You know it’s a redirect virus when your browser starts to behave oddly. It’s called “redirect” because it takes the wheel behind your browser and directs you to unwanted websites that will bombard you with annoying pop-up screens.
It’s rightfully called a virus, as it changes your browser’s settings, be it Safari, Chrome, Opera or any other browser, without your confirmation. For example, a Yahoo redirect virus hijacks your current browser, redirecting you to the Yahoo search engine as if it were your chosen browser homepage. If that sounds painfully familiar, read a detailed explanation of steps to remove a Yahoo redirect virus.
As long as this virus stays in your Mac’s system, you’ll keep seeing unwanted content. What’s even worse, there’s a chance it can track what you do online, such as monitoring your search queries, websites you visit, and your IP address and geographic location, and use that info to spam you in the future. The most sophisticated forms of the virus can even steal your bank details and put them up for grabs on the darknet.
Fortunately, there are ways you can do away with the pesky virus. Let us walk you through the steps to remove a redirect virus from your browser.
Preparation.
Before you dive in, we recommend backing up your data using cloud services or an external disk. Then, keep this guide handy on a separate device because you’ll need to close the browser at some point. As soon as you’re done removing the virus, scan your Mac with an antivirus solution of your choice to make sure it’s gone for good.
Removing a redirect virus from Safari.
Step 1. Open your Safari browser and click on the Safari tab in the upper left corner of the screen. Choose “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
Step 2. That’ll take you to a screen where you can find the “Extensions” tab. Click to open it. Find “Browser redirect” or other suspicious extensions you didn’t install. All you need to do is to click “Uninstall.”
Step 3. After that, you should reset Safari. To do that, click on the Safari tab as you did in step one, but select Reset Safari this time. Clicking on it will open the screen with several options marked by a tick. You can deselect the options, leaving the ones you want. After that, click on Reset to complete the process. That should remove a redirect virus.
Removing a redirect virus from Google Chrome.
Step 1. Open the Google Chrome browser and click on the Chrome menu in the upper left corner. Then select Extensions in the Tools section.
Step 2. In the Extensions section, you can spot and remove Browser redirect and other extensions you deem malicious.
Step 3. Go to Search Engines from the same menu and remove unwanted search sites from there.
Step 4. Reset Google Chrome. To do that, go to the Chrome menu in the upper right corner and choose Settings. After you scroll down, you’ll see the Reset browser settings button. Click on it to complete the process.
Removing a redirect virus from Firefox.
Step 1. Go to the Firefox menu in the upper left corner, select Add ons, and then go to Extensions.
Step 2. Look through the list of extensions to spot and remove everything that shouldn’t be there, including Browser redirect.
Step 3. Go to the Firefox menu in the upper left corner and click on the question mark. Choose Troubleshooting information where you’ll see the Reset option. Click on it to finalize virus removal.
Further steps: How to avoid a redirect virus?
First of all, it’s essential to install antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. You can set it up to run automatic scans to detect viruses and malware. Next, you should update your operating system and browser regularly. Lastly, watch the links you follow and the apps you install on your computer. Following links in unsolicited emails and installing apps outside official software providers’ stores should be off the table for security reasons.
[Image credit: thehackernews.com]
