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

There are problems with the info about removing Genieo...e.g. the link recomended by thomas_r, which I'm sure is quite good otherwise, calls for you to first quit Genieo...which you cannot do in the normal fashion because it boots at startup and it won't let you "quit" (nice job, Genieo!),  and you can't trash an in-use application without first quiting it... Going into Activity Monitor and stopping it from running solves that. Another recomendation suggested going to the Genieo www site and downloading their Uninstaller...which first asks for your password! (Fool me once....) I think killing the app is a good first step.

Quitting an App prior to deletion is normal, not a secret. And activity monitor is the usual place to quit an App that has no UI itself.

the link recomended by thomas_r, which I'm sure is quite good otherwise, calls for you to first quit Genieo...which you cannot do in the normal fashion because it boots at startup and it won't let you "quit"

I'm not sure why you say that. My instructions even include a picture that shows how it's done:

Did this not work for you?

Csound1 wrote:

 

Quitting an App prior to deletion is normal, not a secret. And activity monitor is the usual place to quit an App that has no UI itself.

Csound your right (of cause) but I will bet that a lote of people who are having problem removing programs like this don't know about Activity Monitor or how to use it to quit programs that don't have a UI (User Interface).  It's one of thous things/programs some may see and reacts with "arrrrr!!!! wheres the sys admin? when you need one).  :-)

Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genieo

Malware issues[edit]

In May 2013, a malicious installer distributed by Genieo partner Softonic^[7] was found by security software company Intego. The installer masquerades as a necessary update to Adobe Flash Player and attempts to install Genieo.app without user interaction. Dynamic libraries are added to the Safari browser which intercept searches intended for Bing and Google.^[8]

Other versions of Genieo for Mac have also been offered as 'codecs' required for video playback.^[9] Testing carried out on Genieo for Mac in June 2013 found that it left active software behind, after using the supplied uninstaller, which required detailed manual removal.^[9][10][11]

In November 2013, another fake application installer was reported to include Genieo adware. ^[12]

In January 2014, Sophos added Genieo for Mac to their threat list; in the category Viruses and Spyware : Trojan : Adware

~~~

My copy rode in on an Adobe Flash Player update recently. Now to get rid of it.

My copy rode in on an Adobe Flash Player update recently.

That was probably not a real Adobe Flash Player update. See:

http://www.thesafemac.com/genieo-adware-downloaded-through-fake-flash-updates/

I am normally VERY careful about staying away from malware installations etc.  But this Genieo caught me.  I went to a legitimate website www.gadm.org that supplies a database of all the administrative boundaries for all countries in the world.  A huge database for every region of the globe.  There was a nice big DOWNLOAD button on the right side of the website page.  So I hit it.  Turns out what I thought was the download page for their database was an inserted ad with no markings except the DOWNLOAD button. 

I clicked the installed that resulted and it said "Now installing Genieo.. this may take up to 10 minutes".  I immediately killed the installer.  Killed the app running.  And killed the Genieo App and Uninstall Genieo App.

I rebooted my mac.  Then did a search for every file created within a minute of that download and found 8 or 10 files in Daemon Launchers, Config files etc etc with the name genieo in it.

Also found my browswer had been hijacked to a genieo.com url.

I think I have gotten rid of it.  The LAST thing I would do is run their Unistaller!  Sheesh.

I HATE people that totally try to deceive.   If they can't make a legitimate application that people want, it is unethical to entrap people to load your app.

Disgusting.

Jim

Gamers Beware!

Genieo currently also appears to piggyback off the genuine voice chat software, Mumble v1.2.4.. via a prompt to install v1.2.5 ..and force quitting the installer does not prevent the install.

Note that I just took a look and downloaded the latest version of Mumble from its Sourceforge website. I see no indication of any kind of Genieo installer, though I didn't actually open the Mumble app.

More likely, you downloaded it from some other site that wrapped it in an adware installer, or you mistakenly pressed a "download" button that was on the download page, but was actually part of an ad... like this one, which I found on a page offering a Mumble download:

Something similar was mentioned recently .

i see what you mean, in any case : Big green download button on a sourceforge page ?, better click it.

That link kinda sounds like the problem.. looks like I hit the wrong big download button.. I only recently started using Mumble rather than Ventrilo.. and Mumble v1.2.4 had given me issues with a greyed out 'Quit 'button, requiring force quitting the app every time.. so I was keen to get the update to v1.2.5 when Mumble prompted me.. but I had problems with the update link.

Frst couple of attempts the link just died.. then it appeared to do the install but left me with v1.2.4 still installed not v1.2.5.. so I manually went to Sourceforge and I must have hit the wrong download button.. but hey, that Genieo link is on the Sourceforge page with a big old download button, strategically placed!

As soon as it started running and flagged the name Genieo, I was suspicious.. but sometimes these Apps are made by companies with a different name to the software (this includes many WoW add-ons) however as soon as it mentioned 'alterations that might take 10 mins', I realised it was not Mumble being installed and immediately pulled the plug with a Force Quit on the installer.. made no difference, it quietly continued the install anyway, only annoucing the fact when it had finished (lesson learned, next time I will force power down the Mac).

Fairly sure I have now exterminated Genieo from the system, though.. thanks to advice on this site.

This Macworld page has a Genieo advertisement with prominent Download button

http://www.macworld.com/product/802661/x-lossless-decoder-xld-.html

It also has no button to download the software that it features. Note the tiny print saying that the button is an advertisement and that it will download Genieo.

Heyya,

I came across this because I have just upgraded to O S X Mavericks. It told me that something was in the "Incompatable Software" folder, so I found Geneio lurking there. It can't work because there is no recent update for it. My opinion is that if you upgrade (for free) to OSX  Mavericks, then it can't affect you!

Hope this helps!

Isaac x

I doubt it Isaac, but that's good to know that updating seems to affect it either way.

Remember that Geneio is not just the Geneio.app file.

isaacbarrow1 wrote:

 

if you upgrade (for free) to OSX  Mavericks, then it can't affect you!

Sadly, that's not true. It may just be Apple's way of suggesting you get rid of it, but many Mavericks users are still being impacted by it.