How to Remove Malware from Safari on Mac?

Remove Malware from Safari on Mac:

Attackers can put malware on your Safari browser that can further lead to various problems like popups, malicious ads, website loading issues, and search engine issues. Nevertheless, one can easily get rid of malware injections by resettings the browser data, settings, and extensions back t normal. 

Unlike Android devices and Windows, Mac computers generally don't get targeted by malware and viruses. Mac uses a strong security model that is very hard to penetrate. However, in the last few years, cybercriminals have been trying to take the advantage of Apple's components by injecting undetectable malware into the PC. Safari browser is the most important component of Mac and iOS. 

Malware injections are dynamic and may differ on a large scale based on the purpose of the attacker. The bad thing is that a lot of users are not aware of their functions and web activity. A few months ago, the malware was injected into the Safari browser as well, which lead to the problem of loading ads that cannot be skipped and slow down issues.

Related: How to Fix Safari too Many Redirects Occurred?

Whenever malware attacks your Safari browser, it will start behaving abnormally and you may see suspicious activity.  In order to tackle this problem, below mentioned are the solutions that you need to apply to fix your problem. 

1) Check Malware in Safari Mac

Whenever malware or virus attacks your system, it may lead to some disturbances, and your browser will start behaving abnormally. This may redirect you to different pages and may even show unwanted pop-up apps.

A virus dominated for a very long time in the year 2019. This can redirect the internet traffic of the user to the first page of the search engine without permission. These malware infections occur because of plugins and extensions. 

2) Remove Suspicious Add-ons or Extensions in Safari Browser

The main source of malware in Safari is plugins or third-party extensions. These extensions get installed automatically when you visit a questionable downloading website.

Below are the steps that you need to perform to remove suspicious extensions from your browser. 

Step 1: First of all, launch the Safari browser on your Mac. 

Step 2: Click on the Safari menu and then choose preferences from the sub-menu. 

Step 3: After that, go to the Extensions tab. 

Step 4: Search for the suspicious extensions installed. 

Step 5: Choose the extension and then select the uninstall button. 

This will remove the extension immediately and the problem you are facing with the Safari browser will get fixed. The extension may make changes in the settings. Therefore, it is better to check and reset the options. 

Related: How to Allow or Block Pop-ups in Safari Mac Computer?

3) Reset Safari Browser Settings 

Extensions come with special permission and privileges and hence they are capable of altering the settings of your Safari browser. This leads to suspicious behavior such as slow web pages, unnecessary ads, etc. Once you reset the settings of your Safari browser, all the malicious configurations will get removed.

Below are the easy steps that you need to perform to reset Safari settings to default. 

Step 1: Open the Finder window. 

Step 2: Press the option key and hold it to select the Go menu. 

Step 3: Now, go to the drop-down menu and select the Library option. 

Step 4: Go to Library and then select Preferences. 

Step 5: Remove the com.apple.Safari.plist from the folder of preferences. 

This will delete the default configuration file. Reopen your Safari browser to generate the new configuration file, which we deleted. This will clear malware injections. This will help you remove malware from the Safari browser on Mac. 

Related: How to Allow and Block Pop-Ups in Safari?

4) Clear Cache and History in Safari Browser

Cache helps in loading web pages faster on Safari but if malware is present in the cache files, then it can create issues even after deleting browsing history.

Below are the easy steps that you need to follow to clear cache and history. 

Step 1: Open Apple Safari on your web browser. 

Step 2: Go to the Safari menu and then select Preferences. 

Step 3: After that, go to the Advanced tab. 

Step 4: Check the check box for "show develop menu in the menu bar". 

Step 5: Now, go to the menu bar and select the Develop menu. 

Step 6: Choose the option of empty caches from the drop-down menu. 

Step 7: After that, select the History menu from the menu bar. 

Step 8: Then, select "Clear History".