I have a pop up window whenever I'm in google chrome that says, "Recommended download, install mac adware cleaner" now to protect our mac device from malware, adware and other security threats. Is this a real pop up or an adware?
How do i get rid of it?
thanks
MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)
A
First, never use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" software on a Mac. That's how you create problems, not how you solve them.
B
You may have installed a fake "utility" called "Advanced Mac Cleaner." Like any software that purports to automatically "clean up" or "speed up" a Mac, it's a scam, and some variants of it are ad-injection malware.
To remove it, please take the steps below. Some of the files listed may be absent in your case. Back up all data before proceeding.
Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. 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.
If you paid for the software with a credit card, consider reporting the charge to the bank as fraudulent.
Step 1
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
~/Library/LaunchAgents
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Open
from the contextual menu.* A folder named "LaunchAgents" may open. If it does, look inside it for files with a name that begins in either of these ways:
com.pcv.
com.WebShoppy
Move any such file to the Trash.
*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. 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.
Step 2
Open this folder as in Step 1:
/Library/LaunchAgents
Inside it there may be one or more files with a name beginning in
com.WebTools
If so, move those files, and only those, to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.
Don't delete the LaunchAgents folder or anything else inside it.
Log out or restart the computer.
Step 3
Open the Applications folder and move an item named "Advanced Mac Cleaner" (if it's present) to the Trash. Also remove any items with a name such as "Shoppy" or "WebShoppy." Empty the Trash.
Step 4
In the Extensions tab of the Safari preferences window, uninstall an extension named "XSearch" if it's present. Also remove any other extensions that you don't know you need. If in doubt, remove all of them. None is required for normal operation. You may have to do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those.
Step 5
The malware is now permanently inactivated, provided that you don't reinstall it. This step is optional.
Delete the following items, if they exist, as in Step 1:
/Library/Application Support/amc
~/Library/AdvancedMacCleaner
~/Library/Application Support/WebTools
There's no need to log out or restart after taking this step.
The problem may have started when you downloaded something, such as the application "FileZilla," from the "Sourceforge" website or some other Internet cesspit. Never visit that site again. All software should be downloaded only from the developer's website or from the Mac App Store, if applicable.
C
Links have been posted in this thread to the "macupdate" website. Do not follow the links, and never download anything from that site. It intentionally distributes OS X malware by packaging some free applications (such as "Firefox" and "Skype") in an unnecessary and malicious "installer."
All software should be downloaded directly from the developer's website or from the App Store. Don't trust any site such as "macupdate" that aggregates links.
Hi Dinah,
You can scan as often as you like. MalwareBytes for Mac only takes up system resources when run. When you close it, it's done. Not like normal AV software that runs the entire time you computer is on.
EtreCheck is another useful tool for this. It started out as a utility to take a snapshot of your system and all running processes. It has also been used thousands of times by users of these forums and elsewhere. The author, etresoft (a member of these forums), has somewhat recently added the ability to remove adware and other invasive apps it finds. It used to only mark them and it was then up to you to figure out how to remove the junk.
But the basic answer is, be careful where you download from. Avoid aggregate sites like Softonic, downloads.com, etc. Much of what you get from them installs adware along with the software you want to try. I do use them, but only to find software titles. After I find what I'd like to try, I go directly to the vendor's web site and download it from there.
Snow Leopard is a great OS, but it's also hopelessly out of date. It, and Safari in that version are greatly behind on security updates. Firefox is dropping support for Snow Leopard soon (if they haven't already). And so is Chrome. There will essentially be no browser security protection for SL. How far you can upgrade the OS depends on the model Mac you have.
Thank you Kurt for responding. That is great information about downloads, and generally speaking I seldom even used the download, except for PDF's for work, but again, it only takes once and you can get zapped. 🙂
I have trouble using Firefox and Chrome, so I don't even have those. I use Safari only. I was going to upgrade my OS but at the time, and an Apple support person helped me. It deleted almost all of my images and some of the programs I used so I went back to Snow Leopard. It was a mess, and now I'm a bit apprehensive about upgrading to another OS.
I have a late 2008 MacBook Pro. What would be the least invasive OS that would allow me to keep my images in tact and not lose Preview?
Regards,
Dinah
Thank you Kurt. I just got off the phone with Apple Support and I have Maverick, and it's fine, so now that you have helped me rid my laptop of the adware nonsense, I think that is all on the agenda for now. My 2008 doesn't have enough space for El Capitan or Sierra, and since I also do not have a cell phone, or watch, and have no plans on acquiring them, we will just carry on with Maverick. 🙂 After all I got my first Apple in 8 boxes back in the 80s (wish I still had that one), so I tend to stick with what works for me.
Vintage all the way
Dinah
Yes, I believe Apple is still supporting Mavericks with security updates, so you can stay there if you wish. When it drops, you'll want to upgrade to El Capitan (your Mac can't install Sierra). From the sounds of it, you'll have to put in a larger drive. But by that point, you may have already upgraded to newer hardware.
I'll confess that the instructions above are on the techie-side for me ... not being a person who reads or understands code (though i'm trying to learn!!)
Are there more layman's instructions? ALSO -- i found another set of directions via Google search and think it actually prompts you to download yet another software to deal with this -- obviously i ignored and looked for answers from the Apple community site instead. Man, so many ways to get messed up out there. I confess I've become complacent about viruses since abandoning PCs (required for work), so I need to wake up.
Oh GOOD FOR YOU!! How lucky is that! Mine were in lots of boxes and very boxy, not cool like the clam, but I did have an orange one years later. LOVED IT!! That is so cool. Not jealous at all, very happy for you.
Dinah
I tried working out the steps but it doesn't work for me because I don't find anything else in other folders except for the "Application" file. do you know if there's any other way I can fix this?
Advanced Mac Cleaner uninstall (2)
Thank you!!!!
I got it from downloading Adobe Java updater as well. Unbelievable that Adobe would allow for this nasty little software to get installed.
It wasn't on a website. It was the Adobe updater prompting me to update Java.
Greetings,
I started on this excellent recommendation. When I go to the 'triple click' and control click or right click, I could not progress. Thank you..
Bruce
Thank you I'm not great at this where would I get the MalwareBytes? I'm very grateful for your help. :)
The blue text in my post is an active link. It will take you to the site. Then click the download button there. A copy will be downloaded to the Downloads folder in your user account.
Thank you so much :)
how to remove mac adware cleaner pop up window
