How to Remove Pirrit Adware from Mac

George Herman

IT Security Expert

Get a FREE scan to check for problems

Some infections like this 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.

Go to Spyhunter.com

SpyHunter Anti-Malware FREE 15-day trial available.

What is Pirrit Adware

Pirrit is categorized as a nasty adware infection. It was first detected on Windows systems back in 2014, but now the malicious software has a Mac version that has more dangerous features to it. As a typical adware, the parasite’s goal is to display as many intrusive advertisements as possible on the victim’s Mac. But that’s not the only thing Pirrit is programmed to do. This pest may try to collect all kinds of data from the infected device, as well as redirect the user to unreliable and potentially infected third-party websites.

How it is distributed

The main distribution method is the official website of the online marketing company TargetingEdge. The only information available about the advertising company is on their website:

“TargetingEdge is related to two other companies, TLV Media, which makes an ad targeting and ad monetization platform, and Feature Forward, which sells a video platform. According to LinkedIn, all three companies have the same board of directors and the executive who created the OSX.Pirrit variant previously worked for TLV Media.”

In a report by Cybereason security analyst Amit Serper, the company is said to be associated with malicious activity for quite some time.

Apart from this site, you can also get your Mac infected with this adware through software bundles. Usually what happens is that the user downloads software from the internet that contains unwanted programs in the form of freebies or hidden additional content. Often, such software is widely overlooked due to user’s carelessness and negligence. Make sure that you download verified software that come from official and trust-worthy companies that you are familiar with.

How it operates

As we already mentioned, this Pirrit adware for Mac devices is reported to be even more dangerous than the version for Windows. Among the usual adware traits like ad attacks, shady redirects and the intrusion of banners, fake alert messages, etc. on your screen, this malicious threat may also be capable of completely breaching your privacy. The parasite can reveal traits that are very unlike a typical adware. They include but are not limited to collecting passwords, web browser data, credit card and bank details. What’s worse, you may even get spied on through your web camera and microphone. The Pirrit adware is also capable of taking screenshots without your knowledge. If you don’t want your personal information to fall into the hands of shady third-parties, we suggest that you immediately remove Pirrit adware from your Mac. In this article you can find instructions on how to manually remove this parasite.

Staying safe from Pirrit 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 Pirrit Adware from Mac

If you’ve had the misfortune of getting your Mac infected with the Pirrit 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 Pirrit. 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 Pirrit 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.