QueueAlgorithm - How to remove

QueueAlgorithm is a malicious app that causes browser redirects and ad spam. QueueAlgorithm is adware and it infects Macs by tricking victims into downloading it by pretending to be safe and legitimate software. When deleted, QueueAlgorithm may return after a few hours or days. That happens because not all of its files were deleted – luckily, you can fix that and get rid of QueueAlgorithm for good.

About QueueAlgorithm:

Type of threat	Adware, trojan.
How QueueAlgorithm affects the Mac	Forces the browser to open dangerous sites and ads, logs data, shows pop-ups, refuses to be deleted.
How adware gets installed	Offered by fake software updates, bundled with free apps that are downloaded from unofficial sites.
How to remove QueueAlgorithm	Delete QueueAlgorithm, find malware with antivirus scanners (Combo Cleaner, others), find and delete malicious items, restore system and browser settings to how they were before the infection.

QueueAlgorithm Adware

How it affects the Mac

QueueAlgorithm is an app, a browser extension, and various settings forcing the web browser to load certain websites. It is not necessarily a single file, so deleting it can be tricky.

While it’s installed, QueueAlgorithm has some negative effects on the infected Mac:

• It makes the browser visit bad sites and show pop-up ads.
• It logs user data, such as browsing history, search queries, ads clicked, etc.
• It may download more malware in the background.

You might also notice bizarre and pointless repeating pop-ups, the online apps being slow, being unable to log in to some accounts, and similar issues. Not everyone experiences the same problems, though.

How it gets installed

Macs are pretty safe, so how does malware like QueueAlgorithm infect them?

The problem is manipulative, deceptive ads. QueueAlgorithm tricks users into installing it themselves. That’s why QueueAlgorithm may be considered a trojan (AdLoad, Shlayer, and similar).

Have you recently encountered a warning to install a new Flash Player version, a macOS update, or another important software update? Fake software updates are used very often to trick macOS users to download and install malicious apps. These warnings look incredibly realistic, too.

Or maybe you downloaded a free app and skipped the advanced/custom setup settings? Occasionally, malware may be bundled with apps as optional offers. Unreliable download sites sometimes upload installers that have shady items bundled with them.

How to remove QueueAlgorithm

Remove the extension

First of all, try to look in your browser settings for the QueueAlgorithm extension. Also, check for other unfamiliar extensions. Remove them all. Instructions are at the bottom, in the last section.

If that doesn’t work, time to take things a bit more seriously:

• Scan your Mac with an anti-malware app. Remove the files that are detected.
• Check the folders that are usually inhabited by malware. Delete suspicious files.
• Check System Preferences for suspicious settings. Undo them.

Delete suspicious files

To begin, start your Mac in safe mode: reboot and hold the Shift button until you see “Safe Boot” on the screen.

Scan your computer with an anti-malware app, such as Combo Cleaner or other apps that you are comfortable with, and look at the scan results. Remove items that are flagged as malicious. Not QueueAlgorithm, but here is an example of a similar adware app being scanned by antivirus applications: Virustotal.com.

Open Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder and type in these folder names:

• /Library/LaunchDaemons
• /Library/Application Support
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents
• ~/Library/Application Support

These folders are often used by malware to hide in. Look for suspicious files. Check their dates added. The files might not have “QueueAlgorithm” in their names. They might be named “com.PublicSignSearchDaemon.plist”, “com.FormatConnection.plist”, DivisionFormat, OperativeDesktop, InitiatorSignal, CentralLot, and others.

If you accidentally delete legitimate files, you will lose some settings that your legitimate apps use. It would be inconvenient, so, to be able to restore the files, don’t remove them from Trash for now.

Check the settings

Open System Preferences and review some settings that QueueAlgorithm may have affected:

• Profiles – open profiles, select unfamiliar items, and remove them by pressing the minus ‘-‘ button at the bottom.
• Network, Advanced, Proxies – QueueAlgorithm may have set a proxy server to spy on your traffic. If you find unfamiliar proxies selected, deselect and save.

Below are the instructions for removing extensions from web browsers. Again, QueueAlgorithm might not be the only add-on that needs to be removed.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove extensions from web browsers

TopRemoving QueueAlgorithm from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the QueueAlgorithm. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to QueueAlgorithm, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the 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.

TopRemoving QueueAlgorithm from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to QueueAlgorithm. Click on the trash bin icon next to QueueAlgorithm or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to QueueAlgorithm, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

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

TopRemoving QueueAlgorithm from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything QueueAlgorithm 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.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to QueueAlgorithm, 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 Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

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