What is Friendlysocket.com
Friendlysocket.com is known as a Mac virus which is capable of redirecting you to its own search engine and flooding your screen with tonnes of pop-up advertisements. Due to its ability to modify your web browser settings without asking for any permission, Friendlysocket.com has been classified as a browser hijacker redirect. This hijacker could change the start page and search settings for all browser applications on your Mac, thus you certainly don’t need it on your computer.
In case Friendlysocket.com enters your Mac, it can affect the start page immediately by adding a new tab page and search engine to your default web browser. In this way, the hijacker is capable of tracking your browsing activities which can seriously threaten your online security.
How is Friendlysocket.com distributed
Most often, Friendlysocket.com has been distributed via another potentially unwanted program (PUP). Actually, it is usually you who have installed it on your Mac alongside a program you have desired.
Due to the fact that the third-party applications are often bundled with other free programs, you can easily miss their presence and let them freely into your computer. This is how your personal safety gets threatened without your knowledge.
Fortunately, there is something you can do to prevent unwanted programs from accessing your Mac. Start with checking up your Advanced/Custom configuration setup step that will help you to locate and delete the PUP before it infects your computer.
What does Friendlysocket.com do
Being categorized as a browser hijacker redirect, Friendlysocket.com can make changes to your default browser settings without your permission. Once installed on your Mac, you will notice the new tab page and default search engine on your screen. Due to these changes, Friendlysocket.com is the first thing to load when you open the affected web browser.
What is important for you to know is that when present on your Mac, Friendlysocket.com is capable of collecting your browsing history and search results. As soon as the hijacker collects this data, it starts showing tonnes of targeted ads in your web browser.
To stop Friendlysocket.com from spying on your online activities and avoid the risk of malware infections, keep away from the numerous ads and remove the unwanted program from your Mac as soon as possible.
How to remove Friendlysocket.com from your Mac
To remove Friendlysocket.com and all the files associated with the hijacker, you need to follow the steps listed below. As soon as you manage to erase the unwanted program, you should install a reliable security software to keep your Mac protected at all times.
Before you start the removal process, keep in mind that the files associated with Friendlysocket.com may have different names.
Remove Friendlysocket.com manually
- Press ⇧+⌘+U keys simultaneously to open Utilities, or click on “Go” and then open “Utilities”.
- Go to Activity Monitor and double-click it.
- Check for any suspicious processes in the Activity Monitor and select “Force Quit” to quit them completely.
- Press “Go” again and select Applications.
- Check for any suspicious app names identical or similar to Friendlysocket.com and if you find any, right-click on them and select “Move to Trash”.
- Go to Accounts and click on the Login Items preference. You will see a list of items that start automatically when you log in. If you notice any suspicious apps identical or similar to Friendlysocket.com, check the ones you want to stop from running automatically and select the Minus (“–“) icon to hide them.
- Delete the left-over files that might be related to Friendlysocket.com by following the steps below:
- Go to Finder.
- Type the name of the app you want to delete in the search bar.
- Change the drop down menus above the search bar to “System Files” and “Are Included” and you will see all the files associated with the application you want to delete.
- To remove all files that are related to Friendlysocket.com, hold the ⌘+A buttons simultaneously to select them and drag them to “Trash”.
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