As cohesive an experience using Apple’s software is, it isn’t immune to security issues. Malware and virus often find their way onto Macs and infect the computers with all sorts of different payloads.
In this article, we’re talking about the Feed Chunk app, whether or not it’s safe and everything else you need to know.
Also read: What is Horizon Centric? All you need to know
Feed Chunk explained
Feed Chunk is an old adware that has recently seen a reemergence in terms of infecting Macs. Most adware are browser hijackers by extension and this is true in this case as well. The malware can show itself as a web search enhancement tool or a new digest tool to trick unsuspecting users into downloading it on their machines.
Once on the target computer, it can create a spoof device profile that’ll change your web browser preferences including changing the default search engine in Safari, Chrome, Firefox or whatever your default browser may be to either feed.chunckapp.com or search.chunckapp.com.
It also changes your browser’s new tab page and in some cases can even extract sensitive information, including your browser cookies and send them back to the attacker.
How to remove Feed Chunk from your Mac?
Here are five fixes you can try out.
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.
You might also want to head over to the Activity Monitor and close any suspicious processes that you think might be related to Feed Chunk before deleting any suspicious programs as the adware might install itself again from memory in case the existing installation is removed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. If you’re using a different browser as your default browser, try resetting that browser instead.
Also read: What is Adware? 5 ways it harms your device and 8 ways to tackle it
