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Kuklorest is taking over my search engine

Hello


I followed instructions to go into Library Cache area and delete the type of files mentioned in a tutorial to get rid of this Kuklorest but it's still taking over my search function.


Thanks.

Posted on Sep 19, 2015 9:09 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Sep 19, 2015 10:13 AM

Some of the most common types of adware can be removed by following Apple's instructions. If those instructions don't work for you, or if you have trouble following them, see below.

This easy procedure will detect any kind of adware that I know of. Deactivating it is a separate, and even easier, procedure that doesn't involve downloading anything.

Some legitimate software is ad-supported and may display ads in its own windows or in a web browser while it's running. That's not malware and it may not show up. Also, some websites carry intrusive popup ads that may be mistaken for adware.

If none of your web browsers is working well enough to carry out these instructions, restart the computer in safe mode. That will disable the malware temporarily.

Step 1

Please triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. Press return. Either a folder named "LaunchAgents" will open, or you'll get a notice that the folder can't be found. If the folder isn't found, go to the next step.

If the folder does open, press the key combination command-2 to select list view, if it's not already selected. Please don't skip this step.

There should be a column in the Finder window headed Date Modified. Click that heading twice to sort the contents by date with the newest at the top. If necessary, enlarge the window so that all of the contents are showing.

Follow the instructions in this support article under the heading "Take a screenshot of a window." An image file with a name beginning in "Screen Shot" should be saved to the Desktop. Open the screenshot and make sure it's readable. If not, capture a smaller part of the screen showing only what needs to be shown.

Start a reply to this message. Drag the image file into the editing window to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.

Leave the folder open for now.

Step 2

Do as in Step 1 with this line:

/Library/LaunchAgents

The folder that may open will have the same name, but is not the same, as the one in Step 1. As in that step, the folder may not exist.

Step 3

Repeat with this line:

/Library/LaunchDaemons

This time the folder will be named "LaunchDaemons."

Step 4

Open the Safari preferences window and select the Extensions tab. If any extensions are listed, post a screenshot. If there are no extensions, or if you can't launch Safari, skip this step.

Step 5

If you use the Firefox or Chrome browser, open its extension list and do as in Step 4.

25 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Sep 19, 2015 10:13 AM in response to Katerose777

Some of the most common types of adware can be removed by following Apple's instructions. If those instructions don't work for you, or if you have trouble following them, see below.

This easy procedure will detect any kind of adware that I know of. Deactivating it is a separate, and even easier, procedure that doesn't involve downloading anything.

Some legitimate software is ad-supported and may display ads in its own windows or in a web browser while it's running. That's not malware and it may not show up. Also, some websites carry intrusive popup ads that may be mistaken for adware.

If none of your web browsers is working well enough to carry out these instructions, restart the computer in safe mode. That will disable the malware temporarily.

Step 1

Please triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. Press return. Either a folder named "LaunchAgents" will open, or you'll get a notice that the folder can't be found. If the folder isn't found, go to the next step.

If the folder does open, press the key combination command-2 to select list view, if it's not already selected. Please don't skip this step.

There should be a column in the Finder window headed Date Modified. Click that heading twice to sort the contents by date with the newest at the top. If necessary, enlarge the window so that all of the contents are showing.

Follow the instructions in this support article under the heading "Take a screenshot of a window." An image file with a name beginning in "Screen Shot" should be saved to the Desktop. Open the screenshot and make sure it's readable. If not, capture a smaller part of the screen showing only what needs to be shown.

Start a reply to this message. Drag the image file into the editing window to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.

Leave the folder open for now.

Step 2

Do as in Step 1 with this line:

/Library/LaunchAgents

The folder that may open will have the same name, but is not the same, as the one in Step 1. As in that step, the folder may not exist.

Step 3

Repeat with this line:

/Library/LaunchDaemons

This time the folder will be named "LaunchDaemons."

Step 4

Open the Safari preferences window and select the Extensions tab. If any extensions are listed, post a screenshot. If there are no extensions, or if you can't launch Safari, skip this step.

Step 5

If you use the Firefox or Chrome browser, open its extension list and do as in Step 4.

