CommonBrowser Adware - How to remove

CommonBrowser is a malicious app that affects macOS devices. It affects web browsers by redirecting searches and filling the screen with ads. To get a Mac infected with CommonBrowser, one has to download an infected installer or a fake software update. Such files are promoted on malicious websites and advertised deceptively with fake warnings and fake update reminders. To delete CommonBrowser, its files and settings need to be deleted, otherwise it might come back.

About CommonBrowser:

Classification	Browser hijacker, adware, trojan.
Advertising	CommonBrowser changes web browser behavior to force certain websites to open, this results in a lot more ads being displayed on your screen and in some unwanted redirects.
How CommonBrowser got installed	Malicious ads with fake update and security warnings that download infected installers, free apps that bundle adware.
Removing CommonBrowser	Find and delete CommonBrowser and associated files manually or with an anti-malware program, such as Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, or others, check and fix the settings that CommonBrowser modified.

How CommonBrowser works

Persistent malware

CommonBrowser is an app and it likely uses an icon with a green/blue circle and a white magnifying glass. This app starts on its own, usually just as you open your browser. CommonBrowser also exists as a browser extension – one that as access to your data on all the websites that you visit. Trying to remove this malware doesn’t work as it returns the next time you boot your Mac.

You might encounter even worse issues – CommonBrowser might make online apps, including the browser, email, and others freeze. Some users might see their internet sow down or even lose connection at times. These things happen because of CommonBrowser attempting to hijack your internet traffic.

Adware

CommonBrowser uses its access to inject advertisements into the webpages that your browser displays. It can also replace links with its own. So, CommonBrowser shows its own ads. Ads distributed by adware infections tend to be dangerous and can result in more malware infections (like Total AV), tech support scams (the Zeus scam), various get-rich-quick schemes, unregulated medicines, browser hijackers, and other unwanted webpages interrupting your work to show up on your screen.

Not to mention the search hijacking. If your browser started going to Yahoo, SearchBaron, SearchMarquis, or some other site to deliver your search results, that is also caused by CommonBrowser interfering with your browser settings. The ads in these search results are also dubious and just too many.

How adware spreads

Malicious ads on infected sites are most likely responsible for bringing CommonBrowser to people’s Macs.

Nobody downloads and installs the CommonBrowser adware intentionally but deceptive sites trick them into it. For example, some websites get infected by cybercriminals with code that redirects every other visitor to a malicious site. This malicious site then shows some kind of a warning:

• A warning that you need to install Flash Player or to update it.
• A pop-up saying that your software update is available.
• A message from your browser that the required font is missing.
• an alert about a virus or malware infection.

These fake websites have an installer or an update available for download that, in reality, is a malicious file full of adware like CommonBrowser. This deception is what makes CommonBrowser a trojan.

CommonBrowser might also be hidden in the installers of various free apps that are uploaded on freeware sites. It happens often enough – something looks like an installer for a single app but turns out that it installs three or so browser hijackers. This is sometimes called bundling.

How to remove CommonBrowser

The reason that CommonBrowser is so difficult to remove is that its files and settings are hidden in the /Library/Application Support, /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons folders (and the ~ variants). And some of them are difficult to recognize.

I recommend using safe mode (hold the Shift key on your keyboard while booting your Mac) and an anti-malware app, such as Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, or others. Scan your Mac and find and remove CommonBrowser and other malicious files.

You can still remove CommonBrowser and other malware manually, it’s just more time consuming and complicated to find and recognize which files are safe and which aren’t. And if you delete all of them, you’ll also remove some of the settings and data used by your legitimate apps, which can be very disruptive.

Also, check your system settings. Open System Preferences:

• If there’s an item for Profiles, click on it and then select and delete all the configuration profiles that you did not set up. CommonBrowser probably created a couple of profiles to manage your web browsers.
• Open Network, Advanced, Proxies. If a proxy is turned on and if you didn’t turn it on, uncheck it and save. If CommonBrowser was completely removed, then this setting should not turn on again.

Finally, check your browsers for CommonBrowser and other unwanted extensions – instructions below.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Restore browser settings

How to remove CommonBrowser Adware from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall CommonBrowser Adware and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to CommonBrowser Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopHow to remove CommonBrowser Adware from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find CommonBrowser Adware on the extensions list and click on the recycle bin icon next to it.
• Click on 'Chrome' button at the top left corner. Select 'Preferences' on a drop-down menu box.
• Find 'Search' options on Settings tab. If your search engine is changed, click 'Manage Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• On the same page find 'Show home button' checkbox and change your homepage.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to CommonBrowser Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• On the 'Preferences' menu window, scroll down to the bottom and find 'Reset settings' button. Click it.
• Confirm your selection and click 'Reset' on the following window.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program. Top

How To remove CommonBrowser Adware from Firefox on Mac OS:

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press cmd+Shift+A on your keyboard).
• Go through Extensions list, remove everything CommonBrowser Adware related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
• Enter “about:preferences” in URL bar and hit enter.
• Open Search settings tab.
• If your search engine is changed, click 'Default Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Preferences-> General. Enter a preferable URL to the home page field.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to CommonBrowser Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.