Is MacPaw CleanMyMac X safe for malware removal?

Absolutely not! Never install CleanMyMac, it is known here as BrickMyMac.

If you want help with removing any Malware, you can post the free EtreCheck report and we can advise which files need to be removed.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

That screenshot is telling you exactly where that browser extension actually resides. Go there and trash it yourself.

Rule of thumb: Never install any app that claims to “clean up”, “tune up” or “speed up” your Mac. These apps exist for one reason: to extract money from the wallets of the inexperienced user. What they do can be done in other ways, and mostly what they do is unnecessary, but sounds good. Unfortunately in the hands of an inexperienced user they can do a lot of damage to a Mac OS installation. Avoid.

francoisgs wrote:

I have been looking for the file , the only thing close is my Google chrome if I remove then no more google :((

The

/Users/francoisgsigrist/Library

folder is hidden by default, that is why you are not being able to find the file.

To access this folder so you can then navigate to the file in question:

In Finder, hold down the Option key, and from the Go menu choose Library.

(If you don't hold down the Option key, there is no "Library" in the Go menu).

Chrome is not an Apple product. Uninstall Chrome if you are experiencing issues with it. Or, go to Chrome's settings and delete unwanted extensions or extensions that are causing issues. There should be no need for you to manually delete files in hidden directories.

Uninstall CleanMyMac and all other third party apps that claim to protect, clean, manage, boost performance, etc. Such apps use system resources while providing no benefit. And, they may cause problems.

the only thing close is my Google chrome if I remove then no more google :((

I don't know who told you that, but they're at least a trillion percent wrong. Chrome is just another web browser. You DO NOT need it to do a web search using Google's search engine, or access your Google account. You can do that from literally any browser. Safari, Brave, Opera, Firefox, etc.

Chrome is a known, massive resource hog. On top of that, from the moment you turn your Mac on to the time you turn it off, it is constantly sending anonymized data of your computer and web usage to Google's servers. Chrome doesn't even have to be running. The keystone agents…

/Library/LaunchDaemons/google.keystone.agent.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons/google.keystone.xpcservice.plist

…do that by launching apps buried within the Chrome app, which load at startup. One of them is just for checking for updates to Chrome. The other is for all-the-time data harvesting.

And then there's this.

We don't allow any software written by Google on our Macs. Not Chrome, Google Earth, or anything else. Google's real business is collecting marketing data. You are their unwilling and unpaid source for it when you use any of their junk. If Safari isn't a browser you care much for, try Firefox or Brave. If you have a Google/Gmail account, you do not need Chrome to access it online. You can do that from any browser.

Brave in particular is an excellent replacement for Chrome. It’s built on the same open-source Chromium web code, but without any of Google Chrome’s intrusive data harvesting. One thing that makes Brave a better alternative are dumb web sites (like some banks) which insist you use Chrome for access. In almost all cases, Brave also works.

And yet another reason to never allow any app written by Google on your computer.

Google told users that when using incognito/private mode, Chrome would not track your usage, or collect data. They lied. It did anyway. Google has now agreed to settle the 2020 lawsuit with a five billion dollar fine.

But even so, according to another article on the lawsuit, that 5 billion is still a drop in the bucket to what Google has made on the collected data.

Remove Chrome and its daemons. Never install it again.

First and foremost, I agree with others saying to completely remove Chrome including the Keystone Agents in your LaunchDaemons/LaunchAgents folders that are responsible for harvesting your data. After removal, I would still recommend to post the free EtreCheck report to make sure all of the files have been removed. Many times they are in multiple Launch folders.

To remove the quarantined file from MalwareBytes, their support site claims you need to click the checkbox next to the file and you should see the option to Delete it.

https://help.malwarebytes.com/hc/en-us/articles/31589621457563-Restore-and-delete-quarantined-items-in-Malwarebytes-for-Mac-v4

Okay. What to do here?

You can remove Google Chrome browser if you want, as it is seldom necessary. Most websites work with any major browser, and Chrome is not necessary for accessing any of the major Google services. It’ll also eliminate that browser extension app that the add-on MalwareBytes is reporting as potentially sketchy.

