How do I finally get rid of MacKeeper popups and other ads on OS X 10.8.4?

The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide

How to Remove MacKeeper

Helpful Links Regarding Malware Protection

An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.

Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.

See these Apple articles:

Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection

OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

About file quarantine in OS X

If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using ClamXAV. (Thank you to Thomas Reed for this recommendation.)

From user Joe Bailey comes this equally useful advice:

The facts are:

1. There is no anti-malware software that can detect 100% of the malware out there.

2. There is no anti-malware that can detect anything targeting the Mac because there

is no Mac malware in the wild, and therefore, no "signatures" to detect.

3. The very best way to prevent the most attacks is for you as the user to be aware that

the most successful malware attacks rely on very sophisticated social engineering

techniques preying on human avarice, ****, and fear.

4. Internet popups saying the FBI, NSA, Microsoft, your ISP has detected malware on

your computer is intended to entice you to install their malware thinking it is a

protection against malware.

5. Some of the anti-malware products on the market are worse than the malware

from which they purport to protect you.

6. Be cautious where you go on the internet.

7. Only download anything from sites you know are safe.

8. Avoid links you receive in email, always be suspicious even if you get something

you think is from a friend, but you were not expecting.

9. If there is any question in your mind, then assume it is malware.

While MacKeeper is about the worst of the worst in the category of "legitimate" software, it's not technically malware, so no AV software will detect it as such. Follow Kappy's first two links. More than anything, you've likely inadvertently installed adware.

The first link has another link on that page to Thomas Reed's automated adware removal tool.

swagfromnull wrote:

I also tried running ClamXav on my account and the root user I created but it didn't find anything.

ClamXav and most other A-V scanners does not find adware since it's annoying but not malicious.

Your best bet for getting rid of all currently known adware today is the Adware Removal Tool.