Short on time? Here’s how to remove the Yahoo Redirect Virus on Mac:
1. Scan Device — Run a “Full System Scan” with a high-quality antivirus (Intego is the best).
2. Remove Virus — After the scan is complete, let the antivirus remove all instances of the Yahoo Redirect virus infection.
3. Stay Protected — Protect yourself from further infections with a high-quality internet security package (again, Intego is the best).
The “Yahoo redirect virus” is a browser hijacker that redirects all of your searches to Yahoo! — but instead of seeing actual Yahoo! search results, you’re seeing a fake page that’s filled with ads (and the hackers who made the virus get money whenever you click on those ads). The Yahoo redirect virus isn’t a dangerous infection, but it can cause unwanted slowdown and drain your computer’s resources. Not only that, but the Yahoo redirect virus may also be a part of a greater spyware infection on your Mac, which can lead to serious identity theft or system failure. Luckily, removing the Yahoo redirect virus isn’t very difficult.
That said, you should avoid trying to remove the Yahoo Redirect virus without following proper instructions. Trying to remove the virus manually can cause unwanted changes to your primary web browser’s settings. You also risk permanent damage to your Mac.
The best way to fully remove the Yahoo Redirect virus is to use a good antivirus suite. Not only will the antivirus suite remove all instances of the malware that’s causing the redirect, but it will also secure your Mac from other threats around the web — including zero-day threats.
Quick Tip: Intego is a great tool for removing the Yahoo redirect virus, but it’s not free. To secure your Mac (for free), you can buy Intego, remove the infection, and then return it with the company’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
Step 1. Identify the Yahoo Redirect Virus With Your Antivirus (And Don’t Make the Problem Worse!)
IMPORTANT: Do not connect your cell phone, tablet, or USB drive to an infected computer. In doing so, you risk the virus replicating itself onto those devices.
Once you’ve downloaded a secure antivirus program, run a full disk scan on your computer. Even if you think you know where the infection started or you know where the suspicious app is located, a full disk scan is best.
A full disk scan will detect, quarantine, and remove every copy of the Yahoo redirect virus, as well as ensure that your device isn’t infected with any other malware, including spyware or rootkits that can often run undetected.
Remember: Run the full system scan until it’s finished. DO NOT cancel the scan when you see the virus appear on the infected file list. There’s no way of knowing how many other copies of it exist in your system.
The full scan can take anywhere from 1–4 hours, so sit tight because your antivirus needs to analyze every single file and process on your computer.
When your antivirus has alerted you that the scan is complete, every instance of malware on your system will be identified and quarantined — including the Yahoo redirect virus.
You can now proceed to Step 2.
Step 2. Remove the Yahoo Redirect Virus Infection and Delete Any Other Infected Files
When your antivirus has identified and quarantined all of your compromised files, it will give you the option to delete them. Advanced users can go through the quarantined files and make sure there are no false positives before hitting the Delete button. But most users will just want to trust their antivirus software — if it’s been flagged as malware by a program like Intego, chances are you don’t want it on your Mac.
After you’ve removed all of the compromised files from your system, it’s a good idea to restart your computer.
After you restart your device, run a second full disk scan to ensure your antivirus has removed all traces of the Yahoo redirect virus infection. This may not take as long during the second scan — many antiviruses remember which files they have already scanned and are able to analyze your disk much more rapidly after the first full disk scan.
As before, be sure to let your antivirus finish its second scan. Once the scan is finished, and you’ve reviewed and deleted all of the compromised files in your quarantine, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Your device is 100% malware-free! For now…
Even though you’ve finished removing the Yahoo redirect virus, there are still thousands of malware files out there that can infect your devices, compromise your online accounts, and spread through your Wi-Fi network.
Step 3. Keep Your Device from Getting Re-Infected
Since the Yahoo redirect virus has infected you once already, you’ve witnessed first-hand just how easy it is to get malware on your Mac.
New malware is released every day, and there’s also the risk of online data harvesting, identity theft, and public Wi-Fi hackers.
In today’s online world, how can you keep your devices and data safe? There are several things you can do:
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Keep Your Software, macOS, and Drivers Up-To-Date
When developers find vulnerabilities in their software that are being exploited by hackers, they patch those vulnerabilities and send the patches to users in the form of software updates.
Software updates can be annoying, but they are essential to keeping your computer safe from the latest malware threats.
