Uninstall MatchKnowledge “Virus” (Mac Guide)

MatchKnowledge “Virus” in details

One of the most annoying things that can happen to your web browser is for an adware application to get installed in it like Top Results “Virus”. The consequences of that would typically include some form of ads generation on your screen throughout the duration of your browsing sessions and while this may not sound like a lot, if you have come to this post because you already have an adware inside your browser, then you likely know just how unpleasant this could be. Different banners, pop-ups, pop-unders, box messages and fake notifications are likely to swarm the screen of whatever browser you are using at the moment (most adware applications are compatible with popular browsing programs like Chrome, Safari and Firefox). In addition, it is possible that while you are on the Internet looking for something, you may get redirected to pages that are further trying to flood your screen with ads and maybe sell you some items or software that you probably don’t want or need. However, many of the adware-generated ads may be presented in misleading ways and if you aren’t an experienced user (or even if you are), you may get tricked into purchasing products you don’t really need or ones that are of low quality. Of course, there are no guarantees that all ads presented by the adware would be like that but the very fact that this happening is a real possibility should be more than enough of a reason for you to make sure to eliminate any ad-generating software from your machine as soon as its presence there becomes apparent. Below, you will see instructions on how one can manually remove the MatchKnowledge adware (a new and particularly annoying adware component) from their browser. If you think you have MatchKnowledge “Virus” in your machine and it is making your browsing unpleasant and irritating, waste no time and try out the uninstallation guide that follows.

Is MatchKnowledge “Virus” Dangerous?

Although the representatives of the adware software category are mostly legal apps that lack the ability to cause harm to the systems they get installed in, it is important for us to point out that you are not supposed to trust any adware that you may have inside your computer. Even if apps like MatchKnowledge are different from Trojans, viruses, Spyware and Ransomware, they are still programmed to spam your browser with ads without your direct permission. Furthermore, you won’t typically control over the contents that get displayed on your screen by MatchKnowledge. This technically means that it is possible that some of the ads may originate from shady and hazardous sources. Clicking on such an ad can, then, result in the exposure of your computer to all sorts of threats – we already mentioned some of them like Ransomware and Trojan Horses but there are also many other infections that could also get distributed via the use of misleading advertising content which is yet another good reason why removing the adware right away is the preferable course of action.

SUMMARY:

Uninstall MatchKnowledge “Virus”

Step 1: Closing Safari (or any other browser that you may be using at the moment)

First, you will need to close your browser if it is still open. If you can’t do that normally, you will need to Force Quit it:

Open the Apple Menu and select Force Quit to do that. You can also use the ⌘ key + Option Key combination to open the Force Quit Applications dialog box. In this box, select the Safari browser (or whatever browser you are using) and then click on the Quit button. Confirm the action by selecting Force Quit again.

Step 2: Killing suspicious processes

Open Finder and go to Applications > Utilities and then open Activity Monitor. Now take a careful look at the processes there – look for any that seem suspicious, unknown and questionable. If you think that a given process may be the culprit behind the issue or may at least be related to it, highlight it with the mouse and select the i option at its top.

In the box that opens, click on Sample.

Scan the sample files with the online scanner we have on this page and if any of them get flagged as malicious, delete them and then kill their processes.

Step 3: Safely launching the browser

Hold the Shift from your keyboard and then launch Safari – holding Shift will prevent any previously opened pages to load again, just in case any of them were related to the problem.

If any problematic pages still load after you safe-launch the browser, then do the following:

Force-Quit the browser (Safari) again and then turn off your Wi-Fi connection by clicking on the Wi-Fi off option from the Mac Menu. If you are using cable Internet, simply disconnect the cable from your Mac.

Step 4: Uninstalling suspicious extensions

After you safe-launch Safari and are sure none of the previously opened pages load now, go to Preferences > Extensions.

Select and uninstall (by clicking on the Uninstall button) all extensions there that are unfamiliar to you or that you think may be suspicious. If you are not sure about a certain extension, it’s better to uninstall it – no extension is required for the normal functioning of the browser.

Step 5: Cleaning Safari

If you have other browsers aside from Safari, do the following:

In Safari, open Preferences from the browser’s menu and go to Privacy.

Select Remove All Website Data and then Remove Now. Note that this will delete all stored site data including any saved passwords and usernames. In other words, you will have to manually log-in to every site where you have a registration so make sure you remember your usernames and passwords.

Back in Preferences, click on General and see what your Safari’s homepage is. If it has been changed without your permission, change it back to what it used to be or to whatever you like it to be now.

Now go to the History menu and select the Clear History option.

Do the same to all other browsers you may have in your computer – here are examples with Chrome and Firefox.

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Cleaning Chrome

Open Chrome and open its main menu, then go to More Tools > Extensions. Click on the Remove button next to all of the extensions that you do not trust.

Next, from the main menu, go to Settings and type Manage Search Engines in the search bar. Open the result that shows up and then delete all search engines other than the one you normally use by clicking on the three-dot icon next to the other ones and selecting Remove from list.

Back in Settings, type Reset and clean up and open the option that shows up (Restore settings to their original defaults). Confirm by selecting Reset Settings.

Cleaning Firefox

Open Firefox and then open its main menu. Go to Add-ons and open the Extensions menu from the left. Look at the extensions and Remove the ones you do not trust.

Next, open the menu again, go to Help > Troubleshooting information and in the page that opens, select Refresh Firefox and then confirm the action in the window that opens.