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Remove fuq.com virus on Mac/iPhone and stop FuQ redirects in Safari/Chrome/Firefox

Remove fuq.com redirect and popup virus on Mac OS X and prevent web browsers from routing Internet traffic to this adult resource automatically.

Update: November 2019

When constantly redirected to fuq.com on Mac, or in the scenario of bumping into frequent popups with this URL in the address bar, the first thing the user should realize is that they fell victim to a browser hijacker. This is even more obnoxious than most of the similar attacks, because the embarrassment component is added to the mix. Fuq.com is an X-rated web page, so when it suddenly appears in Safari, Chrome or Firefox window on a work computer or at home, that’s quite a reason to blush. The troublemaker in this case is an application which is typically installed along with some virus-tainted, ad-supported program. Problems of this sort tend to occur after a Mac user downloads and installs a free media player, movie downloader or gaming applet that comes in the form of a bundle of several different products. This is not a transparent setup scheme, because potentially unwanted extra elements are deliberately obscured so that users don’t notice them.

Redirects to fuq.com are an indication of adware attack

On infiltrating a Mac computer, the fuq.com adware embeds a new rogue add-on to every popular browser found on the system. It’s pointless to expect an authorization or any other type of approval request when this extension is being added – it just happens in the background. Then, the affected browsers begin to act up. The homepage, new tab and search presets are blatantly replaced with fuq.com, causing the victim to hit the undesired page whenever the associated commonplace evens take place. To add insult to injury, the virus may also tweak shortcuts for different software so that the action of opening these apps will launch a browser window with fuq.com in it. Haphazard popups will enter the victim’s online routine as well.

The unwanted app is usually manifested as the Fuq toolbar that appears in a browser all of a sudden. This fact makes the attack stand out from the crowd, because adware and other threats of that kind usually try to hide their presence from the victim. As opposed to this common tactic, the above-mentioned toolbar gives users a conspicuous clue that a new third-party browser component is currently enabled. This approach is just as provocative as the landing page itself.

One more noteworthy thing about this quandary is that it often occurs within a whole home network and therefore may not be isolated to a single device. Some users are redirected to fuq.com on their Mac computer, and the browser on their iPhone or iPad is also forwarded to a mobile version of the site (m.fuq.com) when the gadget is connected to the same wireless router. If this is the case, the router was most likely compromised and should be reset to its factory state. However, if the incursion is Mac-specific and isn’t observed on other devices using the same network, then there is some adware cleaning on a victim’s to-do list.

Fuq.com is not dangerous to visit, unless of course you are a kid and should be prohibited to surf sites of this sort. There are no harmful scripts, drive-by downloads or malware on it. What actually causes issues is the adware that resides on the Mac and modifies custom online settings. Another thing to keep in mind is that redefining the altered values via a browser’s configuration pane is not going to help, because the infection will roll back those changes. Therefore, stick with the adware eradication technique described in the next part of this article.

Fuq.com adware manual removal for Mac

The steps listed below will walk you through the removal of this malicious application. Be sure to follow the instructions in the order specified.

  1. Open up the Utilities folder as shown below

    Open up the Utilities

  2. Locate the Activity Monitor icon on the screen and double-click on it

    Locate the Activity Monitor

  3. Under Activity Monitor, find a process named Fuq, select it and click Quit Process
  4. A dialog should pop up, asking if you are sure you would like to quit the troublemaking process. Select the Force Quit option
  5. Click the Go button again, but this time select Applications on the list. Find Fuq (or Fuq Toolbar) entry on the interface, right-click on it and select Move to Trash. If user password is required, go ahead and enter it

    Malicious app icon under Applications

  6. Now go to Apple Menu and pick the System Preferences option

    Pick the System Preferences

  7. Select Accounts and click the Login Items button. The system will come up with the list of the items that launch when the computer is started up. Locate the potentially unwanted app (Fuq) there and click on the “-” button.

Get rid of Fuq.com popups in web browser on Mac

To begin with, settings for the web browser that got hit by Fuq.com Toolbar virus should be restored to their default values. The overview of steps for this procedure is as follows:

  1. Reset Safari
    • Open the browser and go to Safari menu. Select Preferences in the drop-down list

      Go to Preferences in Safari

    • Once the Preferences screen appears, hit the Privacy tab at the top. Find the option that says Remove All Website Data and click on it

      Remove All Website Data option under Privacy

    • The system will display a confirmation dialog that also includes a brief description of what the reset does. Specifically, you may be logged out of some services and encounter other changes of website behavior after the procedure. If you’re okay with that, go ahead and click the Remove Now button

      Confirmation dialog

    • In order to selectively clear data generated by certain websites only, not all of them, hit the Details button under the Privacy section of Safari Preferences

      Clear data for specific websites in Safari

    • This feature will list all websites that have stored potentially sensitive data, including cache and cookies. Select the one, or ones, that might be causing trouble and click the appropriate button at the bottom (Remove or Remove All). Click the Done button to exit.
  2. Reset Google Chrome
    • Open Chrome, click the More (⁝) icon in the top right-hand part of the window, and select Settings in the drop-down
    • When on the Settings pane, select Advanced
    • Scroll down to the Reset settings section. Under the Restore settings to their original defaults option, click the Reset settings button

      Reset settings in Chrome on Mac

    • Confirm the Chrome reset on a dialog that will pop up. When the procedure is completed, relaunch the browser and check it for malware activity.
  3. Reset Mozilla Firefox
    • Open Firefox and select HelpTroubleshooting Information
    • On the page that opened, click the Reset Firefox button

      Reset Firefox

Get rid of Fuq.com virus using Combo Cleaner automatic removal tool

The Mac maintenance and security app called Combo Cleaner is a one-stop tool to detect and remove FUQ.com virus virus. This technique has substantial benefits over manual cleanup, because the utility gets hourly virus definition updates and can accurately spot even the newest Mac infections.

Furthermore, the automatic solution will find the core files of the malware deep down the system structure, which might otherwise be a challenge to locate. Here’s a walkthrough to sort out the FUQ.com virus issue using Combo Cleaner:

  1. Download Combo Cleaner installer. When done, double-click the combocleaner.dmg file and follow the prompts to install the tool onto your Mac.

    Download Combo Cleaner

    By downloading any applications recommended on this website you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. The free scanner checks whether your Mac is infected. To get rid of malware, you need to purchase the Premium version of Combo Cleaner.

  2. Open the app from your Launchpad and let it run an update of the malware signature database to make sure it can identify the latest threats.
  3. Click the Start Combo Scan button to check your Mac for malicious activity as well as performance issues.

    Combo Cleaner Mac scan progress

  4. Examine the scan results. If the report says “No Threats”, then you are on the right track with the manual cleaning and can safely proceed to tidy up the web browser that may continue to act up due to the after-effects of the malware attack (see instructions above).

    Combo Cleaner scan report – no threats found

  5. In case Combo Cleaner has detected malicious code, click the Remove Selected Items button and have the utility remove FUQ.com virus threat along with any other viruses, PUPs (potentially unwanted programs), or junk files that don’t belong on your Mac.

    Combo Cleaner – threats found

  6. Once you have made doubly sure that the malicious app is uninstalled, the browser-level troubleshooting might still be on your to-do list. If your preferred browser is affected, resort to the previous section of this tutorial to revert to hassle-free web surfing.
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