Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) is a browser hijacker targeting Mac computers
Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) browser hijacker is also referred to as a redirect virus, and is generally a Mac infection. Generally, hijackers aren’t harmful infections because their main goal isn’t to cause harm. It isn’t benign, however, since its prime intent is to generate traffic and revenue by leading you to questionable pages. While hijackers install sneakily, they become immediately noticeable after. You will note your browser acting in a weird way, such as redirects to random websites, search results with sponsored content mixed in, etc. Users will not necessarily see unusual browser behaviour as a symptom of a hijacker, however, if they aren’t aware of what it is. Googling the symptoms or the web page users are redirected to usually helps make everything obvious.
Your browser’s settings will be modified unauthorized as well, in addition to the redirects. Your browser will have another homepage/new tabs, and it might be difficult to undo what’s been modified. Making modifications to your browser’s settings allows hijackers to redirect you.
Hijackers don’t just install without needing your consent because they aren’t malware or viruses, even if they are often considered as such. It commonly occurs accidentally to users, but they install the hijackers themselves. Pests like hijackers, adware and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) come as added items attached to free software, and when users install said freeware, they end up installing the attached items as well. The next section of the article will explain how you could stop these unwanted installations.
Even if the hijacker quite a minor infection, you should eliminate Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac). In addition to disrupting your normal browsing, the hijacker will likely expose you to malicious software, scams and other content that may cause harm to your computer.
How are hijackers distributed
Browser hijackers install with freeware, as we have said above. Adding hijackers and other akin threats to free software is referred to as bundling programs. Initially, the offers are hidden and are preselected to install by default, which means it’s necessary for users to manually stop it from installing together with the freeware. These unwanted installations are not difficult to prevent, however, if you are not rushing the freeware installation.
When you are installing freeware, picking Advanced (Custom) settings is essential. The extra offers won’t be made visible in Default mode. Advanced will give you the option of deselecting everything, in addition to making all offers visible. These unwanted installations are preventable by simply unchecking the the boxes of those offers. It can take a long time to eliminate already installed programs, compared to the minimal time it takes to block their installation initially. By paying attention to how you install applications, you’ll be preventing a lot of junk from getting into your device.
What does the hijacker do
After they install, redirect viruses start to redirect you to odd websites whether you’re using Safari, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, which helps immediately see that an infection is present. The page the hijacker’s promoting will become your homepage and new tabs, and whenever your browser is launched, that is the website you will see. The browser will also have another search engine. If you search via your browser address bar, you will be redirected to the site promoted by the hijacker and shown search results that have been modified. You will rather quickly notice that search results have been altered as they will contain sponsored content. Because the hijacker’s primary purpose is generating traffic and revenue, users are redirected to those sponsored sites. Redirects to unknown, potentially dangerous sites is both annoying and potentially harmful for the computer. As long as the redirect virus remains installed, it isn’t advised to interact with any sponsored or advertisement content. The site the hijacker will redirect you to won’t be reviewed, so you may end up on an unsecure one. Those pages may be advertising scams or hosting malicious software. Keeping a hijacker installed is a bad idea, even if they aren’t directly harmful to the computer.
We should also note that browser hijackers have a tendency to snoop on users, and compile various data related their searches, visited pages, IP address and more. Unknown third-parties may later access that information, and it’s doubtful you want that.
If you are still wondering whether the hijacker is a threat, it installed on your Mac without requiring explicit permission, changed your browser’s settings, and wants to lead you to sponsored web pages which may be hosting malicious content. While the infection isn’t the most serious one, Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) removal is necessary.
How to remove Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from your Mac computer
We’d highly recommend using spyware removal programs to uninstall Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) because that’s the simplest way. Using anti-spyware software to delete infections is easier since the software takes care of everything and ensures the infection is no longer present. Manual Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) deletion isn’t too complex either, if you understand what you are doing and make sure to delete all hijacker files. After you remove Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) there shouldn’t be any problems with restoring your browser’s settings.
