Q: URGENT HELP! NEED TO GET RID OF MACKEEPER VIRUS BUT ACCIDENTALLY ALREADY MOVED IT TO TRASH AND EMPTIED TRASH BEFORE KNOWING THAT I NEEDED TO UNINSTALL IT THE RIGHT WAY!

Delete the following files:

Go to the User's Library folder. This folder is hidden by default. To unhide: Select the Finder in the Dock. Under Go in the Menu bar > hold down the Option key and you’ll see the Library.

Home/Library/Caches/com.zeobit.MacKeeper

Home/Library/Caches/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper

Home/Library/LaunchAgents/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper

Home/Library/LaunchAgents/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.plugin.Backup.agent

Home/Library/Preferences/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.plist

Home/Library/Preferences/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist

Warning: Only files containing the words ‘zeobit’, ‘MacKeeper’, ’911′, or ’911bundle’ should be deleted.

(In Mail Library folder, check LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons just to be safe)

Go to Applications -> Utilities -> Keychain Access and open it. Unlock the Keychain and enter your Administrator password. You need to remove any items in the Keychains that contain ‘MacKeeper’ or ‘zeobit’.

Open Activity Monitor, and choose to view ‘All processes’. Check to see if any processes called ‘MacKeeper’, ‘zeobit’ or ’911 bundle’ are still running. Older versions of MacKeeper might have a ‘WINE’ process. If you see any of these, click on the process and hit ‘Quit Process’.

Finally, go to your Applications folder and remove MacKeeper.app by moving it to the Trash. You should also unpin it from your Dock by dragging it off.

Empty the Trash by clicking on Finder -> Empty Trash.

In System Preferences -> Users & Groups (or ‘Accounts’ if you’re using OS X Snow Leopard 10.6) -> Login Items. If MacKeeper or anything related to it is listed there, highlight it and click the ‘-’ button to remove it.

Awesome answer.

I think I got the same virus from a "flashback trojan", I guess.

MacKeeper is hijacking the safari browser, and takes me to one of several sites, tuneupmymac.com, detoxmymac.com, and the MacKeeper has hijacked the opening screen of safari, which should be google.com, but is now "onlysearch.com" or "only-search.com", which has a little icon in the lower left of the screen. Click on it, and BAM they want to help you "Get a Faster Mac with TuneupMyMac.com", and now goes also to "bulletflix.com" advancedmaccare.com (MacBooster)... It's getting out of control.

I am running OS X 10.9.5, the computer 2 is months old, and I switched to Mac from windows because windows is the worst program/OS imaginable.

I followed the instructions above and have looked in all folders on the hard drive, everywhere, and there is nothing in the caches, LaunchDaemons, LaunchAgents, Preferences, or in any folder.

___However, i have used the apple diagnostics and found that two permissions are being changed. So I repair them, and then after I relaunch the program, again, mysteriously, the permissions are again altered.

I am going to run AVAST and ClamXav...

Can anyone provide further support?

Thank you for your thoughts.

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Download the AdwareMedic removal tool

http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php

See his notice in red at the top. Most likely you will need to use his direct link:

http://www.adwaremedic.com/AdwareMedic.dmg

I am going to run AVAST and ClamXav...

These will not help you.

Thank you very much!!!! After an accidental click, losing 24 hours & pulling my hair out, you saved my bacon.

Forever grateful

Thanks!

tried so many other things and after all http://www.adwaremedic.com/AdwareMedic.dmg did the trick

!! STAY AWAY FROM MACKEEPER!!! IT'S NASTY ADWARE !!

you are my hero! i was going crazy.. why did i have to be so stupid and click that link in the first place.

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

I've been having the same issue, and found most of the files you listed to delete. However, when I try to stop MacKeeper in my Activity Monitor, it refuses to quit. I checked a few other programs to make sure they would stop running through Activity Monitor, and they quit fine. But even using Force Quit on MacKeeper doesn't stop it. Any ideas on this?

Under the Apple in the Menu bar, select Log Out.

When you Log in, hold the Shift key down. This disables all login items.

Now see if you can quit in Activity Monitor.

If this fails do a Safe Boot and remove.

*  shutdown

*  start the Mac and *wait* for the startup chime to sound

*  after the sound, press and hold down the shift key

*  keep holding and *wait* until the grey  Apple logo appears

*  now release the shift key and just wait (it could take a few minutes)

*  eventually the login screen appears with the words SAFE BOOT

*  continue to login

I have found the library, but there doesn't seem to be any of the files you are saying to delete. Any ideas or suggestions what to do?

It's possible there are no files to remove. You can download the installer again and run the uninstaller that's included.

http://mackeeper.zeobit.com/uninstall_mackeeper

Another option would be to download AppCleaner. When you run it, you will see all the files associated with the app. You can cancel or select delete.

accidentally downloaded mackeeper and once i found out it was a virus immediately i moved it to the trash and emptied the trashbin

Badly written and unnecessary software, but it is not a virus.

Thank you for this post.

Mackeeper infected our home Mac Mini today, and although the app was quickly trashed we couldn't find the hidden files it had thrown into the system. They hijacked Safari, causing redirects to ads on every link we clicked.

The solution was found at http://www.adwaremedic.com/ We downloaded this utility and it quickly found the 4 files hidden deep in the system. Deleted them, then restarted the Mac Mini, and Mackeeper was 100 percent history -- no more redirects, no more ads, no more hijacking Safari.

Just to note, MacKeeper wasn't your issue, it was adware that was popping up advertisements for MacKeeper, along with whatever else.

One source of adware is illegal downloads of commercial software, but most of it is coming from "legitimate" sources. Those being sites like C|NET's downloads.com, softonic.com and other sites where you can download and try all kinds of software. You do get the software you want to try, but it also contains an adware installer.

Right now, adware is the biggest headache for Mac users. So far, it has been benign. Just lots of unwanted ads. It is extremely annoying, though.

Oracle's Java installer is now installing adware too.

http://www.thesafemac.com/java-now-installing-adware/