According to security researchers, SectionBrowser is an adware program. Adware is type of malicious software that can cause problems for your MAC system. SectionBrowser can generate numerous additional pop-up, banner, pop-under and in-text link advertisements flooding on your web browser; gather your confidential data like login details, online searches, etc; run in the background and drag down your MAC running speed; give more chances for other adware, potentially unwanted apps even malicious software to get on your Mac.
Does adware steal your privacy data? Adware software can be used to gather lots of confidential data about you which may be later sold to third parties. You don’t know if your home address, account names and passwords are safe.
How does SectionBrowser get on your Apple Mac
Most commonly, the freeware installer includes additional software like this adware. So, be very careful when you agree to install anything. The best way – is to choose a Custom, Advanced or Manual installation option. Here disable all optional applications in which you are unsure or that causes even a slightest suspicion.
Threat Summary
Name | SectionBrowser, Section Browser 1.0 app |
Type | adware, PUP (potentially unwanted program), pop up advertisements, popups, pop up virus |
Symptoms |
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Removal | SectionBrowser removal guide |
How to Remove SectionBrowser adware software (removal steps)
In the few simple steps below we will have a look at the adware and how to remove SectionBrowser ads from Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome web browsers for Mac, natively or by using a few free removal utilities. Certain of the steps below will require you to exit this web page. So, please read the steps carefully, after that bookmark it or open it on your smartphone for later reference.
To remove SectionBrowser, perform the following steps:
- How to manually get rid of SectionBrowser
- Automatic Removal of SectionBrowser
- How to stay safe online
- Finish words
How to manually get rid of SectionBrowser
The step-by-step tutorial will help you manually remove SectionBrowser ads from the internet browser. If you are not good at computers, we recommend that you use the free utilities listed below.
Deleting the SectionBrowser, check the list of installed programs first
The best way to begin the Apple Mac cleanup is to delete unknown and questionable programs. Using the Finder you can do this quickly and easily. This step, in spite of its simplicity, should not be ignored, because the removing of unneeded programs can clean up the Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari from ads, hijackers and so on.
- Open the Finder.
- Click “Applications”.
- It will show a list of all programs installed on the MAC system.
- Scroll through the all list, and delete dubious and unknown applications. Pay maximum attention to the program you installed last.
- Drag the questionable application from the Applications folder to the Trash.
- Empty Trash.
Remove SectionBrowser adware from Google Chrome
Run the Reset web browser tool of the Chrome to reset all its settings like default search engine, new tab page and startpage to original defaults. This is a very useful utility to use, in the case of adware infection.
Open the Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will display the drop-down menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
Carefully browse through the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the add-on labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.
Open the Google Chrome main menu again, press to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as on the image below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.
Remove SectionBrowser adware from Safari
The Safari reset is great if your web-browser is hijacked by SectionBrowser or you have unwanted add-ons or toolbars on your web browser, which installed by an malware.
Click Safari menu and select “Preferences”.
It will open the Safari Preferences window. Next, click the “Extensions” tab. Look for unknown and suspicious extensions on left panel, select it, then press the “Uninstall” button. Most important to delete all unknown add-ons from Safari.
Once complete, click “General” tab. Change the “Default Search Engine” to Google.
Find the “Homepage” and type into textfield “https://www.google.com”.
Remove SectionBrowser from Mozilla Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
If the Firefox web-browser is affected by SectionBrowser and you want to recover the Mozilla Firefox settings back to their default state, then you should follow the few simple steps below. It’ll save your personal information like saved passwords, bookmarks, auto-fill data and open tabs.
First, open the Firefox and click button. It will show the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button () as on the image below.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter. It will show the “Troubleshooting Information” page as on the image below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will show the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Firefox will start a process to fix your problems that caused by the SectionBrowser adware. Once, it is finished, press the “Finish” button.
Automatic Removal of SectionBrowser
In order to completely remove SectionBrowser ads, you not only need to delete adware from your Apple Mac, but also remove all its components in the Mac including system folders. We suggest to download and run free removal utilities to automatically clean your machine of SectionBrowser adware software.
How to automatically get rid of SectionBrowser with MalwareBytes
If you’re still having issues with the SectionBrowser removal or just wish to scan your Apple Mac occasionally for adware and other malicious software, then download MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM). It’s free for home use, and detects and removes various unwanted programs that attacks your MAC or degrades machine performance. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware can remove browser hijacker, adware software, potentially unwanted apps as well as malicious software, including ransomware and trojans.
- Visit the following page to download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM).
Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
20850 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: September 10, 2020
- When the download is complete, please close all programs and open windows on your computer. Run the downloaded file. Follow the prompts.
- The MalwareBytes will launch and show the main window.
- Further, press the “Scan” button for scanning your MAC for the SectionBrowser adware. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your computer and the speed of your MAC system.
- As the scanning ends, MalwareBytes AntiMalware will show a list of all threats detected by the scan.
- Review the report and then press the “Remove Selected Items” button.
- Close the AntiMalware and continue with the next step.
How to stay safe online
We recommend to install an ad-blocker program that can block misleading and other unwanted web-pages. The ad-blocking tool such as AdGuard is a program which basically removes advertising from the Internet and stops access to malicious web-sites. Moreover, security experts says that using ad blocker software is necessary to stay safe when surfing the World Wide Web.
- Visit the page linked below to download AdGuard.
AdGuard for Mac download
3687 downloads
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: January 17, 2018
- When the download is finished, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- Once the installation is done, press “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
- In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you run your machine, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block harmful and misleading web pages.
Finish words
Now your MAC should be free of the SectionBrowser adware. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted popup advertisements and unwanted harmful websites) and MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) (to periodically scan your Apple Mac for new adwares and other malicious software).
If you are still having problems while trying to get rid of SectionBrowser ads from the Chrome, Safari and Firefox, then ask for help here here.