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Quick Menu
Step 1. Uninstall Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) and related programs.
Remove Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from Windows 8
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel choose Programs and Features and select to Uninstall a software.
Uninstall Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from Windows 7
Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features → Uninstall a program.
Delete Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from Windows XP
Click Start → Settings → Control Panel. Locate and click → Add or Remove Programs.
Remove Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from Mac OS X
Click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Select applications folder and look for Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) or any other suspicious software. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash, then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
Step 2. Delete Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from your browsers
Terminate the unwanted extensions from Internet Explorer
- Tap the Gear icon and go to Manage Add-ons.
- Pick Toolbars and Extensions and eliminate all suspicious entries (other than Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle or Adobe)
- Leave the window.
Change Internet Explorer homepage if it was changed by virus:
- Tap the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of your browser and click Internet Options.
- In General Tab remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Press Apply to save changes.
Reset your browser
- Click the Gear icon and move to Internet Options.
- Open the Advanced tab and press Reset.
- Choose Delete personal settings and pick Reset one more time.
- Tap Close and leave your browser.
- If you were unable to reset your browsers, employ a reputable anti-malware and scan your entire computer with it.
Erase Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from Google Chrome
- Access menu (top right corner of the window) and pick Settings.
- Choose Extensions.
- Eliminate the suspicious extensions from the list by clicking the Trash bin next to them.
- If you are unsure which extensions to remove, you can disable them temporarily.
Reset Google Chrome homepage and default search engine if it was hijacker by virus
- Press on menu icon and click Settings.
- Look for the “Open a specific page” or “Set Pages” under “On start up” option and click on Set pages.
- In another window remove malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
- Under the Search section choose Manage Search engines. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search websites. You should leave only Google or your preferred search name.
Reset your browser
- If the browser still does not work the way you prefer, you can reset its settings.
- Open menu and navigate to Settings.
- Press Reset button at the end of the page.
- Tap Reset button one more time in the confirmation box.
- If you cannot reset the settings, purchase a legitimate anti-malware and scan your PC.
Remove Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from Mozilla Firefox
- In the top right corner of the screen, press menu and choose Add-ons (or tap Ctrl+Shift+A simultaneously).
- Move to Extensions and Add-ons list and uninstall all suspicious and unknown entries.
Change Mozilla Firefox homepage if it was changed by virus:
- Tap on the menu (top right corner), choose Options.
- On General tab delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
- Press OK to save these changes.
Reset your browser
- Open the menu and tap Help button.
- Select Troubleshooting Information.
- Press Refresh Firefox.
- In the confirmation box, click Refresh Firefox once more.
- If you are unable to reset Mozilla Firefox, scan your entire computer with a trustworthy anti-malware.
Uninstall Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) from Safari (Mac OS X)
- Access the menu.
- Pick Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions Tab.
- Tap the Uninstall button next to the undesirable Silver Sparrow Malware (Mac) and get rid of all the other unknown entries as well. If you are unsure whether the extension is reliable or not, simply uncheck the Enable box in order to disable it temporarily.
- Restart Safari.
Reset your browser
- Tap the menu icon and choose Reset Safari.
- Pick the options which you want to reset (often all of them are preselected) and press Reset.
- If you cannot reset the browser, scan your whole PC with an authentic malware removal software.
Site Disclaimer
2-remove-virus.com is not sponsored, owned, affiliated, or linked to malware developers or distributors that are referenced in this article. The article does not promote or endorse any type of malware. We aim at providing useful information that will help computer users to detect and eliminate the unwanted malicious programs from their computers. This can be done manually by following the instructions presented in the article or automatically by implementing the suggested anti-malware tools.
The article is only meant to be used for educational purposes. If you follow the instructions given in the article, you agree to be contracted by the disclaimer. We do not guarantee that the artcile will present you with a solution that removes the malign threats completely. Malware changes constantly, which is why, in some cases, it may be difficult to clean the computer fully by using only the manual removal instructions.