How to remove malware from Safari on Mac ▷【】

Malicious person can inject malware into Apple Safari browser in usual activities like different search engine, website loading problem, malicious ads and pop-up etc. Discover how to remove malware from safari on mac

However, we can remove these malware injections easily after resetting browser data, settings and extensions back to normal.

Unlike Windows and Android devices, Apple computers are not popular targets for viruses and malware. Mac and iOS devices have a robust security model, which is exceptionally difficult to get past.

However, in recent years, cybercriminals have taken advantage of components of the Apple ecosystem to inject undetectable malware into computers. Safari, which is a prominent component of iOS and Mac, has been heavily geared towards serving the ultimate purpose of children and script hackers.

These malware injections are dynamic and vary on a large scale and depending on the purpose of the attacker. The worst part here is that most of the users are unaware of its web activity and features.

A few weeks ago, malware was injected into my Safari browser, causing it to slow down and load unskippable ads everywhere. When malware reaches your Safari browser, it will initiate all sorts of unusual behavior and suspicious activities like this.

So if you encounter any suspicious or abnormal activity during your browsing session, it is likely that there is some malware in your browser.

IT MAY INTEREST YOU :

Fortunately, I was able to remove malware from Safari browser, but in case you are stuck in a similar position, here are some of the most efficient ways to check and remove malware from your Safari Mac.

Check malware in Safari Mac

Whenever malware enters your system, it will create certain disturbances and abnormal behavior on your Safari browser. It can redirect you to different pages suddenly and show unwanted pop-up ads out of nowhere

An example of a potential threat to Safari is the Bing redirect virus, which dominated for a long time in 2019. It is used to redirect the user’s internet traffic to the bing home page without any permission.

And even if users managed to identify the potential threat, no one could understand what its purpose was or how to verify it.

When browsers like Apple Safari, , Mozilla Firefox , etc., these infections mainly occur in extensions and plug-ins. So the first method to confirm such a threat is by identifying suspicious extensions in your browser.

Remove suspicious extensions

The main source of malware in the Safari browser is due to third-party extensions or plug-ins. These extensions get installed automatically while you visit questionable download website. And as a result, they display ads or use your browser performance to mine cryptocurrency.

Either way, they are hard to find, but the best way to deal with such suspicious extensions is to remove them.

Here are the steps to remove suspicious extensions from Mac Safari browser :

• Open the Safari browser on your Mac.
• Click on the menu Safari and select the submenu Preferences…
  It will open the Safari Preferences window.

• Switch to tab Extensions .
• I searched suspicious extensions installed.

Select the extension and press uninstall to remove from Safari.

It will immediately remove the extension and make the browser less vulnerable. However, the extension may already be making configuration changes; it is better to check and reset the options to a normal state.

In the same Safari preferences window:

• Switch to tab General and set a preferred home page for your Safari browser.

• Again, switch to the tab Search and set your default search engine.

Restart the Safari browser and check if the problem no longer appears. However, if the problem persists in your browser, try the next method on our list.

Reset Safari settings to default

Extensions come with special privileges and permissions so that they can alter your Safari browser settings. This, in turn, shows suspicious behavior such as unnecessary ads, slow web pages, etc. Resetting Safari settings on your Mac will remove any malicious settings injected by malware.

Here are the steps to reset Safari settings to default settings :

• Start the window Finder on Mac
• Hold down the Option key and select the menu To go .
• Select option Library from the dropdown menu.

• Go to the folder Library > Preferences .
• Erase com.apple.Safari.plist from the preferences folder.

We have removed the default configuration file. Simply restart the Safari browser to regenerate the new configuration file that we have removed. It should remove malware injections.

Clear cache and history

The cache is a temporary storage solution for the browser, which helps Safari load certain web pages faster. But if the malware hides in the cache files, it will create a problem even after you reset or delete your browsing history.

Also, a full cache can slow down your safari website performance, so it’s a good practice to clear your browser cache every six months. Related: How to Clear History, Cookies, and Cache on Safari Mac?

Here are the steps to clear Safari browser cache on Mac :

• start Apple’s Safari browser.
• Click on the menu Safari and select the submenu preferences .
• Switch to tab Advanced .
• Check the checkbox from the Show Develop menu in the menu bar .

• It will enable a new Develop menu in the Safari menu bar.
• Click on the menu Develop in the menu bar.
• Select empty caches in the dropdown menu.

It will clean and empty all cache files stored in Safari browser.

• Then click on the menu Record in the menu bar.
• Click on the option Delete history …

It will display a clear history dialog on the screen.

choose a time frame appropriate and click the button Clear History

Note: Choose the “All History” option for best results.

Delete website data

Website data includes special characteristics such as its cookies and browsing patterns or behavior. These may also include your login sessions or other website identifiers.

If your browser is infected with malware, it can capture sensitive information through website data, so it is good to remove it.

Here are the steps to delete website data on Safari Mac :

• start Apple’s Safari browser.
• Click on the menu Safari and select the submenu preferences .
• Switch to tab Privacy and click on theManage website data… button.

It will open the cache and stored data of the website.

• Hit the delete all option.

• Click on the remove now button.

It will remove all stored website data and cache files from Safari browser.

Conclusions on How to Remove Malware from Safari

If you are lucky enough, the first method should work perfectly for you. However, if it doesn’t solve your problem in the worst case, the second method will surely work, but the only problem is that you will end up losing all your saved data in the browser.

In any case, these methods are the most efficient ways to remove malware from Safari Mac and return your browser to its normal working state.

Let us know what has explained the success in removing the malware injected into the Safari browser. Also, anything else I have tried has worked to remove the malware.

In addition to knowing How to remove malware from Safari on Macbelow you can see more related topics of related to this article: