What is Genieo and why did it appeared misteriosouly on my MacBook Pro?

I do not see anyone addressing one of the (apparent) ways in which surreptiously download software is blocked from being installed: The setting of Privacy and Security Preferences.

My downloads folder shows that the genio DMG App was downloaded multiple times (14) but never installed. I was able to check and saw none of the .plist or usr/lbgen files associated with this installation. I believe this is because my Security & Privacy General Prefernces were set to: 1] only allow App Store installations and 2] App Store + designated signed software (which I toggled on when necessary).

I would suggest that anyone wishing to avoid "questionable" software installation on MAC OS X set the Security and Preference as restrictively as possible and toggle the setting to more permissive as desired/needed. Ultimately, absent a major hack/intrusion, 99% of what gets installed on MAC OS X gets there because an administrator/usr verifies it via password as something he/she wishes to be installed.

You may be fooled into installing something, but if you don't know what you're installing or have downloaded something you didn't request, the solution is simple: READ the EULA and/or don't install it. You do have a choice!

Yes your right.

lindsayfromleander wrote:

Chained "automatic" pages such as you describe are a JavaScript thing, Not dependent on your operating system. One of these pages may have had a "close" button on it which downloaded Genio.

thomas_r. wrote:

I certainly did not suggest or imply that you are simple, and I don't care if you can't spell as long as I can understand what you're trying to say.

Adblock would certainly help to stop a chain of pop-up pages. That is not related to Genieo, however. Since this topic is related to what Genieo is and how to remove it, it's important to be clear that Adblock cannot prevent Genieo from being installed, nor can it remove Genieo or prevent the symptoms of having Genieo installed.

Did I say Adblock prevented Genieo from being installed? NO. Did I say Adblock can remove Genieo? NO. Did I say Adblock can a did stop a JavaScript chained "automatic" pages from opening? YES. Did I say that it was one of these pages had a download for Genieo that stated automatic YES.

To be more helpfull. If I rember the first post sead that "Install Genieo" was installed onto the Dock. I think there is a confusion hear. If the Download folder is on the Dock as a stack then the last thing to be downloaded will appear there and it can look like it has been installed but it has not. Its just the installer that has been downloaded on perpus, acadent or automaticly and it is not until you click on it and agree to run it that the installer will install Genieo and it is this action (that we can agree) can not happen automaticly.

So if you don't want Genieo installed then just delete the file "Install Genieo"

As for uninstalling Genieo? I am sorry to say I can not help as I did not install it. I just wanted to say I did not like the way the installer package got downloaded to my laptop and wanted to worn people to be cerfull of java and javascript doing this and to be watchfull of popups

You're right. There are a great many sites which peddle genieo adware and other things via pop-ups and on-page advertising. Certainly, I have seen dozens; and the 'offers' and 'required codec missing' and 'flash updates' are very often hidden by Adblock.

The vast majority of Genieo "infections" out there, in my experience, comes from download of some software that bundles Genieo in its installer, such as many downloads from Softonic. Adblock might block the occasional automatic download of Genieo, but that is not a danger. (I mean, who finds a weird installer in their Downloads folder and then installs it?) The biggest danger is sneaking it in by piggybacking on other installers or tricking the user into downloading something that's not really what it claims to be. Adblock will not protect against that.

I don't have a problem with Adblock, I just don't want people getting the idea that it will protect them from Genieo, simply because it was brought up here.

Yes your right programs like Adblock should not be seen as protection from any thing. 20 years of helping people with there computers both PC and MAC, I am always surprised at how often people will do things!(including running weird installers that appear in their Downloads folder), no program will stop that.

Education is the answer hear and the lesions to learn are:

1) Downloding is diffent from installing

2) Just because is downloaded dose not mean it's installed even if it's on the dock

3) Set the "Security and Privacy" settings to ther most conservitive

4) If you don't know what someting is don't click on it until you know what it is and that you are shoure you want to.

5) Understand that programs/plug-ins like Adblock are not for stoping things from being downloaded or installed but just help stop unwanted web pages and ads from popping up.

I still think that the less unwanted ads/pages that pop up the less chance of getting duped into doing something like downloading or installing something you dont want BUT!!! it cant control you so if your not on your guard you can still be duped (I'v have been)

Just wanted to add that my wife and I encountered this this morning. My wife inadvertantly installed Genieo while trying to update her version of Java.