However, with the amount of devices, apps, and programs that most users are running these days, it can be really hard to keep track of which programs need to be updated. So, be sure to utilize Apple’s Software Update app to install updates for Mac, Safari, and apps downloaded from the official App Store.
You can do this by:
- Opening the “Apple Menu” and clicking on “System Preferences”.
- Click “Software Update” and wait while the app scans your device.
- Click “Update Now” to update every out-of-date app on your Mac.
It’s incredibly important that you stay on the latest version of macOS and keep your drivers updated.
When macOS is updated, vulnerabilities won’t always be fixed on previous versions of the OS. This means that older versions grow more and more vulnerable every day as hackers continue to develop tools to infiltrate them.
Aside from Apple’s Software Update, most Mac apps have an auto-update option. Wherever possible, select this option to make sure you’re keeping all of your devices and system drivers up-to-date.
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Don’t Download Suspicious Files
Whether it’s from an email or a suspicious website, don’t download files unless you’re 100% sure you recognize where they’re coming from. The vast majority of malware is delivered with seemingly legitimate free apps or it’s attached to deceptive emails — if you don’t put malware on your computer, it’s very hard to get infected.
Your antivirus can help with this by scanning emails and tagging suspicious files, plus scanning all app downloads before they can make changes on your computer. However, it’s still best to exercise common sense and avoid files from unknown sources. Try to only download apps from the official Apple app store.
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Secure Your Wireless Network
Make sure your wireless network is secure before you go online. You can do this by using a firewall, but you should also ensure your home Wi-Fi connection is password-protected, too.
You can see if a connection is password-protected by looking in your network list — the ones that aren’t password-protected don’t have a padlock next to them.
Unsecured networks are far more vulnerable since anyone can connect to them, but hackers can infiltrate a secured network, too.
Most people don’t think to set their Wi-Fi router’s password, and the default router password ends up being something like “password”. This is a very easy password to guess, and hackers guess these weak passwords and break into “password-protected” networks all the time.
To set a password for your home router, you will need to log into your router’s settings on a web browser and follow the instructions provided. When you purchased your router, you should have received instructions explaining how to do this. If not, try typing the router’s model number into Google.
Quick Tip: A safe password should be at least 15 characters long and use a random mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. You can use a password manager such as Dashlane to store all of your passwords, so you won’t have to worry about remembering your router’s password.
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Download a Secure Antivirus Program
There are a ton of antivirus packages on the market. However, there are only a few that are truly excellent, providing all of the security protections that you need to stay safe online. You can check out 2021’s best antivirus packages for Macs here.
I really like Intego — it’s a premium Mac antivirus suite with one of the best macOS anti-malware engines, along with a ton of useful security protections. Intego’s antivirus scanner uses artificial intelligence, advanced heuristics, and a massive malware database to keep malware off of your device.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Yahoo Redirect Virus
🤔 What is the Yahoo redirect virus?
The Yahoo redirect virus is a payload dropped into your web browser from malware hidden somewhere on your Mac device.
When you perform a web search in Safari, Chrome, Opera, or whatever web browser you’re using, your search results will be redirected to Yahoo! no matter what your web browser settings are set to. This happens because an unwanted app is running in the background of your Mac and overriding your web browser’s settings.
If your Mac is infected with the Yahoo redirect virus, follow the above removal steps.
🤔 How do I fix Yahoo Redirect?
The surest way of fixing Yahoo redirect is by using macOS antivirus software, such as Intego.
Inego can:
- Keep you safe from all types of infections putting your Mac at risk.
- Improve your online privacy through a secure VPN.
- Protect you from web-based attacks through a firewall.
Follow our three simple steps above to learn how to remove the virus.
Once you’ve followed these steps, you may have to change your default search engine.
To do this in Safari, you can follow these simple steps.
- In the web browser, click Safari, and click Preferences.
- Click on the Search tab.
- Click the Search Engine drop-down list and pick your desired search engine.
🤔 Is ‘Search Powered by Yahoo’ a virus?
If you see ‘Search Powered by Yahoo’ in your browser’s search bar, chances are you have a potentially unwanted app on your Mac overriding your browser’s search settings.
It’s best to treat your Mac as if you have the above redirect virus and follow the above steps to remove it.
Hint: By default, your browser’s web address bar should say “search or enter website name.”
You can install Intego to remove all traces of the Yahoo redirect or ‘Search Powered by Yahoo’ virus.
The Top Mac Antiviruses of 2021:
Source: https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/remove-yahoo-redirect-virus-for-mac/
