How to Get Rid of MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] Completely

George Herman
George Herman
IT Security Expert

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Some infections like this MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] virus can regenerate themselves. There is no better way to detect, remediate and prevent malware infection, than to use a professional anti-malware software like SpyHunter. One Application that is capable of solving all MAC problems.

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What Is MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] Mac Virus?

remove macos:pirrit-da pup

 

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] is a macOS malware family that was first seen in 2016. and remained relatively active throughout 2017 but had all but disappeared until November 2021. Since then, Pirrit has seen a new burst of activity. In this instance, a new variant called MacOS:Pirrit-DA was found on a system without any external download. We have seen several variations of this malware family since its original appearance, and it has grown more sophisticated with time. In most cases, you can remove MacOS:Pirrit-DA Pirrit by simply removing all “application support” files located in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder, however this is not always the case. We have encountered situations where removing just the application support files did not remove all files related to this malware family. In those cases, a user may need to manually remove these files and folders from their system. Here are a few examples of this particular malware:

~/Library/Application Support/com.described/described
~/Library/Application Support/com.memberd/memberd
~/Library/Application Support/com.Searchie/Searchie

/private/var/folders/7d/7skpstwd7qnctfwpwp7225xw0000gn/T/tmp.kfiBqqFO
/private/var/folders/7d/7skpstwd7qnctfwpwp7225xw0000gn/T/tmp.jNuFmF0E
/private/var/folders/7d/7skpstwd7qnctfwpwp7225xw0000gn/T/Installer.bwlOVmDo

~/Library/CheckTime/CheckTime.app/Contents/MacOS/CheckTime
~/Library/SysUpdater/SysUpdater.app/Contents/MacOS/SysUpdater
~/Library/UpdateData/UpdateData.app/Contents/MacOS/UpdateData
/Library/TimeCheckDaemon/TimeCheckDaemon.app/Contents/MacOS/TimeCheckDaemon

~/Library/Application Support/com.SearchZen/SearchZen.app/Contents/MacOS/SearchZen

How Is MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] Mac Virus Distributed?

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] is a cross-platform virus by design. It is not a piece of software that is distributed through external download. It comes as “malicious code” already installed on your system when you install some applications that originated from untrusted sources. Common “untrusted sources” include websites that are not trustworthy and suspicious e-mail attachments. As a virus related to Mac OS, it is distributed as an app and can be installed when you download and install new application whose developer is unknown or has suspicious reputation. It comes pre-installed on the software that you have downloaded from third party websites, such as freeware and shareware sites.

How harmful is MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP]? 

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] is a potentially unwanted program that may have negative impacts on your system. When this application is running, it will cause your browsers to redirect all searches from your browser’s address bar through unwanted search engine which generates revenue for this application and its creators by displaying ads on these redirected search results pages. Also, when MacOS:Pirrit-DA Pirrit is installed on your system, it may install other harmful applications on your system that can cause serious issues. MacOS:Pirrit-DA can also do background activities that are not related to the main purpose of the application and may cause unexpected system performance issues.

How did I get infected?

The MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] infection can be initiated by downloading software from untrusted sources or visiting malicious websites on the web. Infected with MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] If your security software has let you down, and you have detections left and right from your antivirus, then you probably already have been infected with MacOS:Pirrit-DA.

How can I Remove MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] virus ?

Step 1: Uninstall MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] and remove related files and objects

  • Open your Finder –> Click on GO –>Click on Utilities

macos utilities

  • Find Activity Monitor and open it

activity monitor macos

  • Review all the processes in Activity Monitor and write down the ones related to MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] virus

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] stop

  • Select Quit

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] info

  • To kill the malicious process, choose the Force Quit option.

force quit MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP]

Step 2: Remove MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox

The first thing you need to do is to make sure Safari is not running. If you have troubles closing it, you may need to Force Quit Safari - (Start Activity Monitor by opening up Finder, then proceed to Application --> Utilities --> Activity monitor. Locate the Safari process and force quit it.

Safely launch Safari again by holding the Shift key and clicking on the Safari application icon - This will prevent Safari’s previously opened malicious web pages.

In case that you still are having trouble with scripts interrupting the closing of unwanted pages, please do the following:

  • Force Quit Safari again.
  • Disconnect form Internet and try again.

