Your web browser is the door to your internet activity, including what you search for and what you buy. Therefore, it’s highly worth the effort for a hacker to try to install a browser hijacker on your device to force you to go to sites of their choosing.
So, how can you identify a browser hijacker, and how do you get rid of one? That’s today’s topic.
What are the common signs of a browser hijacker?
Let’s start with a quick, scannable list of what a browser hijacker looks like. If you have any of the following symptoms, get your computer checked out immediately:
- Slow browser performance: Visiting and refreshing pages becomes painfully slow, and at times, the browser will freeze, necessitating a reboot.
- Your browser settings have been changed: This can be anything from disabling security controls to allowing third-party cookies.
- Pop-up ads: If you get pop-up ads on your screen, especially ones trying to scare you into clicking them, that’s an enormous red flag.
- Being redirected to unwanted websites: A hacker may want to redirect you to their own cloned versions of certain websites, as well as malware-infected sites. If you notice your URLs being redirected, that’s something to worry about.
- Your homepage and default search engine have been changed: One of the classic tricks of a browser hijacker is changing your homepage and default search engine to a spam-ridden alternative that will make them money.
- New browser extensions have appeared: It used to be that browser hijackers installed third-party toolbars in your browser. But third-party toolbars are so 2001. Hackers have moved on to browser extensions.
How to get rid of a browser hijacker using a removal tool
If you look at the above list and realize with a sinking feeling that you do indeed have a browser hijacker, you may be searching for a browser hijacker removal tool.
Thankfully, you have a solution in the form of a browser hijacker scanner called CleanMyMac, powered by Moonlock Engine.
Open up CleanMyMac and select the Protection module
After installing CleanMyMac, open it up and select the Protection module on the left-hand sidebar. It’s third from the top.
If you’re opening it for the first time, configure the scan
If this is indeed the first time you’re using CleanMyMac, go into the Protection settings by clicking the Configure Scan button. Select your preferred options and make sure your Scan mode is set to Deep Scan.
Let CleanMyMac scan and detect the browser hijacker
Now, click the Scan button and let CleanMyMac do its work. It will scan all areas of your MacBook to find any malware that might be hiding in plain sight.
If CleanMyMac finds any malware, such as browser hijackers, you’ll see a list being formed. When the scan is finished, select all of it and delete it.
Securely uninstall the browser and all associated junk files
Deleting the detected malware should remove the browser hijacker from your machine. But if you want to be extra careful, you can uninstall your browser and start with a fresh install. CleanMyMac can help with this by clearing all associated leftover files and deleting them for you.
Simply uninstall the browser by going to the Applications section in CleanMyMac’s left-hand toolbar to uninstall it from there. It will ask if you want to remove associated files. After that, you can reinstall the browser.
Check your installed apps and remove any that you didn’t install
As we said, with the demise of third-party toolbars for browsers, hackers have evolved and are now carrying out their dirty work with malicious apps. You always need to keep a close eye on your Applications folder to make sure nothing has been installed without your say-so.
If so, go to the Applications section in CleanMyMac, pull up the list of installed applications again, and remove any you don’t recognize. CleanMyMac will take care of any associated trash files for you.
Browser hijacker removal for most popular browsers
Arguably, the 3 most popular browsers are Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari (apologies to fans of Opera and Microsoft Edge).
Here’s how to remove a browser hijacker in each of those browsers. We still recommend using CleanMyMac powered by Moonlock Engine afterward to double-check that the browser hijacker is indeed gone.
You may also want to consider completely wiping your MacBook. That will do the trick, but it may be overkill in most cases.
How to remove a browser hijacker from Chrome
If you’re using Chrome, do the following:
- Go to Settings > Extensions > Manage Extensions, and remove any extensions you don’t recognize.
- Now, go to Settings > On Startup. Click Open a specific set of pages. Remove all the ones you don’t recognize.
- Navigate to Settings > Search Engine. Change the default browser back to your preferred one.
- Finally, go to Settings > More Tools > Clear Browsing Data. This will wipe everything.
- Optionally, you can go the nuclear method by going to Settings > Reset Settings, and simply put the browser back into its original state. This will, of course, wipe everything in the browser, so make sure your browser bookmarks and passwords are backed up.
Now, do a malware scan with CleanMyMac to ensure that the browser hijacker is completely gone.
How to remove a browser hijacker from Safari on a Mac
If you’re using Safari, do the following:
- Go to Safari > Settings > Extensions, and remove any extensions you don’t recognize.
- Now, go to Settings > General. Select what you want to see on your Home page.
- Navigate to Settings > Search. Change the default browser back to your preferred one.
- Finally, choose Safari > Clear History. Select All History and wipe everything.
As a final step, run a malware scan with CleanMyMac.
How to remove a browser hijacker from Firefox
If you’re using Firefox, do the following:
- Go to Tools > Add-Ons & Themes and remove any extensions you don’t recognize.
- Now, go to Settings > Home. Select what you want to see on your Home page.
- Navigate to Settings > Search. Change the default browser back to your preferred one.
