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aphrodite results daemon prevents my comp to connect internet

Hi. There is always a message box on my screen saying that "AphroditeResultsDaemon" will damage your computer. I am not able to connect internet with this computer which my wife is using at home. How can I overcome this problem?

Posted on Apr 7, 2020 11:12 AM

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10 replies

Apr 7, 2020 5:09 PM in response to kemalettintugcu

In the interest of addressing your concerns in a timely manner I am going to assume you were able to restart your Mac in "Safe Mode" using the Terminal command I provided earlier, and were also able to revert that command successfully. If that's the case you can proceed below. If for some reason it didn't work please proceed anyway. You won't hurt anything by trying, but you may encounter difficulties carrying out the following instructions. If necessary, we'll figure out how to convince that Mac into booting Safe Mode some other time.


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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: : Assuming you were able to, restart your Mac in Safe Mode again. Starting in Safe Mode takes longer than usual so let it finish. The popup created by that process will not appear in "Safe Mode".


The following files and / or folders need to be deleted while using your Mac in "Safe Mode", but if you were unable to restart your Mac in Safe Mode try them anyway.


First screenshot:



Third screenshot:



Nothing needs to be deleted from your second screenshot (which may have been either the User launch agents folder or the System launch agents folder, but presumably you know which one is which).


Drag those selections of files to the Trash. You may 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 Safari 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 System 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), but have also been exploited by adware creators and similar malcontents.


Remaining within System Preferences, open Users & Groups. Select your User Account's Login Items. You may or may not find those Applications in its list. If you do, select them then click the [—] (minus) button to remove them from Login Items.


Next: You're finished with Safe Mode. If anything else needs to be removed it can be accomplished in normal mode (not Safe Mode). Please revert the Terminal command you used to invoke it as I wrote earlier:


sudo nvram boot-args=""


You can then restart your Mac and log in as usual. Confirm "Safe Boot" doesn't appear in the upper right of your screen.


Additional instructions to be continued in my next reply.

Apr 7, 2020 11:39 AM in response to kemalettintugcu

Please restart your Mac in "Safe Mode": Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac. The message should not appear, but will reappear after restarting your Mac normally.


While in Safe Mode please examine the contents of the following three separate folders:


~/Library/LaunchAgents

/Library/LaunchDaemons

/Library/LaunchAgents


To navigate to the first one, copy that entire line 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. Make that window large enough to capture all its contents, so that names of all the files it contains are readable. Take a screenshot showing all that folder's contents. The screenshot will be deposited on your Mac's Desktop. Give that screenshot a name so that you can distinguish it from others you're about to take.


Repeat the above for the other two folders. In the end you will have captured three separate screenshots. Then, please restart your Mac normally, return to this site and post all three of them in a reply. If you are still unable to use the affected Mac to connect to the Internet, it's OK to take a picture of those screens. Just make sure they are readable.


To learn how to take a screenshot and include it in a reply to this Discussion, please read the Appendix in the following User Tip: Writing an effective Apple Support Communities question. Screenshots (Mac) starts about two-thirds of the way down.

Apr 7, 2020 4:27 PM in response to kemalettintugcu

Thanks. That information is all I need for now, but it will be easier to fix what's wrong after starting your Mac in "Safe Mode". Please try this other way of booting Safe Mode:


Open the Terminal app—it's in your Mac's Utilities folder and looks like this:



You can find the Terminal app by using the Finder's Go menu and choosing Utilities, then find and double-click the Terminal icon.


Copy (drag or triple-click to select the line) and Paste the following command into the Terminal window:


sudo nvram boot-args="-x"


You will be asked for your login password. Type it and press the Return or Enter key. What you type will not be echoed, not even with •••• characters. Just type it and press Return.


When you restart your Mac and log in, the words "Safe Boot" should appear in the upper-right corner. Please confirm that method works.


To restart your Mac normally, it will be necessary to undo the Terminal command above. To do that, open Terminal again and in the same manner as last time type (or copy / paste):


sudo nvram boot-args=""


The next time you restart your Mac it will restart normally (not Safe Mode) and with nothing yet changed. That's next.


Please reply with your results.

Apr 7, 2020 5:09 PM in response to John Galt

Continued:


Next: if you want to eradicate all remaining adware remnants please 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 ("AphroditeResults" etc). If you find a folder or folders bearing that name, drag them 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: That Mac has been affected by an utterly worthless non-Apple "anti-virus" product. That garbage will only prevent your Mac from working the way it's designed to work and result in its exposure to additional threats. Remove "Intego" in strict accordance with its instructions. You can see for yourself that it did nothing to prevent the problems affecting your Mac. Refer to its developer or product website for uninstallation instructions.


Finally: If any of the above actions result in abnormal operation or if something else stops working, the easiest way to recover would be to restore the Time Machine backup you created as a prerequisite, so the importance of that fundamental step cannot be overemphasized.

aphrodite results daemon prevents my comp to connect internet

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