Attackers can inject malware into the Apple Safari browser which leads to common activities like different search engines, website loading issues, malicious ads, and pop-up windows, etc. However, we can easily remove these malware injections once the data, settings, and extensions are back to normal. Unlike Windows and Android devices, Apple computers are not very popular due to being the target of viruses and malware. Mac and iOS devices have a strong security model that is exceptionally difficult to penetrate.
However, in recent years, cybercriminals have taken advantage of Apple’s ecosystem components to inject undetectable malware into computers. With Safari being a major component of iOS and Mac, the script has been heavily targeted to meet the end goal of kiddies and hackers. These malware injections are dynamic and vary widely and depend on the objective of the attacker. The worst part here is that most of the users are unaware of their web activity and actions.
Read: How to Recover Safari Bookmarks with Easy Steps.
A few weeks ago, the malware was injected into my Safari browser, causing it to slow down and load ads that are impossible to ignore everywhere. When malware hits your Safari browser, it triggers all kinds of unusual behavior and suspicious activity like this one. So if you encounter any suspicious or unusual activity during your entire browsing session, it is highly likely that you have malware in your browser.
How to Remove Malware from Safari on Mac?
Luckily, I was able to remove malware from the Safari browser, but if you get stuck in a similar situation, here are some of the most effective ways to check and remove malware from your Mac Safari.
1- Check for Malware in Safari Mac
Whenever malware gets into your system, it creates some glitches and unusual behavior in your Safari browser. It can either suddenly redirect you to different pages and show unwanted pop-up ads out of the blue.
An example of a potential threat to Safari is the Bing redirect virus, which has long dominated in 2019. It is used to redirect the user’s Internet traffic to the Bing homepage without any permission.
And even if users managed to identify the potential threat, no one would be able to figure out what it was intended for or how to investigate it.
When browsers like Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc., these infections mainly occur in extensions and plugins. Therefore, the first way to confirm such a threat is to identify the suspicious extension on their browser.
2- Remove suspicious extensions
The main source of malware in the Safari browser is caused by third-party extensions or plugins. These extensions are automatically installed when you visit a suspicious download website. And so, they display ads or use your browser’s display to mine cryptocurrencies.
Either way, they’re hard to find, but the best way to deal with these suspicious extensions is to remove them.
Here are the steps to remove the suspicious extension from the Safari Mac browser:
- Open Safari browser on your Mac.
- Click the Safari menu and select the Preferences… submenu.
- Switch to the Extensions tab.
- Find suspicious extensions installed.
- Select the extension and tap Uninstall to remove it from Safari.
This will remove the extension immediately and make the browser less vulnerable. However, the extension may already modify the setting; It is better to check and reset the options to a normal state.
Under the same Safari preference window –
- Switch to the General tab and set the preferred home page for your Safari browser.
- Again, go to the Search tab and set your default search engine.
Restart the Safari browser and check if the problem no longer appears. However, if the problem persists with your browser, try the next method on our list.
3- Reset Safari Settings to Default
Extensions come with special privileges and permissions so that they can change your Safari browser settings. This, in turn, shows suspicious behavior like unnecessary ads, slow web pages, etc. Resetting Safari settings on your Mac will remove any malicious configuration injected by malware.
Here are the steps to reset Safari settings to the default configuration:
- Launch Finder window on Mac.
- Hold down the Option key and select Go Menu.
- Select the Library option from the drop-down menu.
- Go to Library > Preferences Folder.
- Delete the com.apple.Safari.plist file from the Preferences folder.
We have removed the default configuration file. Simply restart the Safari browser to reproduce the new configuration file we removed. This should clear all malware injections.
4- Clear Cache and History
The cache is a temporary storage solution for the browser, which allows Safari to load certain web pages more quickly. But if malware is hiding in cache files, it will cause a problem even after you reset or clear your browsing history.
Additionally, a full cache can slow down your Safari for website performance, so it is recommended that you clear your browser cache every six months.
Here are the steps to clear Safari browser cache on Mac:
- Launch Apple Safari browser.
- Click the Safari menu and select the Preferences submenu.
- Switch to the Advanced tab.
- Check the menu box Show detail in the menu bar.
- Click on the Develop menu in the menu bar.
- Select Clear Cache from the drop-down menu.
- After that click on the History menu in the menu bar.
- Click on the Clear History… option.
- Choose an appropriate duration and click the Clear History button.
5- Delete Website Data
Website data includes special features such as your cookies and your browsing or behavior patterns. These may also include your log-in sessions or other website identifiers.
If your browser is infected with malware, it can get sensitive information through website data, so it is better to remove it.
Here are the steps to delete website data on Safari Mac:
- Launch Apple Safari browser.
- Click the Safari menu and select the Preferences submenu.
- Go to the Privacy tab and click on the Manage Website Data… button.
- Tap Delete all options.
- Click on the Delete Now button.
This will delete all stored website data and Safari browser cache files.
Conclusion: Remove Safari Malware
If you’re lucky enough, the first method should work fine for you. However, if it fails to fix your problem in the worst case, the second method will certainly work, but the only problem is that you will lose all your saved data in the browser.
Either way, these methods are the most effective ways to remove malware from Safari Mac and get your browser back to its normal working state.
If you have any ideas on how to remove malware from Safari on Mac, feel free to leave a comment box below. If you found this article useful, consider sharing it with your network.