Chromium

Thanks.

First, ensure you have a reliable backup of your Mac, in case something should go wrong with continued troubleshooting. To learn how to do that, please read Back up your Mac with Time Machine.

• A backup is a fundamental prerequisite regardless of whatever method you may choose uninstall adware, and would apply even if your Mac were running perfectly well. Do not overlook this fundamental requirement. It's important.

Next: This step is optional, but will preclude any related inability to use your Mac due to the adware's excessive demands imposed upon it. Restart in "Safe Mode", and log in: Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac. Starting in Safe Mode takes longer than usual so let it finish.

Then,

• Open Activity Monitor again, and in the same manner as you did before, force both Chromium and all of its "helpers" to quit. They may not be running in Safe Mode so if they don't appear that's ok.
• Drag the Chromium icon in the Dock to the Trash, or away from the Dock—the same way you did before.

In the first screenshot (~/Library/LaunchAgents) select the files shown below:

Drag that selection of files to the Trash. You will be asked to authenticate. Confirm they are no longer present in that folder. Leave all the others alone for now.

Next: open Safari and select the Safari menu > Preferences... > Extensions. If you see any Extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone. No Safari Extensions are required for normal operation. Then, select the General pane and review your Homepage selection.

Repeat those equivalent actions for any other browser you may use.

There may also be adware-associated app icons in your Mac's Applications folder. Open it and examine its contents. Any unwanted or mysterious app icons should be obvious to you, but again please don't remove anything if you are uncertain—ask first. Identify any suspicious apps by name, or post another screenshot.

Next: In an abundance of caution, examine System Preferences > Extensions. Determine if there are any Extensions that may have been installed without your knowledge. Ask if you're uncertain.

While you're there, check for the presence of any Profiles. Profiles are installed by organizations with a need to manage Macs deployed in institutional corporate or educational environments (for example). Otherwise, no Profiles preference pane will appear in System Preferences.

You can then restart your Mac and use it normally.

Next: if you want to eradicate all remaining adware remnants post a screenshot of the following folder, in the same manner as you did earlier:

~/Library/Application Support

It is normal for that folder to contain many items, but anything associated with the above adware will bear identical names ("updater_mcy" in this case). A folder with that name or one similar to it may or may not be present, but if it is you may drag the entire "updater_mcy" folder to the Trash. Without the files you already removed or the reintroduction of similar malware, they can do nothing but occupy space. These can be removed if you wish, but again don't remove anything if you are uncertain.

Next: Uninstall "Bitdefender" in strict accordance with its instructions. Like all Mac "anti-virus" products it is categorically worthless. You can see for yourself it did nothing to prevent you from installing adware. Its continued presence will offer nothing beneficial and is only likely to cause other, unrelated problems of its own. Don't use those things.

Next: It seems you're using a backup product offered by Intego. I have never used it so I can't comment on it, just be aware that Intego's Mac "Net Barrier" and "Virus Barrier" products (both of which I have used) are among the worst such things. In my experience using them rendered a brand new and perfectly functioning Mac literally unusable. There is nothing in your screenshots to indicate Intego's "anti-virus" product is installed though.

Thanks. In the same manner as the above, open the following folder:

/Library/LaunchDaemons

To open that folder, copy and paste it in the Finder's Go menu > Go to Folder... field. It should look like this:

Once again ensure all its files and their names are readable, take a screenshot, and post it.

Then, repeat with this folder:

/Library/LaunchAgents

Notice its pathname is different than the other two.

In summary, you should have captured and posted the contents of the following three separate folders:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

/Library/LaunchDaemons

/Library/LaunchAgents

Please be sure to indicate the name of the folder that corresponds to each screenshot.

Hi there!

Check out this:

How to Remove Chromium Browser from Mac | MacFly Pro Blog

How to uninstall Chromium Adware (Mac) - Virus removal instructions

Removing an icon from the Dock requires dragging it directly to the Dock's Trash icon, or a sufficient distance for a "Remove" bubble to appear above it. Do that, and then restart your Mac in the usual manner. I suspect it will reappear. If it does read below.

Navigate to the following folder, and post its contents in a screenshot.

~/Library/LaunchAgents

To open that folder, copy the entire line above and paste it in the Finder's Go menu > Go to Folder... field. Make it look like this:

... and click the Go button.

A Finder window will open. Take a screenshot showing all that folder's contents, and post it in a reply. To take a screenshot read the Appendix in the following User Tip: Writing an effective Apple Support Communities question.

Usually, there is nothing in that folder so don't be surprised to find it empty. The reason for starting with that folder is to eliminate other potential causes before proceeding with steps that will identify and eradicate whatever is affecting that Mac.

There will be additional instructions to follow and this is just the first step.

For a description of how this may have occurred, how to avoid it in the future, and for Apple's recommended actions read How to install adware.

Review your Gatekeeper settings: OS X : About Gatekeeper - Apple Support. Gatekeeper is designed to help prevent you from inadvertently installing garbage software.

If you get impatient and want to "read ahead" the remedy will follow the format of this Discussion: "root" process has high energy impact which drains my battery fast.

If I understand you correctly, you successfully eradicated the app? I'm not quite certain which of the steps you described did that but as long as it's removed, I'm happy.

You have to click and hold to remove a Launchpad app. An X icon will appear. Clicking it removes it from Launchpad.

Bitdefender will be next, but I'm still interested in learning more about your reasons and why I haven't seen more on disputes over the anti-virus apps.

Oh, you just haven't looked hard enough. Using non-Apple "anti-virus" junk is worse than the imaginary viruses they allege to defend. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a macOS "virus". The "anti-virus" establishment is just a sleazy remnant of the Windows-entrenched world. You should encourage its eventual demise by not using their products. Rule 1 of Macs is don't install junk.

"Chromium" itself is not junk; but something resulted in its unwelcome presence on your Mac. Apparently you were deceived into installing that "something", which also prevented you from uninstalling it. Deception is how those things work, and only you can prevent falling victim to scams.

Problems directly attributable to various and sundry non-Apple "antivirus" garbage are reported in great abundance on this site every day. Here's one recent example: Folder Restore. For "Bitdefender" in particular, read:

Bitdefender a "nightmare" to get rid of

Bitdefender and Time Machine Protection

threat by trojan.JS.Iframe.BKD on MacBookPro

Apple Mail crashing on first use since updating to 10.11.5 -

There are many others.

No; if you can’t see it in your reply neither can anyone else. Read the instructions and try again. Or, you can describe the contents of that folder, but it would be best if you and I could look at the same picture.

donald170 wrote:

I'm puzzled because of all the articles I have noted over the years recommending installing one of the commercial or free anti-virus programs and the fact that Apple's App Store carries anti-virus apps, including Bitdefender.

The reason is that websites and publications are supported by advertisements, and nearly all "review" websites are advertisements themselves. There is no law compelling them to admit that fact. They deceive with impunity. You will never find a website or publication that says "do not install this product". I just did.

Apple Support Communities does not rely upon advertisements. The costs to maintain it are borne by the Apple products and services you already paid for. You will never see a single advertisement on these pages... not even for Apple products.

Regrettably, a reply to this Discussion contains advertisements for products claiming to fix what’s wrong with your Mac. Ignore them.

Sorry, missed that point.

But manual removal guide from the 1st link could be quite useful.

Those as well as similar “manual removal” instructions are malicious and must not be followed.