Weknow.ac is malware or malicious software. It is basically a program that can hurt your Mac. This particular malware is a fake search engine (www.weknow.ac). It may look innocent but we know.ac records your activity without your permission. On your computer, weknow.ac is probably installed via a fake Adobe Flash update. A fake Adobe Flash will install this. It targets Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. The way it operates is to hijack your browser settings and then to change your default search engine to https://www.weknow.ac without your participation.
If malware removal is unsuccessful, sometimes the only way to be sure your computer is free of malware is to entirely reinstall the operating system and your applications or programs from scratch. Before wiping your hard drive, backup all your files to an external drive and consult Apple support or Microsoft support before beginning the process. Have you ever experienced an issue with Malware on your Apple computer? Malware can be a frustrating problem but it is easily fixed! Watch the video to learn. How to Remove Yahoo Search from Mac. Because the malware has likely infected all of your browsers, repeat the following instructions for each browser you use. Select Preferences in the Safari.
If you have this. You definitely should remove it. This article explains how you can uninstall the weknow.ac malware.
Anyone can manually initiate a scan and remove malware with Malwarebytes for Mac without spending a penny. The Malwarebytes Premium features that will monitor your Mac for malware and spyware, prevent infections before they occur, and automatically download updates do cost money, but Malwarebytes does provide a 30-day free trial. Malware in Mac OS is not a rare scenario anymore. However, malware that targets Mac isn't as well-developed as viruses found in Windows. The downside is that the threats on Mac system are evolving and the culprits inhabiting the invisible web are progressing in terms of their capabilities to damage the OS by developing their strategies.
See also: Amazon Winner, Free Gift Card, Congratulations Scams & How To Stop Them
How to remove weknow.ac
Before we continue,
Please do not trust the Fake Adobe Flash Player installer pop-up:
Please pay special attention what you install. As you can see below, read carefully what is being installed. It is not easy to completely remove this but it is possible.
Steps:
Please follow the steps below to switch the hijacked default search engine in your browser (Chrome or Safari) back to your default search engine (e.g, Google or Bing etc):
During the steps, please note that if you see these names anywhere (MacSaver, MacVX, MacVaX, MacCaptain, MacPriceCut, SaveOnMac, Mac Global Deals or MacDeals, MacSter, MacXcoupon, Shop Brain, SShoP Brain, PalMall, MacShop, MacSmart, News Ticker Remover, Shopper Helper Pro, Photo Zoom, Best YouTube Downloader, ArcadeYum, Extended protection, Video download helper, FlashFree, GoldenBoy, Genieo, Inkeeper, InstallMac, CleanYourMac, MacKeeper, SoftwareUpdater), remove them.
See also: Critical Security Warning! Your Mac is Infected…Fix
1-Remove the weknow.ac profile. Here is how:
- On your Mac, open System Preferences (click the System Preferences icon in the dock)
- Click Profiles
- Select AdminPrefs
- Delete this profile (AdminPrefs) by pressing the minus icon.
- Now delete search engine settings:
- Chrome: chrome://settings/searchEngines
- Safari: Safari > Preferences > Search
2-Delete weknow.ac. Remove anything weknow.ac related. Remove anything suspicious apps to the Trash folder. Look for recently added apps.
- Open the Applications folder
- Delete Weknow.ac or Weknow.ac.app also look for 'MPlayerX','NicePlayer'. Look for suspicious apps.
- Empty Trash
3-Remove the weknow addon
- Safari: Safari > Preferences > Extensions > Locate the weknow.ac extension and remove it
- Google Chrome: Go to chrome://extensions/ and find the weknow.ac addon and remove it.
- Firefox: Go to about:addons and remove the addon.
4-Delete weknow files:
- Go > Go to Folder (or press Shift + Cmd + G)
- Enter /Library/LaunchAgents and click Go
- Look for suspicious files such as 'installmac.AppRemoval.plist', 'myppes.download.plist', 'mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist', 'kuklorest.update.plist'. Some other names you should look for Genieo, Inkeeper, InstallMac, CleanYourMac, MacKeeper, SoftwareUpdater, MplayerX, NicePlayer, installmac.AppRemoval.plist', 'myppes.download.plist', 'mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist', 'kuklorest.update.plist, com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist', 'com.myppes.net-preferences.plist', 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist', 'com.avickUpd.plist'. If you see any of them, drag them to the Trash folder and then empty Trash.
