How to Remove Cisco Umbrella from a Refurbished MacBook Air Purchased from Best Buy

Buying a refurbished MacBook Air from a reputable retailer like Best Buy can be an excellent way to get a high-quality laptop at a reduced price. However, pre-owned devices can sometimes come with Software installed by the previous owner, which might interfere with your usage. A typical example of such Software is Cisco Umbrella. If you find that Cisco Umbrella is blocking access to websites and services that you need, it can be frustrating. In this article, we’ll explore what Cisco Umbrella is, why it’s on your device, and step-by-step instructions on how to remove it.

What is Cisco Umbrella?

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-delivered security service that acts as a secure internet gateway. It is designed to protect networks, devices, and users from online threats by blocking access to malicious sites. It facilitates security by using Domain Name System (DNS) requests, blocking harmful websites before they can load.

Cisco Umbrella is commonly employed in corporate or educational settings where network administrators need to control what content is accessible from devices within their networks. However, in individual devices like a refurbished MacBook Air, it can become an obstacle if the restrictions are inappropriate for personal use.

Why Cisco Umbrella Might Be on Your Refurbished MacBook Air

1. Previous Owner Configuration: The most likely scenario is that the previous owner was using the MacBook Air within a network that required Cisco Umbrella. They might have been subjected to parental controls or corporate policies that deployed it across their devices.

2. Accidental Installation: Cisco Umbrella may have been accidentally left on the device during a Software update or when it was factory reset before being sold to you. If the refurbishing process was not thorough, pre-installed software could remain.

3. Parental Controls: Given that the warning pages mention something like “dad is watching,” it’s plausible the previous owner had parental control settings, possibly set up by tech-savvy parents, aiming to monitor and restrict online activities.

How Does Cisco Umbrella Work?

Before we dive into the removal process, it is crucial to understand how Cisco Umbrella operates to ensure its complete eradication. Operating at the DNS layer, Cisco Umbrella intercepts all internet-bound traffic and queries each website request against its database of known threats. When it encounters a match, it blocks the request and displays a warning page to the user.

Changing the DNS settings can sometimes provide a workaround, but it does not remove the software. Thus, a more thorough approach is necessary to eliminate its presence from your MacBook Air entirely.

Attempts to Resolve the Issue

In your quest to remove Cisco Umbrella, you’ve already tried altering the DNS settings to 8.8.8.8 (Google’s public DNS). This solution might alleviate restrictions temporarily, as it routes your requests through Google’s servers instead of Cisco’s. However, as you noticed, this method won’t fully solve the problem if software components of Cisco Umbrella are installed on your Mac.

Additionally, the command prompts you discovered were designed for Windows platforms, which are incompatible with macOS. Given these challenges, it’s clear that a macOS-specific strategy is necessary.

How to Remove Cisco Umbrella from macOS

The steps below will guide you through the process of uninstalling Cisco Umbrella from a MacBook Air running macOS.

1. Check for Cisco Umbrella Profile in System Preferences:

2. Open System Preferences and select Profiles.

3. Look for any profiles labelled Cisco Umbrella. If you find such profiles, select and remove them. This step is crucial as it could directly influence the restrictions placed on your internet access.

4. Remove Any Related Applications:

5. Visit the Applications folder in Finder.

6. Search for any related applications such as Cisco Umbrella or OpenDNS. Drag these applications into the Trash to uninstall them from your system completely.

7. Delete Associated Files and Folders:

8. Open Finder and press CMD + Shift + G to open the Go To Folder dialog.

9. Enter /Library and press Enter. Search for any folders or files associated with Cisco, Umbrella, or OpenDNS.
10. Repeat this search within ~/Library (use CMD + Shift + G and enter ~/Library to access your user library).

11. Trash these files and folders, but proceed with caution not to remove any critical system files.

12. Clear DNS Cache:

13. Open the Terminal application.

14. Enter the following command to clear the DNS cache: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.

15. Press Enter, your system might prompt you for a password, enter your Mac password to proceed.

16. Restart Your MacBook Air:

17. Reboot your MacBook Air to ensure all the changes take effect and previous caches are not causing conflicts.

18. Verify Network Settings:

19. Open System Preferences and go to Network.

20. Review each network that you use and ensure no DNS settings are overridden by old configurations.
21. Re-enter Google DNS settings if needed (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for primary and secondary DNS).

Final Steps

By following these steps, you should be able to remove Cisco Umbrella or any associated restrictions from your MacBook Air. Afterward, check whether previously blocked websites are accessible. If issues persist, consider performing a full factory reset of your MacBook Air or consult a professional technician to examine potential hidden configurations.

Conclusion

Removing Cisco Umbrella from a refurbished MacBook Air can be a straightforward process if you know where to look and which steps to take. This software, while beneficial in the right context, can be quite obstructive when installed inappropriately on a personal device. Through a series of checks and actions outlined above, reclaim control of your MacBook’s web browsing capabilities. Always remember to handle files and system settings with care to prevent unintentional alterations that could affect your Mac’s performance. Enjoy a seamless and unrestricted online experience with your refurbished MacBook Air!