freydom

Q: how do I get rid of "slick savings"?

All of a sudden I have a shopping assistant called "slick savings"  I don't know how I got it, but how do I get rid of it?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Dec 2, 2014 11:06 AM

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Q: how do I get rid of "slick savings"?

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 2, 2014 2:50 PM in response to freydom
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Dec 2, 2014 2:50 PM in response to freydom

    You may have installed the "Genieo" or "InstallMac" ad-injection malware. Follow the instructions on this Apple Support page to remove it.

    Back up all data before making any changes.

    Besides the files listed in the linked support article, you may also need to remove this file in the same way:

    ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieo.completer.ltvbit.plist

    If there are other items with a name that includes "Genieo" or "genieo" alongside any of those you find, remove them as well.

    One of the steps in the article is to remove malicious Safari extensions. Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those. If Safari crashes on launch, skip that step and come back to it after you've done everything else.

    If you don't find any of the files or extensions listed, or if removing them doesn't stop the ad injection, then you may have one of the other kinds of adware covered by the support article. Follow the rest of the instructions in the article.

    Make sure you don't repeat the mistake that led you to install the malware. Chances are you got it from an Internet cesspit such as "Softonic" or "CNET Download." Never visit either of those sites again. You might also have downloaded it from an ad in a page on some other site. The ad would probably have included a large green button labeled "Download" or "Download Now" in white letters. The button is designed to confuse people who intend to download something else on the same page. If you ever download a file that isn't obviously what you expected, delete it immediately.

    In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere  should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.

    Still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked

              Install system data files and security updates

    if it's not already checked.

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Dec 2, 2014 2:57 PM in response to freydom
    Level 10 (271,794 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 2, 2014 2:57 PM in response to freydom

    Helpful Links Regarding Malware Problems

     

    If you are having an immediate problem with ads popping up see The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide, AdwareMedic, or Remove unwanted adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac - Apple Support.

     

    Open Safari, select Preferences from the Safari menu. Click on Extensions icon in the toolbar. Disable all Extensions. If this stops your problem, then re-enable them one by one until the problem returns. Now remove that extension as it is causing the problem.

     

    The following comes from user stevejobsfan0123. I have made minor changes to adapt to this presentation.

     

    Fix Some Browser Pop-ups That Take Over Safari.

     

    Common pop-ups include a message saying the government has seized your computer and you must pay to have it released (often called "Moneypak"), or a phony message saying that your computer has been infected, and you need to call a tech support number (sometimes claiming to be Apple) to get it resolved. First, understand that these pop-ups are not caused by a virus and your computer has not been affected. This "hijack" is limited to your web browser. Also understand that these messages are scams, so do not pay any money, call the listed number, or provide any personal information. This article will outline the solution to dismiss the pop-up.

     

    Quit Safari

     

    Usually, these pop-ups will not go away by either clicking "OK" or "Cancel." Furthermore, several menus in the menu bar may become disabled and show in gray, including the option to quit Safari. You will likely have to force quit Safari. To do this, press Command + option + esc, select Safari, and press Force Quit.

     

    Relaunch Safari

     

    If you relaunch Safari, the page will reopen. To prevent this from happening, hold down the 'Shift' key while opening Safari. This will prevent windows from the last time Safari was running from reopening.

     

    This will not work in all cases. The shift key must be held at the right time, and in some cases, even if done correctly, the window reappears. In these circumstances, after force quitting Safari, turn off Wi-Fi or disconnect Ethernet, depending on how you connect to the Internet. Then relaunch Safari normally. It will try to reload the malicious webpage, but without a connection, it won't be able to. Navigate away from that page by entering a different URL, i.e. www.apple.com, and trying to load it. Now you can reconnect to the Internet, and the page you entered will appear rather than the malicious one.

     

    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

      OS X Mavericks- 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.)

  • by thomas_r.,

    thomas_r. thomas_r. Dec 2, 2014 4:43 PM in response to freydom
    Level 7 (30,944 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 2, 2014 4:43 PM in response to freydom

    It's entirely possible you may have Genieo (aka InstallMac), but that would be purely coincidental. Slick Savings is part of the Spigot adware, not the Genieo adware.

     

    Spigot is easily removed. See:

     

    http://www.thesafemac.com/arg-spigot/

     

    Note, though, that if you have one piece of adware, there's a decent chance you may have more than one. I've seen machines infected with as many as six different adware programs, and have seen malicious installers containing as many as four adware programs. If you continue to have problems with ads after removing Spigot, see my Adware Removal Guide for help finding and removing anything else.

     

    (Fair disclosure: I may receive compensation from links to my sites, TheSafeMac.com and AdwareMedic.com, in the form of buttons allowing for donations. Donations are not required to use my site or software.)