How to remove the Search Marquis virus on Mac

Tired of seeing Search Marquis hijack your Firefox or Safari search engine on your Mac? You’re likely dealing with the Search Marquis virus. This annoying browser hijacker not only alters your browser settings but also reroutes your searches through its own scam engine.

Don’t panic, though. We’ve got a rock-solid guide to help you remove the Search Marquis virus in just a few easy steps.

What is the Search Marquis malware?

Search Marquis, on its own, is a harmless search engine like Google. However, a Search Marquis malware infection is slightly different and is known as a browser hijacker – that is, it hijacks macOS browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox and switches your default search engine to Search Marquis without your consent.

The search Marquis malware works by infecting your system and tampers with your browser settings, configuring a redirect that constantly sends you to searchmarquis.com. If you accidentally click any other banner ad, pop-up, or website where Search Marquis is disguised, it could lead to further infections.

Hint: Intego VirusBarrier X9 is the best way to remove the Search Marquis Malware.

How to Recognize a Search Marquis Infection on Your Mac

Unlike typical malware that slows down your system or installs random apps, Search Marquis has its own set of sneaky behaviors. Here’s how you can spot if you’ve fallen victim to this malware:

1. Ad Overload: Notice a sudden spike in pop-up ads on your Mac or more banner ads than usual on websites? That’s a red flag.
2. Search Engine Swap: If your go-to search engine, like Google, suddenly changes to searchmarquis.com, you’re definitely infected.
3. Shady Redirects: Visiting a legit website only to find yourself on a counterfeit version? These redirects often lead to phishing sites aiming to snatch your personal info for financial gain.
4. Unwanted Extensions: If your browser starts sporting extensions or add-ons you never installed, that’s Search Marquis at work.

How to remove Search Marquis malware from your Mac

Removing the Search Marquis virus from your Mac isn’t too complicated. The process consists of two parts, with the first requiring you to manually remove the virus from your Mac, although we’d recommend using Intego VirusBarrier X9 to do this automatically.

Part two involves the removal of leftover files that have been tucked in the backend of your web browser.

Remove the Search Marquis virus using an antivirus

Here’s how to remove the Search Marquis virus from your Mac using an antivirus:

1. Choose an antivirus provider with Mac support. We’d recommend Intego Virus Barrier X9.
2. Download and install the software for your Mac.
3. Run a full scan of your system.
4. Select from the options provided to remove the Search Marquis virus.

Clean Search Marquis virus files manually

This process involves manually removing all files that a Search Marquis infection creates when it infiltrates your system. Follow each step below to wipe all traces of the virus from your macOS file system.

1. Locate and stop any processes you don’t recognize: navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor. Click any suspicious processes and click the Stop option to force close it.

2. Remove any login items you don’t recognize: Click the system preferences icon in your dock, then select Users & Groups > Login items. Click the padlock in the bottom-right corner to make changes (you’ll need to enter your admin password). If you see unrecognized login entries, select them and then press the minus button to delete them.

3. Find and delete any .dmg files you never downloaded: Open Finder > downloads and click and delete any files you don’t recognize. While in the folder, enter the path /Library/LaunchAgents and delete any files you cannot identify here. Perform the same steps in the following directories: /Library/Application Support and /Library/LaunchDaemons.

4. Delete any suspicious applications: Navigate to Finder > Applications and click and move any apps you never installed to the bin to delete them.

Remove the Search Marquis virus from Safari

Even after removing files related to Search Marquis from your device, it still leaves traces of the infection in your web browser. The steps below explain how to clear Search marquis from a Safari browser.

1. Remove any extensions you don’t recognize: Open Safari and click the Safari menu item> Preferences. Click the Extensions tab and find any suspicious extensions. Select one and click Uninstall.

On the prompt that appears, click Show in Finder. Right-click the extension and select Move to Bin to delete it.

5. Clear your browser cache: Open Safari and click the Develop tab in the top menu > Empty Caches.
6. Click the Develop menu again and select Clear History. Select All History in the dropdown, followed by the Clear History button.
7. Finally, click Safari from the top menu, then navigate to Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data > Remove All. This will delete any tracking cookies stored by your browser.
8. 8. Quit Safari and reopen.

How to protect your devices from malware

Now that we’ve wiped all traces of the frustrating Search Marquis malware from your Mac, you’ll want to avoid the same thing happening in the future with similar threats. To get cyber-savvy, I’d recommend the following best practices to keep your system safe from viruses and other cybersecurity threats:

• Use an antivirus: the most effective way to prevent malware from infecting your device is by using an antivirus like Intego Washing Machine Secure X9 that uses real-time protection. This ensures threats are identified the moment they try to infect your system.
• Ensure your operating system is up to date: Outdated operating systems can leave your system vulnerable to malware and other cyberattacks. Set automatic updates or keep an eye on your OS provider’s website for the latest patches.
• Avoid clicking suspicious ads: Most banner ads and pop-ups are legit, but cybercriminals can hide malware behind ads that infect your system when you interact with them.
• Stay away from dangerous websites: Websites that don’t use a secure connection or look suspicious should be avoided at all costs to minimize the risk of a malware infection.
• Never open email attachments or links from unknown senders: If you don’t recognize the sender of an email that has an attachment or link, avoid opening it. Email attachments can contain malware, which can easily infect your system once opened.

Conclusion

If you’ve followed our guide to this point, you should be running a Mac free from the Search Marquis Virus, having removed any harmful files from your file system and traces of the virus in your browser.

The simplest way to remove the Search Marquis virus is using one of our recommended antiviruses for Macs. Our top pick to remove the malware is Intego Washing Machine Secure X9.

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