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What is Horizon Centric? All you need to know

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Apple is known for delivering rather well-made and secure software experiences across its devices. Whether you’re using a Mac, iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, you’ll get a well-integrated, seamless experience. 

However, that doesn’t make Apple’s operating systems immune. There are still security threats and malware that can get on your Mac or iPhone/iPad and cause problems.

In this article, we’re talking about Horizon Centric, what it is, what it does and everything else you need to know. 

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Horizon Centric explained

Horizon Centric is a browser-hijacking malware that essentially spams the default browser on your Mac with ads, spam messages and can even change the settings including your default search index. The malware can also add uncalled-for redirects and potentially steal your browser’s data. 

The malware can easily sneak in on most computers are is similarly named VMware’s Horizon service. Malware authors often name their malicious programs after legitimate software from big companies to avoid detection and trick unsuspecting users into installing them, thinking they’re installing a legitimate program instead. 

Another important thing to keep in mind about Horizon Centric is that while it might not be as severe as ransomware or trojan horse infection, it can still be rather malicious or lead to other more serious attacks. Since the malware takes control of your browser, you can easily be led to phishing websites and fake redirects and can even end up leaking browser data or cookies, which can further lead to other attacks. 

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How to remove Horizon Center from your Mac?

Here are five fixes you can try out to get rid of the malware.

Run an antivirus scan

Usually, running an antivirus scan will remove most if not all malware on your PC. You can also use a third-party antivirus or antimalware like Malwarebytes to scan your PC and remove any suspicious software. 


Remove suspicious programs and profiles

Sometimes malware might expand itself and install other payloads or create rogue profiles on your computer. Check the Applications tab in your macOS settings to see if there are any suspicious programs on your Mac and if there are, you can uninstall them right away. The same applies to any profiles on your computer that you did not create.


Check your extensions

Shady extensions are one of the most popular infection vectors for browser-hijacking malware. If you’ve recently installed any new extensions, they may be causing this issue. 

If you’re on Chrome head over to chrome://extensions/  and try disabling any shady extensions one by one until you get your audio working again. 

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If you’re on Safari, disabling extensions from the Preferences menu and then enabling them again one at a time until the browser starts working as expected again is a somewhat effective way of singling out any extensions that may be causing the problem.

Restart your browser and Mac once you’re done removing any suspicious extensions and you should be rid of the malware. 

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Use Chrome to scan for malware

Chrome has an inbuilt malware scanner that is rather effective at rooting out browser-hijacking malware. Follow these steps to run a scan. 

Step 1:  Head over to chrome://settings/reset.Click on Clean unwanted Software.

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Step 2: Click the Find button and wait for Chrome to automatically find out and remove unwanted apps/software that might be causing this issue. 

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Now restart your Mac and you should be good to go. 


Reset Safari

If nothing else works, you will have to reset Safari and start from scratch. All you have to do is head to the Preferences menu and select the Reset Safari option. This will remove all the data stored in your browser and resolve your problem. 

Also read: What is GetSearchRedirecting? Is it a virus?

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah is a Computer Science graduate who writes/edits/shoots/codes all things cybersecurity, gaming, and tech hardware. When he's not, he streams himself racing virtual cars. He's been writing and reporting on tech and cybersecurity with websites like Candid.Technology and MakeUseOf since 2018. You can contact him here: yadullahabidi@pm.me.

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