Flexible Protocol
Flexible Protocol can infect your Chrome, Firefox or Safari browser and meddle with its settings. Flexible Protocol can change your browser’s homepage and set a new default search engine, as well as install a new toolbar. This is why the software category that Flexible Protocol belongs to is called ‘browser hijacker’. And in addition to all of those unwanted changes, what makes hijackers very annoying is the fact that they also tend to fill your web browser with online ads.

In fact, the first signs of a browser hijacker infection like Search Marquis, Bing Redirect are normally an influx of popups, banners, in-text links and spontaneous page redirects. This is also what typically causes the affected users to want to remove the hijacker in question as soon as possible. And luckily, there’s a way for you to do that without much of a hassle. You can check out the removal steps in our guide below in order to rid yourself of Flexible Protocol and its pesky ads.
Flexible Protocol for Mac
Although browser hijackers have typically always targeted Windows users, Flexible Protocol for Mac is becoming a more frequent occurrence. However, Flexible Protocol for Mac behaves no differently than any other hijacker out there. You can still expect the same type of aggressive advertising activity and all that usually comes from it.
For instance, a very common side effect of a browser hijacker’s presence is system sluggishness. The background processes that software of this type constantly runs on your computer may simply overload it and compromise its general performance. That may, in fact, also cause things like browser crashes to happen pretty frequently as well.
What is Flexible Protocol?
Flexible Protocol is a program designed to promote various web content and thus spam users with all sorts of ads. But Flexible Protocol is not to be confused with a virus or malware of any kind. This is a common misconception surrounding browser hijackers and it often freaks people out whenever they encounter one face to face.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t make browser hijackers entirely safe to interact with either. Namely, the online ads that they display could potentially lead to websites that may be insecure or even infected with actual malware. This increases the chances of landing an infection with dangerous viruses such as Trojans or ransomware. For this reason it’s a good idea to try and not click on any of the ads you happen to come across during your browsing sessions.
The FlexibleProtocol App
The FlexibleProtocol app affects Mac users and can engage in tracking their browsing patterns. The FlexibleProtocol app can then use this information to personalize the stream of online ads it displays. This is often a contributing factor to why browser hijacker victims would much rather get rid of the ad-generating program and not have it on their machines.
If this is your case, please scroll down to the step by step removal guide we have put together for Flexible Protocol. And if you have concerns that you may not be able to complete the process yourself, our professional removal tool will take care of it for you.
SUMMARY:
Name | Flexible Protocol |
Type | Adware |
Danger Level | Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk) |
Symptoms | Popups, banners, in-text links, box messages, blinking notifications and other types of online ads filling your browser. |
Distribution Method | Program bundles that you are most likely to download from open sources download platforms, freeware- and shareware-distributing sites, torrents, etc. |
Detection Tool |
Remove Flexible Protocol from Mac
For a quick way to remove Flexible Protocol try to do this inside your Mac browser:
- Open your Mac browser.
- Go to Preferences.
- Now navigate to the extensions sub-menu.
- Look for any unfamiliar entries, including Flexible Protocol.
- Remove Flexible Protocol from your Mac as well as any other suspicious-looking items by clicking on the trash bin icon.
If this does not help then continue reading this article for more detailed instructions on how to get rid of Flexible Protocol!
The first thing you need to do is to Quit Safari (if it is opened). If you have trouble closing it normally, you may need to Force Quit Safari:
You can choose the Apple menu and click on Force Quit.
Alternatively you can simultaneously press ⌘ (the Command key situated next to the space bar), Option (the key right next to it) and Escape (the key located at the upper left corner of your keyboard).
If you have done it right a dialog box titled Force Quit Applications will open up.
In this new dialog window select Safari, then press the Force Quit button, then confirm with Force Quit again.
Close the dialog box/window.
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
Start Activity Monitor by opening up Finder, then proceed to
Once there, look at all the processes: if you believe any of them are hijacking your results, or are part of the problem, highlight the process with your mouse, then click the “i” button at the top. This will open up the following box:
Now click on Sample at the bottom:
Do this for all processes you believe are part of the threat, and run any suspicious files in our online virus scanner, then delete the malicious files:

The next step is to safely launch Safari again. Press and hold the Shift key while relaunching Safari. This will prevent Safari’s previously opened pages from loading again. Once Safari is opened up, you can release the Shift key.
On the off chance that you are still having trouble with scripts interrupting the closing of unwanted pages in Safari, you may need to take some additional measures.
First, Force Quit Safari again.
Now if you are using a Wi-Fi connection turn it off by selecting Wi-Fi off in you Mac’s Menu. If you are using a cable internet (Ethernet connection), disconnect the Ethernet cable.
Re-Launch Safari but don’t forget to press and hold the Shift button while doing it, so no previous pages can be opened up. Now, Click on Preferences in the Safari menu,
and then again on the Extensions tab,
Select and Uninstall any extensions that you don’t recognize by clicking on the Uninstall button. If you are not sure and don’t want to take any risks you can safely uninstall all extensions, none are required for normal system operation.
The threat has likely infected all of your browsers. The instructions below need to be applied for all browsers you are using.
Again select Preferences in the Safari Menu, but this time click on the Privacy tab,
Now click on Remove All Website Data, confirm with Remove Now. Keep in mind that after you do this all stored website data will be deleted. You will need to sign-in again for all websites that require any form of authentication.
Still in the Preferences menu, hit the General tab
Check if your Homepage is the one you have selected, if not change it to whatever you prefer.
Select the History menu this time, and click on Clear History. This way you will prevent accidentally opening a problematic web page again.
How to Remove Flexible Protocol From Firefox in OSX:
Open Firefox, click on (top right) ——-> Add-ons. Hit Extensions next.
The problem should be lurking somewhere around here – Remove it. Then Refresh Your Firefox Settings.
How to Remove Flexible Protocol From Chrome in OSX:
Start Chrome, click —–>More Tools —–> Extensions. There, find the malware and select
.
Click again, and proceed to Settings —> Search, the fourth tab, select Manage Search Engines. Delete everything but the search engines you normally use. After that Reset Your Chrome Settings.
If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!
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