Mmenta Mac

Mmenta

Mmenta is an unpleasant app categorized as a page-redirecting browser hijacker for Mac computers. Mmenta inserts new elements inside the affected browsers and begins to spam the with obstructive and unpredictable page redirects.

Mmenta

Hijacker software tools might oftentimes initially appear to be useful programs/add-ons for your browsing programs but the reality of things is that you would likely not enjoy the presence of such an app on your computer and inside your browser. The main reason for this to be so is the annoyance that most browser hijackers are known to bring to users. A typical hijacker app like Mmenta or Stateful Firewall – the one we are going to be focusing throughout most of this article, can typically attach itself to your main browser regardless of what that browser actually is. Usually, some of the more common targets of hijackers are browsing programs like Safari, Chrome or Firefox since people use them the most but other less commonly used browsers could also get affected by hijackers and have their search engines and homepages altered and users might start to get page redirects and ads on their screens during browsing time.

Mmenta for Mac

Mmenta for Mac is a new version of the unwanted category of apps known as browser hijackers. Mmenta for Mac is characterized by its ability to ceaselessly flood the user’s browser with different ads, page redirects to unfamiliar websites, and aggressive pop-ups.

It’s precisely those ads and redirects that are the main reason for the PUP status of most (if not all) of the hijacker apps. PUP basically stands for a potentially unwanted program and this term nicely fits the characteristics and nature of most hijackers like Mmenta. You see, they can’t be called viruses since they are normally not all that dangerous and their purposes are typically not related to some sort of software crimes which is the main difference between them and malicious threats like Trojan horse infections, viruses and Ransomware.

What is Mmenta?

Mmenta is a small software app capable of changing different elements in the main browsers of Mac computers. Mmenta initially seems like a regular extension for the browser but it is soon revealed that it’s only function is to promote different sits through aggressive page redirects.

Make no mistake, though – hijacker apps are still rather undesirable and, on top of that, quite tricky to eliminate. Here, however, we have some good news for you if you have the irritating Mmenta hijacker on your Mac and would like to uninstall it. The guide available below will show you exactly what needs to be done in order for the pesky piece of software to be removed from any machine.

The Mmenta app

The Mmenta app is an unwanted piece of software described as a browser-hijacking extension for popular Mac browsers. The Mmenta app can change elements of the browser without you permission and cause frequent site redirects.

Now, some browser add-ons or similar browser components can actually be somewhere in between useful and unwanted because they might show you annoying ads and make undesirable changes to your browser but they might also still provide you with some useful feature. In such cases, it is up to you to decide if you should keep or remove the hijacker. However, we must tell you something about the potential risks of keeping a piece of software, such as Mmenta, that aggressively tries to advertise things on your computer. Not all web ads are safe – many are in fact used for distribution of Ransomware cryptoviruses, Worms, Rootkits and other similar nasty infections and the fact that a certain app on your Mac is drastically increasing the number of advertisements you see on your screen can oftentimes also increase the risk of having your machine’s security compromised.

This is the reason why most experts advise that any hijackers or similar apps get removed from a given computer. Also, it’s important to remember to stay away from sketchy sites and to make sure to only download quality software from reliable sources if you want to avoid browser hijackers like Mmenta in the future.

SUMMARY:

NameMmenta
TypeBrowser Hijacker
Danger LevelMedium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk)
Symptoms A typical symptom of a hijacker are the changes to your browser search engine and/or homepage.
Distribution MethodBundling the hijacker with some other program seems to be the most commonly used method.
Detection Tool

Remove Mmenta Virus from Mac

For a quick way to remove Mmenta try to do this inside your Mac browser:

  1. Open your Mac browser.
  2. Go to Preferences.
  3. Now navigate to the extensions sub-menu.
  4. Look for any unfamiliar entries, including Mmenta.
  5. Remove Mmenta 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 Mmenta!

Step1

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.

Step2

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

Start Activity Monitor by opening up Finder, then proceed to activity-monitor

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:

chromeinfo

Now click on Sample at the bottom:

chromesample

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:

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    Step3

    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.

    Step4

    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,

    Preferences in Safari

    and then again on the Extensions tab,

    extensions in safari

    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.
    Step5

    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,
    Privacy in Safari

    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

    General Tab in Safari

    Check if your Homepage is the one you have selected, if not change it to whatever you prefer.
    Default Home Page

    Select the History menu this time, and click on Clear History. This way you will prevent accidentally opening a problematic web page again.

    firefox-512 How to Remove Mmenta From Firefox in OSX:

    Open Firefoxclick on mozilla menu (top right) ——-> Add-onsHit Extensions next.

    pic 6

    The problem should be lurking somewhere around here –  Remove it. Then Refresh Your Firefox Settings.


    chrome-logo-transparent-backgroundHow to Remove Mmenta From Chrome in OSX:

     Start Chrome, click chrome menu icon —–>More Tools —–> Extensions. There,  find the malware and  select  chrome-trash-icon.

    pic 8

     Click chrome menu icon 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!


    About the author

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    Brandon Skies

    Brandon is a researcher and content creator in the fields of cyber-security and virtual privacy. Years of experience enable him to provide readers with important information and adequate solutions for the latest software and malware problems.

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