” while dragging the suspect application to your “Trash.”
  8. Reboot your Mac.
  9. Empty “Trash.”

Step 2: Login Items

You’ve taken the first step towards getting rid of the adware but like it was pointed out earlier, this malicious software has a way of acting on its own. It can come back and reinstall itself if you don’t erase EVRY SINGLE TRACE of it. The best way to do is to prevent the adware from starting itself:

  1. Click the “Apple” logo in your Mac’s status bar.
  2. Click on “System Preferences” in the drop-down list which appears.
  3. Click on “Users & Groups.”
  4. Select your account.
  5. Click on “Login Items.” This will open up a list of the programs which start automatically when your Mac boots. Go over the list to see if you can find anything that seems out of the ordinary.
  6. Once you’re sure of the suspicious application, click on it. Hit the “-” button that’s beside the “+” button to get rid of it. That application will not restart on its own again.

Step 3: Remove the Malicious Apps

This fix requires less of an in-depth approach, but it’s just as important as the other two fixes. You will be required to identify and get rid of any and all malicious applications that might have taken refuge in your Mac

  1. Open your “Finder.”
  2. Click “Applications.” A list of all the application you currently have installed in your Mac will be displayed. Go through the list until you locate the malicious application.
  3. Right-click the application and select “Move to Trash.”
  4. Click “Empty Trash.”

Part 3. Four Ways to Show Hidden Files on Mac

Adware can be as troubling as malware. You can even say there are two sides of the same coin. The main difference with adware is that it primarily slaps dozens of random advertisements on your Mac’s browser. Sometimes, the ads will be so many you can’t even see what you are doing. It can even fool you into clicking on a website to fill up the owner’s wallet.

Adware has a recurring feature of being bunched up with other free software that you can download from the web. You are thus effectively deceived into installing adware by not realizing the free software comes bundled with it. It’s terribly annoying, to say the least.

Removing adware from your browser is not difficult though. But you’ll need to alter your browser preferences and bore deep into your system files to shred the adware.

Step 1: Remove Malicious Extensions on Safari, Chrome or Firefox

Extensions, as helpful as they are and as much as they optimize and make your browsing experience better, can also serve the exact opposite function and ruin each browsing session. Keep your extensions but remove those that seem suspicious or you can’t recognize.

Chrome

  1. Open up Chrome.
  2. Click those three vertical dots you see at the top of the Chrome window to the right.
  3. Click “Settings”.
  4. Click those three horizontal lines beside “Settings”. They are located at the top and to the left.
  5. Select “Extensions.”
  6. Go over the list of extensions, then click “Remove.” Click it once more to confirm you want it gotten rid of.

Safari

  1. Open up “Safari.”
  2. Click “Preferences” from the drop-down menu you see.
  3. A new window will be opened, showing you your Safari’s preferences. You will be in the “General” tab. It’s probable that your default homepage will be changed to the one you are unfamiliar with. That’s another effect of the adware. If this is the case, change it to a webpage you know and want to use as your default homepage.
  4. Click the “Extensions” tab. You will see all the extensions in your Safari.
  5. Once you look through them all and identify the odd one out, click “Uninstall” to get rid of it. Some examples of extensions that are known to be malicious are: MacCaptain, MacSaver and MacVX.

Firefox

  1. Open up Firefox.
  2. Click those three horizontal lines located at the top and to the right.
  3. Select “Add-ons.”
  4. Click “Extensions” located to the left sidebar.
  5. Go over the list of extensions and decide the ones you want to go. Click “Remove.”
  6. Close the tab.

Step 2: Block Pop-Up Ads on Safari, Chrome or Firefox

Pop-ups are more of an annoyance than a threat but you should still remove them as soon as they start attacking your browsers.

Chrome

  1. Launch Chrome.
  2. Click those three horizontal dots you see at the top of the Chrome window and to the right.
  3. Click “Settings”.
  4. Click “Show advanced settings.”
  5. Click “Content Settings” located under “Privacy.”
  6. Select “Do not allow any site to show pop-ups” under the Pop-ups section.
  7. Click “Done.”

Safari

  1. Open up “Safari.”
  2. Click “Preferences” from the drop-down menu you see.
  3. Click on the “Security” icon located at the upper row.
  4. Click on “Block pop-up windows.”
  5. Click on “Done.”

Firefox

  1. Open up your browser and click on “Firefox.”
  2. Click those three horizontal lines located at the top and to the right.
  3. Another menu box will appear. Click “Content.”
  4. Tick “Block pop-up windows.”
  5. Close the menu box and restart your browser.

Conclusion

Virus Removal App For Mac

Here’s what you should understand: Malware can be a danger to your Mac; adware can be a burden to your Mac. Together, malware and adware are a HUGE no-no. You might not see the imamate effects they are having on your system because the virus they’ve installed might take its time in executing its malicious intent.

Be as protected as you can be. You might have to resort to automatic malware and adware removal tools if it comes to it, but that should only be a last resort. Simply being careful about the websites you visit and how your browsers react to those websites should keep adware and malware in check. Follow the guidelines you were given and you’ll be safe.

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