- And now repeat the same process on the following folders:
- /Library/Application Support
- /Library/LaunchDaemons
5-If your browser is Chrome, follow the steps below to change some Chrome policies, if you are still having the problem:
Anyone can manually initiate a scan and remove malware with Malwarebytes for Mac without spending a penny. The Malwarebytes Premium features that will monitor your Mac for malware and spyware, prevent infections before they occur, and automatically download updates do cost money, but Malwarebytes does provide a 30-day free trial. Malware in Mac OS is not a rare scenario anymore. However, malware that targets Mac isn't as well-developed as viruses found in Windows. The downside is that the threats on Mac system are evolving and the culprits inhabiting the invisible web are progressing in terms of their capabilities to damage the OS by developing their strategies.
See also: Amazon Winner, Free Gift Card, Congratulations Scams & How To Stop Them
How to remove weknow.ac
Before we continue,
Please do not trust the Fake Adobe Flash Player installer pop-up:
Please pay special attention what you install. As you can see below, read carefully what is being installed. It is not easy to completely remove this but it is possible.
Steps:
Please follow the steps below to switch the hijacked default search engine in your browser (Chrome or Safari) back to your default search engine (e.g, Google or Bing etc):
During the steps, please note that if you see these names anywhere (MacSaver, MacVX, MacVaX, MacCaptain, MacPriceCut, SaveOnMac, Mac Global Deals or MacDeals, MacSter, MacXcoupon, Shop Brain, SShoP Brain, PalMall, MacShop, MacSmart, News Ticker Remover, Shopper Helper Pro, Photo Zoom, Best YouTube Downloader, ArcadeYum, Extended protection, Video download helper, FlashFree, GoldenBoy, Genieo, Inkeeper, InstallMac, CleanYourMac, MacKeeper, SoftwareUpdater), remove them.
See also: Critical Security Warning! Your Mac is Infected…Fix
1-Remove the weknow.ac profile. Here is how:
- On your Mac, open System Preferences (click the System Preferences icon in the dock)
- Click Profiles
- Select AdminPrefs
- Delete this profile (AdminPrefs) by pressing the minus icon.
- Now delete search engine settings:
- Chrome: chrome://settings/searchEngines
- Safari: Safari > Preferences > Search
2-Delete weknow.ac. Remove anything weknow.ac related. Remove anything suspicious apps to the Trash folder. Look for recently added apps.
- Open the Applications folder
- Delete Weknow.ac or Weknow.ac.app also look for 'MPlayerX','NicePlayer'. Look for suspicious apps.
- Empty Trash
3-Remove the weknow addon
- Safari: Safari > Preferences > Extensions > Locate the weknow.ac extension and remove it
- Google Chrome: Go to chrome://extensions/ and find the weknow.ac addon and remove it.
- Firefox: Go to about:addons and remove the addon.
4-Delete weknow files:
- Go > Go to Folder (or press Shift + Cmd + G)
- Enter /Library/LaunchAgents and click Go
- Look for suspicious files such as 'installmac.AppRemoval.plist', 'myppes.download.plist', 'mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist', 'kuklorest.update.plist'. Some other names you should look for Genieo, Inkeeper, InstallMac, CleanYourMac, MacKeeper, SoftwareUpdater, MplayerX, NicePlayer, installmac.AppRemoval.plist', 'myppes.download.plist', 'mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist', 'kuklorest.update.plist, com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist', 'com.myppes.net-preferences.plist', 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist', 'com.avickUpd.plist'. If you see any of them, drag them to the Trash folder and then empty Trash.