Then Re-Launch Safari but don’t forget to press and hold the Shift button to prevent pop-ups. Then, click on Preferences.

  • Carefully take a look at your default home page and change it if the hijacker altered it.

  • Then go to the Extensions tab and make sure there are no unknow extensions installed.

  • Next step is to click on Privacy tab

  • Manage website data

  • Here you can remove any unwanted website data or just remove them all. Please, keep in mind that after you do this all stored website data will be deleted. You will need to sign-in again for all websites that require any form of authentication.
  • The next step is to Clear History (if you want), select the tab.

  • Click the menu next to clear and choose a time period — if you want to completely reset Safari, choose all history.
  • Press Clear History
  • To remove from Chrome, open the browser and click the icon with the three dots located in the top-right.
  • Select to More Tools --> Extensions and review what Chrome Extensions are present in the browser
  • Remove the ones that you do not recognize.

bad toolbar

  • If the parasite continues to disrupt your browsing with Chrome, this is what else you can do:
    1. Click again the menu of Google Chrome, and open Settings.
    2. Select the Search Engine from the left panel, review the available search engines and change the default to your preference.default search engine
    3. Then, click on Manage Search Engines, review the list of search engine availabilities and if any of the listed items looks suspicious, click the three-dots next to them, and delete.suspicious search engine
    4. Click on Privacy and Security in the left panel, select the Clear browsing data option, check every box except the Passwords one, and click Clear Data.clear browsing data
    5. Next step is to clear Notifications, select the Site settings option in the Privacy and Security section, then locate Notifications.clear notifications
    6. Review the listed websites in the Allow to send notifications section and if any of the entries shown there seem dubious or related to the browser hijacker, select the three dots next to the object and click on Remove.
  • Start Mozilla Firefox
  • On the top right click the three dashes

  • go to add-ons and themes
  • The add-ons manager will open
  • Carefully review review four Firefox Extensions
  • If any unwanted extension is present, click on the three horizontal dots and then Remove

  • After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red dot in the top left and start it again.
To make sure MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] is removed from the browser  we recommend to scan with a reputable antimalware program like SpyHunter for Mac

Step 3: Scan for and remove MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] files from your Mac

Fix your browser settings with SpyHunter Anti-Malware

Once you download and install SpyHunter for Mac run a scan.

Once the scan is complete, your mac will be virus free.

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] malware Frequently Asked Questions:

  • How do I get rid of MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP]?

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] is a Browser hijacker – malicious software that can be installed by third-party applications or websites. They usually change the settings of web browsers and search engines to display certain ads, pop-ups, banners, etc.

  • What are the symptoms of MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] infection in your Mac?

MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] becomes your web browser’s built-in search engine.

Your browser’ s search queries are redirected through MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP].com

The “MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP]” browser extension or some shady software is installed on your Mac.

  • How do I remove MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP] from my browser?

In Internet Explorer, click the gear icon on the top left and select Manage add-ons. Under Add-on Types, select Search Providers. Select your search engine from the list of providers and click Remove to remove it. In Google Chrome, go to Settings (at the top right) and choose Search in the On Startup drop down menu.

  • How do I uninstall MacOS:Pirrit-DA [PUP]?
If you made a mistake when installing an app on your mac, the easiest way to uninstall it is by right clicking on its icon in your dock, then going to ‘move to trash’. Once it’s gone, restart your mac. If that didn’t work for you, try rebooting and looking for an icon opening up. Once you’ve found that, go to utilities/get info, then go to the ‘Applications’ tab and look for the app. Right-click it and select ‘Get Info’ and then look for the option to ‘Uninstall this Version’. If that doesn’t work, restart your mac again. If you don’t have any luck you can always use the SpyHunter free uninstall.

How to Make Your Mac Run Faster?

You might be wondering how to make your Mac run faster? It is a common misconception that the more processing power you have, the faster your computer will run. In reality, it’s actually about what’s going on in your processor and memory. For the average person using a computer for just general applications like word processing and web browsing, you don’t need much in the way of computing power.

– Use an SSD drive instead of a hard disk drive.

– Double your RAM if possible.

– Disable System Integrity Protection (SIP). (Attention! – do this only if you know the consequences.)

References:

  1. More about pop-up advertisements on Wikipedia.
  2. MacOS malware
  3. SpyHunter Anti-Malware overview and also the reasons why we recommend it for malware elimination.

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