Here, MalwareBytes is seemingly pointing at a Chrome extension. To remove the browser extension from within Chrome: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2589434?hl=en (or ignore it, as the extension has apparently already been disabled).

If you want to look for the Chrome browser extension file manually, you’ll need to look at the rest of the path MalwareBytes is (not) showing in that message. The missing part of the path specification is shown below circled in red. Tap on the area in green, and see if it’ll show the whole path to the file.

What about add-on system tools more generally?

I’m not sure whether any of this whole sequence is but reacting to noise. Add-on security apps and add-on anti-malware and other such apps all tend to be noisy (noise: “look at meeeeeeee!!!”, a form of self advertising), and for not much benefit. Not past what the built-in anti-malware provides. Noise: the app that reported this has already told you that you don't need to do anything.

Add-on cleaner apps, add-on optimizer apps, add-on anti-malware apps, add-on “coffee shop” VPN apps, and other similar add-ons all tend to have poor reputations around here. And they’re too often noisy, and too many of the apps can be collecting data or subscriptions for questionable benefits. One of the major add-on security apps was erroneously reporting a macOS component as malware for months, and various others have tried deleting parts of macOS itself. Which would be bad. macOS does pretty well all by itself, and does well at protecting itself, and without added help.

As for Google and Google apps more generally, Google is an immense advertising and tracking organization, with sidelines in web searching and apps that are themselves data-acquisitive. The common Google apps can get immensely busy doing who-knows-what too, and the apps have a longstanding reputation for being resource-intensive. And it is unusual for a mainline website to require specifically Chrome.

Safari works fine as a web browser.

If you do need a Chrome-based browser for some weird or low-budget or data-acquisitive website, Vivaldi uses the same foundation as Chrome, but lacks the Google tracking bits.

What security features should you be looking at?

Weak or compromised or re-used passwords, no two-factor authentication, inadequate or no backups, unfamiliarity with phishing and social engineering schemes, and some other topics.

We’re not getting viruses, we’re getting phished, and our compromised and particularly re-used passwords are getting tried everywhere.

Data and account security info: Better Securing Your Data, and Apple Acco… - Apple Community

You might want to reconsider using Chrome as your browser after reading the following:  you might consider the following:  Google is known to "phone home" with users data as was found out with this new Google Photos service:  Google Photos may be free — but there's still a cost.

Google Chrome Listening In To Your Room Shows The Importance Of Privacy Defense In Depth.

Unseen Burdens in Chrome That Can Lead a Mac to Lag

How to Manage the Secret Software That Google Chrome Installs on Your Mac\

Google Chrome's Sham 'Do Not Track' Feature

Google is known to "phone home" with users data as was found out with this new Google Photos service:  Google Photos may be free — but there's still a cost.

If you don't like Safari (although it is the most secure browser) give Firefox or Brave (Chrome without Google's intrusion to your privacy) a try.  They are  much more secure and safer than Chrome.

You can use the freeware AppCleaner to remove Google Chrome and it's supporting files from your Mac. However, read the warning that follows:

WARNING: If you use AppCleaner on an app that you have other apps from the same developer, like Adobe, you must be extremely careful checking all checkboxes and deleting.  Some for those files may support other apps from the same developer and deleting them can mess them up.  Adobe apps is a primary example. I know from experience.  For singular apps from a developer it's safe.

Addendum: First, there is no reason to ever install or run any 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus, VPN or security apps on your Mac.  This documents describe what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community and Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support.  

There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs.  There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.   

Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear.  They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware.  Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.

There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is designed solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it.  The free version is more than adequate for most users.  

Unless you're using a true VPN tunnel, such as between you and your employer's, school's or bank's servers, they provide false security from a privacy standpoint.  Read these two articles: Public VPN's are anything but private and Security Risks: The Dangers of Using Free VPNs (eccu.edu).  

Additionally, a new study ("Apple Offers Apps With Ties to Chinese Military”) is specifically about VPN apps in Apple’s App Store.