- And now repeat the same process on the following folders:
- /Library/Application Support
- /Library/LaunchDaemons
5-If your browser is Chrome, follow the steps below to change some Chrome policies, if you are still having the problem:
- Open the Terminal app (Go > Utilities > Terminal or press Command+Space and search Terminal)
- Enter the commands below, hit Enter after each
- defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageIsNewTabPage -bool false
- defaults write com.google.Chrome NewTabPageLocation -string 'https://www.google.com/'
- defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageLocation -string 'https://www.google.com/'
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURL
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderName
- Restart Chrome
Mac Virus Removal Free
Please note that the developers behind weknow.ac are very sneaky and they will likely further develop this malware so this means that those tips may not work in near future. We will try to keep updating this posts.
You may also want to install and run MalwareBytes.
To quickly remove Yahoo Search as your default search engine on Mac, start by opening Safari and clicking on Preferences. Next, open the Extensions tab, select the Yahoo extension you want to delete, and click the Uninstall button next to the extension. After uninstalling Yahoo Search, go to the General tab and select your preferred options for the Safari browser on start-up. Then, go to the Search tab and change search settings to select your preferred search engine.
Best Free Mac Virus Removal
Although this quick method might work, it's still important to check for underlying or related issues with your Mac. Here's a complete step-by-step guide on how to get rid of Yahoo Search on Mac.
What is Yahoo Search?
The Yahoo Search application causes browsing disturbances to Mac users who use browsers such as Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
The Yahoo Search application has specific behavior—it operates as a browser hijacker, which promotes various products and services, websites, search engines, and other software tools. This application has the ability to integrate into every browser, forcing your browser to display pop-up ads, in-text links, blinking boxes, and banners.
The Yahoo Search application may also act as a redirect virus, automatically redirecting users to sponsored links, sales platforms, and web pages to generate traffic for them. Hijacking applications like Yahoo Search are usually involved in aggressive online advertising campaigns that rely on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising or sponsored ad positioning, and hijackers earn revenue for developers based on the number of clicks and redirects they receive.
For Mac users, problems often occur when the redirect virus displays frequent advertising attempts, interrupts with normal web browsing, and interferes with search results in favor of sponsored content. Consequently, the Yahoo Search engine and other redirect viruses are regarded as potentially unwanted, and most Mac users prefer to have them uninstalled.
In some cases, developers attempt to use redirect virus software as a marketing research tool and may set the software to collect browsing-related data from Mac users' browsers. For example, developers may set the hijacker to collect information about recently visited websites, search queries, IP addresses, language, location, and browsing history. Collecting search information is an invasive practice that allows developers to determine which types of content you're interested in and display ads that you're more likely to click on.
Remove Malware From My Mac
How to Remove Yahoo Search from Mac
Before removing the Yahoo Search application from your Mac, keep in mind that removing Yahoo Search manually may take hours and damage your system. Consider downloading Combo Cleaner to see if it can detect Yahoo Search files and help you avoid damaging your system.
Virus Scanner For Mac
To remove the Yahoo Search application from your Mac, start by quitting Safari (if it's opened). If you're having trouble quitting Safari, you may need to force quit. To force quit, choose Force Quit from the Apple drop-down menu. Next, start Activity Monitor by opening Finder and clicking Applications, then Utilities, then Activity Monitor.
Next, look at all the processes. If any of the processes seem to be hijacking your search results, highlight the process with your mouse and click the 'i' button at the top. Repeat this for all processes that appear to be part of the threat, run suspicious files in the HowtoRemove online virus scanner, and delete the malicious files.
The next step is to safely launch Safari. Press and hold the Shift key while opening Safari to prevent Safari's previously opened pages from reloading. Click on the Extensions tab, and select and uninstall any suspicious extensions you don't recognize by clicking the Uninstall button. If you don't want to take any risks, safely uninstall all extensions.
Because the malware has likely infected all of your browsers, repeat the following instructions for each browser you use. Select Preferences in the Safari menu, click on the Privacy tab, select Remove All Website Data, and confirm with Remove Now. Next, in the Preferences menu, hit the General tab, select History, and click Clear History.
All in all, safely removing Yahoo Search can help Mac users resume normal web browsing without worrying about excessive advertisements.