When I asked her to re-trace her steps she showed me that she started by googling "update java" - afterwhich she ended up on http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp

She downloaded and executed the installer from java.com - and it was not until she was about halfway through the installation that she realized that she was installing Genieo, not Java.

When retracing her steps with her I was not able to download java at all, instead I landed on a page stating that "Chrome does not support Java 7 on Mac OS X. Java 7 runs only on 64-bit browsers and Chrome is a 32-bit browser."

My wife is adamant that this page was not in place when she tried the download. She assures me that she was not prompted to enter her admin password during the Genieo install. As soon as she realized what was happening she came to get me. I tried the uninstaller, which required an admin password, so I opted to uninstall manually.

My wife isn't a tech person but she is no dummy either, so I do take her for her word that this happened while on the java.com website.

thomas_r I don't want to speek for anothere but I do not think andyBall_uk "requested" any information. The way I read it he was just saying how to find some information. As for the "installer" in my case it was named "install_genieo".

For thoughs who want some basic infor of app instalation.

The three ways I know of to install an app onto a MAC are.

1) using the App Store.

2) Download the app often stored on a .dmg image that you mount, open and drag the app file to a foulder on the disk on your Mac.

3) Download the app stored on a .dmg image that you mount, open and this time click on a package file that runs and dose some things to your system (writting files, changing config files and doing other instalation jobs) and this sory of installation is what I know of as using a installer,

Yes some downloaded files have "More Info" in the "Get Info" pannel when you option click on the file.

Hope this helps.

Hey - sorry I am just getting back, I'm fighting a nasty cold and am trying to get some work done.

Assuming you guys were asking about my addition to the conversation - I've since deleted the installer but it was clearly labled as a Genieo .dmg file.

Per my wife, she clicked the download button on the installer from the java.com page and somewhat blindly clicked through the instructions that were provided. It was nto until the install was actually taking place that she realized that she was installing Genieo -

I asked her if she thought that maybe she had mistakenly downlaoded Genieo at some other time - she said anything is possible, but she really doesn't think so.

Just wanted to say that although I did find 14 instances of genio DMGs being downloaded, I was able to find that it was not actually installed on my system. I discovered this by doing a search for geneio through Google and found a site that pointed out the files one would find installed in the /usr folder of the home folder. Sorry, I can't out my finger on the site at this moment, but if I found it anyone can.

You would need to make your home folder's Library folder visible as necessary and then use Onyx to make the root files visible. Then you could search in the /usr folders. I conclude that the geneio dmgs were downloaded surreptitiously and never identified as being "geneiol" apps.

James, it's entirely possible that your wife clicked on a link that claimed to be at java.com but was a link to another site altogether. I've seen weirdness of this sort. A page may post a URL as the visible hyperlink text when the actual link is a URL to some other page altogether. This is extremely underhanded, although probably not a criminal offense. It would certainly be actionable in civil court were it to stick around long enough for Oracle to see it.

A link in google wouldn't do this, but you said that your wife "ended up" on a page with a visible URL supposedly at java.com. Did she access a page from google which had this URL, or perhaps follow a chain of links to get to to a page with such a misleading link text?

No - according to her she googled "update java" then clicked on one of the google page results, which was for a page on java.com

When I tried to retrace her steps onher machien the afore mentioned link did show as having been visited previously.

I wish I had kept the installer. Are there any other relevant logs I can check?

Here's a link to an Intego site which discusses the relevant files to look for such as:

.usr/lib/libgenkit.dylid

http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/another-problematic-softonic-installer-b rings-adware/

TopSteve wrote:

thomas_r I don't want to speek for anothere but I do not think andyBall_uk "requested" any information. The way I read it he was just saying how to find some information. As for the "installer" in my case it was named "install_genieo".

I believe andy wanted feedback on where the installer came from. I know that's what Thomas wants to know.

The three ways I know of to install an app onto a MAC are.

Since we are talking about this being a potential Java update here (which is technicall not an app, I realize) the safest, most efficient way to update Java SE 7 is by going to System Preferences->Java and checking to see if an update is available. It will then direct you to the appropriate place.

Similarly, FlashPlayer should always be updated now by starting in System Preferences->Flash Player.