How to Remove MacWizz Adware from Mac

George Herman

IT Security Expert

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What is MacWizz

MacWizz is an adware-related program, created with the sole purpose of gaining access to the victim’s browser, where it will perform specific modifications and produce numerous intrusive advertisements. It is also programmed to collect data from the infected browsers and send it to its creators.

How it is distributed

Adware is most commonly distributed via fake updates, freeware, torrent files, infected ads and spam emails. Often, users install software on their computer without paying close attention to the installation process. Malicious software can be seen disguised as ‘additional programs’, and if the user is rushing into finishing the installation, the malware can be missed. That’s why it’s important to read thoroughly any Terms and Conditions available in the install setup, and uncheck the boxes next to them, if any bonus programs are available. Also, don’t fall for the ‘Your computer has been infected by a virus‘ messages that pop-up during your online browsing. No site can determine if your device has been infected or not. Only AV software can do that. Often, such fake alerts aim to trick you into downloading shady apps that can cause harm to your mac and personal data stored on it.

How it operates

After a successful adware infiltration, the following symptoms occur – annoying ad attacks, pop-up messages that interrupt your browsing, as well as slow internet connection, lagging and even browser unresponsiveness as a whole. Every page you visit will be covered with all types of alluring exclusive offers, one-time-only deals, or personalized coupons. If they sound too good to be true, they most likely are fake. Parasite programs like MacWizz are capable of using your browser data – web history, search queries, etc. – so it can provide targeted advertisements that you’ll be more attracted to. For each click you make on such content, the cyber criminals behind the adware will get paid. Even if you try to avoid such adverts, the parasite will just change its strategy and will flood you will all sorts of alert messages, so you start panicking and click on the pop-ups without carelessly.

Staying safe from MacWizz Adware

Apart from having a reliable AV software installed on your Mac, there are other things you can do to ensure your device’s safety. We highly recommend you to:

• Pay close attention when you install third-party software, especially torrent files, so you don’t install shady additional applications that you don’t want. In most cases, that’s how malicious parasites are able to infect your computer;

• Read any Terms and Conditions you see, so you know exactly what you agree to. The last thing you want is to unknowingly give permission to a nasty virus to infiltrate your Mac;

• Follow links that lead to trustworthy sites only;

• It is best to visit only reliable and official websites. You never know what dangers might lurk behind an unfamiliar site;

• No matter how attractive an ad is, if you are not familiar with the website it redirects to, it might be best to steer clear of it and not click;

• Always check the sender’s email address before opening a message. If it states that it’s from an official company, compare the email with the one given in their official page. If there is no match, delete the message, since it most likely is fake and has malicious aims.

• Don’t open email attachments from unknown senders. More often than not, such files carry infections that can seriously damage your computer.

How to manually remove MacWizz Adware from Mac

If you’ve had the misfortune of getting your Mac infected with the MacWizz adware, the instructions below can help you to remove it manually. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to Utilities. You can do that by using the ⇧+⌘+U key combination, or going to Finder and choosing Utilities from the Go main menu at the top.

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it.

3. A list will be displayed. Find any processes that seem suspicious to you and use the ‘Force Quit‘ option to quit them completely.

4. Open Finder. Click on the Go button from the main menu at the top, and choose Applications. An alternative way is to use the ⇧+⌘+A key combination.

5. Look for any suspicious applications, especially ones with a name similar to MacWizz. If any are found, right-click on them and select the ‘Move to Trash‘ option.

6. Remove any related left-over files by going to Finder‘s search bar and typing the name of the app you want to remove. Make sure to modify the two drop down menus above to ‘System Files‘ and ‘Are Included‘, so that any hidden files are visible for you to remove. Once you find the files you want to remove, simply drag them to Trash.

7. All that’s left for you to do is remove any related extensions to MacWizz from your Mac browsers.

• For Mozilla Firefox extensions:

  – Open the Firefox browser and from the ‘burger’ menu in the top right corner of the window select ‘Add-ons‘.

  – Select any suspicious extensions that may be related to the virus and click ‘Remove‘.

• For Google Chrome extensions:

  – Open the Chrome browser and select Tools > Extensions from the menu (the three dots in the top right corner of the browser window).

  – Locate any suspicious extensions that may be related to the virus and remove them.

• For Safari extensions:

  – Open the Safari browser. From the Safari menu choose Preferences. Select Extensions from the options at the top.

  – Find any extensions you think are related to the virus, select them and click ‘Uninstall‘. A new window will show up asking for confirmation. Click Uninstall again, for the extension to get deleted permanently from your browser.