Oct 7, 2015 7:11 PM in response to ZaninoE

Delete all the items in the first folder only, and also the Safari extension. Restart the computer.

Reset the Safari home page, if it was changed. You may need to do the same in the other browsers.

From the Applications folder (not shown in the screenshots), delete items with any of the following names:

Epolife

InstallMac

Kuklorest

Manroling

Open your home folder by clicking the house icon with your name in the sidebar of a Finder window. If there is a subfolder named "Applications" (different from the main Applications folder), remove anything in it that you don't recognize.

Nov 16, 2015 6:36 PM in response to KK815

A

Back up all data before making any changes.

In the first folder arranged as shown in the screenshots, please delete these items:

#2 through #11 ("InstallMac")

In the second folder:

None

In the third folder:

None

Restart the computer.

Uninstall any Safari extensions you don't know you need. If in doubt, remove all of them. None is needed for normal operation.

Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those.

Reset the Safari home page, if it was changed. You may need to do the same in the other browsers.

From the Applications folder (not shown in the screenshots), delete items with any of the following names:

Kuklorest

InstallMac

Epolife

ZipDevil

Open your home folder by clicking the house icon with your name in the sidebar of a Finder window. If there is a subfolder named "Applications" (different from the main Applications folder), remove anything in it that you don't recognize.

These steps will permanently inactivate the malware, as long as you never reinstall it. A few small files may remain in hidden folders, but they have no effect.

The instructions above apply only to you. I'm including more general—and complete—self-contained removal instructions below for the benefit of others who may find this discussion. You can skip the remaining steps, but you should read them.

B (optional)

You installed one or more variants of the "InstallMac" trojan. Take the steps below to disable it.

The criminal behind this attack tries to make the malware hard to remove by varying the names of the files it installs. This procedure works as of now, as far as I know. It may not work in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for a more recent discussion, or start a new one.

Back up all data before continuing.

1. Triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return. A folder named "LaunchAgents" will open.

2. Inside the folder you just opened, there may be files with a name of the form

something.AppRemoval.plist

something.download.plist

something.ltvbit.plist

something.update.plist

where something is usually a meaningless string, such as any of the following:

Epolife

InstallMac

Javeview

Kuklorest

Manroling

Otwexplain

These are examples, not a complete list. The string could be anything. The point is that the same string will usually appear in the name of three or four files.

You could have more than one copy of the malware, with different values of something.

Move all such items to the Trash. If there are any other files with a name that begin with something, move them to the Trash also. After you've done that, there may not be anything left in the LaunchAgents folder; in that case, you can delete the folder, but otherwise don't delete it. Other files in the folder are not necessarily malicious (though they could be, if you also installed some other kind of malware.)

Log out or restart the computer. The trojan will now be inactive, but there are a few more components of it that should be cleaned up.

3. Open this folder in the same way as above:

~/Library/Application Support

and move to the Trash any subfolders named with the same something you found in Step 2.

Don't move the Application Support folder or anything else inside it.

4. Open the Applications folder. If there is an item with the same name as in Step 3, or any of the other names listed in Step 2, drag it to the Trash.

If in doubt, press the key combination option-command-4 to arrange the apps by date added. Look at the apps that have been added since you first noticed the problem. If there is one you don't recognize, drag it to the Trash.

Empty the Trash.

If you get an alert that the application is in use, force it to quit.

5. From the Safari menu bar, select

Safari Preferences... Extensions

Uninstall all extensions you don't know you need. If in doubt, remove all of them. None is required for normal operation. Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those.

6. Reset the home page in each of your browsers, if it was changed. In Safari, first load the home page you want, then select

Safari Preferences... General

and click

Set to Current Page

Dec 6, 2015 4:30 PM in response to bel327

Please take Step 6 in my last comment in this thread to reset your home page. I also suggest that you remove the "DivX" Chrome extension, which is at best useless and may be malicious.


In the folder in your first screenshot, select the item named "gUpdater.plist" and press the space bar. A QuickLook window should open. Resize it, if necessary, to show the whole contents of the file, then post a screenshot of that.

Kuklorest is taking over my search engine

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