- Finally, choose Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies & Site Data. Click Clear Data and wipe everything.
Run a malware scan with CleanMyMac to make sure the browser hijacker has been removed.
How your Mac can get infected with a browser hijacker
Once the browser hijacker is gone, it’s time to undergo a rigorous and honest postmortem to find out how you managed to get it in the first place.
Here are a few ways you might get a browser hijacker:
- Malware-infected web links: One tried and true malware delivery method is the web link. This can be delivered in the form of an email, an SMS, a chat message, or a link on a malicious website.
- Malware-infected email attachments: Links aren’t the only thing you need to watch out for in emails. Email attachments are also a favorite method for hackers.
- Third-party malicious software: Not all third-party developers are honest. A small minority sell software with malware in it.
- Other malware: Having one kind of malware brings in other varieties. Once it starts, it can be hard to slow it down.
- Visiting unsafe websites: There’s a reason why browsers now stop you from visiting non-HTTPS websites. They’re generally unsafe. So, if a website doesn’t have a security certificate, ask yourself if you really need to go there.
- Disabling browser security protocols: Browsers like Chrome and Firefox have several levels of security protocols, and they strongly recommend enabling one of them. Neglecting to use them is a bad idea.
- Not installing browser updates: Browser updates patch new security vulnerabilities. Not installing them is opening the door for malware like browser hijackers.
What are the dangers of browser hijackers?
Browser hijacking introduces many dangers to your device if it manages to gain a foothold.
A browser hijacker:
- Introduces other malware: Once you have malware, it opens the door to other forms of malware. Don’t open that door.
- Sends you to dangerous websites: The whole point of a browser hijacker is to steer you to websites the hacker wants you to go to. Those sites are not going to be friendly.
- Steals your data: This goes without saying.
- Spreads more malware: Malware has an uncanny knack for jumping from device to device on the same network. Before you know it, your other machines will be infected, too.
- Makes your computer unstable: Eventually, the malware code will destabilize your computer, causing damage. At the very least, your files may be corrupted, leading to irreversible data loss.
Here’s how to prevent your browser from being hijacked
Once you’ve had a browser hijacker, you definitely don’t want to go back. So, here’s a list of tips for good online security hygiene, which will drastically reduce your chances of catching more malware in the future.
Set up malware monitoring with CleanMyMac
One great thing (among many) about CleanMyMac is that it’s not limited to a manual scan. Instead, it runs 24/7 in the background, monitoring for new threats. But first, you need to enable it.
As we previously outlined, open the Protection module and click Configure Scan. Then, tick Enable Malware Monitor and Look For Threats In The Background.
Try to minimize installing third-party software
Apple does a good job of vetting and scanning all of its estimated 2 million apps in the App Store. This means that when you download something from the App Store, you can be relatively certain that it is risk-free.
This is less true when it comes to third-party developers offering software outside of the App Store. If you must, stick to trusted, big-name companies like MacPaw and Moonlock.
Exercise caution when clicking web links
At the risk of repeating ourselves, web links are the primary method for spreading browser hijackers and other malware. Therefore, only click links sent to you by trusted family members, friends, and colleagues.
If you don’t know a person very well or can’t trust them fully, don’t click that link. You never know what’s on the other end of it.
Don’t visit non-HTTPS websites
Not every non-HTTPS website is bad. Some are simply old websites that the owner may have neglected to update. Or the main domain is HTTPS, but a sub-domain isn’t. It happens.
However, on the whole, browsers try to stop you from visiting non-HTTPS sites because most of them can’t be fully trusted. It’s really not worth the risk of finding out for yourself.
Put your browser security settings on the highest
In Chrome, you can set your security settings by navigating to Settings > Privacy and Security > Security. At the very least, you should be using Standard Protection, but Enhanced Protection is where Chrome rolls out the big guns, such as warnings about dangerous sites, suspicious downloads, and breached passwords.
In Firefox, you can go to Settings > Privacy & Security. They have a Standard level and a Strict level. The Strict level is so strict that Firefox warns you that it could break certain sites you visit.
Keep your browser updated at all times
Browsers typically get updates on a regular basis. Chrome, for example, pushes something out approximately once a month. Firefox is usually the same. Safari tends to get updated when macOS is.
Always check once a week to see if there’s a browser update. Usually, going to File > About [insert name of browser here] will tell you if there’s an update. If so, try to install it quickly.
Be careful what browser you use
In general, if you stick to the big-name browsers — Chrome, Firefox, and Safari — you’ll be OK. Chrome isn’t the greatest in terms of privacy, but it will still stop you from going to sketchy websites.
Even smaller browser brands like Brave or DuckDuckGo are also good. However, choosing a browser like Wave could end up being a big mistake.
Browser hijackers are as insidious as any other form of malware. But if you know how to detect a browser hijacker, remove it, and avoid it, then there’s nothing to get unduly worried about.
CleanMyMac will protect you 24/7 from all browser hijacker threats and warn you immediately if any arrive.
