Kettle4

Q: How Do I Stop MacKeeper

Can any body tell me how you can stop MacKeeper from taken over your

computer on the internet.

I evan went to their site to complain about it,and it is mentioned.

I don`t mind a few adds,but MacKeeper is taken the biscuit.

Thanks In Advance.

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.5.8), Mac Mini 2007

Posted on Jul 17, 2015 9:25 AM

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Q: How Do I Stop MacKeeper

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 17, 2015 3:24 PM in response to Kettle4
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jul 17, 2015 3:24 PM in response to Kettle4

    You may have installed a variant of the "VSearch" ad-injection malware. Follow Apple Support's instructions to remove it.

    If you have trouble following those instructions, see below.

    Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. This procedure works as of now, as far as I know. It may not work in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for a more recent discussion, or start a new one.

    The VSearch malware tries to hide itself by varying the names of the files it installs. To remove it, you must first identify the naming pattern.

    Triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination  command-C:

    /Library/LaunchDaemons

    In the Finder, select

              Go Go to Folder...

    from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

    A folder named "LaunchDaemons" may open. Look inside it for two files with names of the form

              com.something.daemon.plist

    and

               com.something.helper.plist

    Here something is a variable string of characters, which can be different in each VSearch infection. So far it has always been an alphanumeric string without punctuation, such as "cloud," "dot," "highway," "submarine," or "trusteddownloads." Sometimes it's a meaningless string such as "e8dec5ae7fc75c28" rather than a word. Sometimes the string is "apple," and then you must be especially careful not to delete the wrong files, because many built-in OS X files have similar names.

    If you find these files, leave the LaunchDaemons folder open, and open the following folder in the same way:

    /Library/LaunchAgents

    In this folder, there may be a file named

              com.something.agent.plist

    where the string something is the same as before.

    If you feel confident that you've identified the above files, back up all data, then drag just those three files—nothing else—to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Close the Finder windows and restart the computer.

    Don't delete the "LaunchAgents" or "LaunchDaemons" folder or anything else inside either one.

    The malware is now permanently inactivated, as long as you never reinstall it. You can stop here if you like, or you can remove two remaining components for the sake of completeness.

    Open this folder:

    /Library/Application Support

    If it has a subfolder named just

               something

    where something is the same string you saw before, drag that subfolder to the Trash and close the window.

    Don't delete the "Application Support" folder or anything else inside it.

    Finally, in this folder:

    /System/Library/Frameworks

    there may be an item named exactly

                v.framework

    It's actually a folder, though it has a different icon than usual. This item always has the above name; it doesn't vary. Drag it to the Trash and close the window.

    Don't delete the "Frameworks" folder or anything else inside it.

    If you didn't find the files or you're not sure about the identification, post what you found.

    If in doubt, or if you have no backups, change nothing at all.

    The trouble may have started when you downloaded and ran an application called "MPlayerX." That's the name of a legitimate free movie player, but the name is also used fraudulently to distribute VSearch. If there is an item with that name in the Applications folder, delete it. I don't recommend that you install the genuine "MPlayerX," because it's hosted on the rogue "SourceForge" website and is bundled with other malware.

    This trojan is often found on illegal websites that traffic in pirated content such as movies. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect more of the same, and worse, to follow. Never install any software that you downloaded from a bittorrent, or that was downloaded by someone else from an unknown source.

    In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere  should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.

    Then, still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked

              Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)

    or

              Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)

    if it's not already checked.

  • by Kettle4,

    Kettle4 Kettle4 Jul 18, 2015 10:04 AM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 18, 2015 10:04 AM in response to lllaass

    That`s not what I meant?

    I meant when you are on the internet MacKeeper takes a whole page up

    and it`s appearing a lot.

    How can you block it?

    Thanks in Advance.

  • by lllaass,Solvedanswer

    lllaass lllaass Jul 18, 2015 10:23 AM in response to Kettle4
    Level 10 (187,759 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 18, 2015 10:23 AM in response to Kettle4

    First try

    Remove unwanted adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac

    Next:                                               

    Malwarebytes for Mac (was Adwaremedic)

    If you can't download it since the malware is preventing it then see:

    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7792