Sierra / Mac Adware Cleaner

That Mac has been affected by "CleanMyMac" which must be removed. Remove it first, then follow the applicable recovery procedure below.

"Cleaning" apps are scams. Excerpted from Effective defenses against malware and other threats:

Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.

• Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.
• They generally operate on the flawed premise that a Mac accumulates "junk" that needs to be routinely "cleaned out" for optimum performance.
• Trial versions of those programs are successful because they provide the instant gratification of greater free disk space.
• That increased space is the result of irreversible destruction of files, programs, or operating system components normally protected from inadvertent alteration or deletion. The eventual result will be unreliable operation, poor performance and random crashes that may not become evident for months or even years after their use, when updates to programs or OS X are eventually released.
• Memory "cleaners" that circumvent OS X's memory management algorithms work by purging inactive memory contents to mass storage, which can only result in degraded performance and accelerated hardware failure.

To remove CleanMyMac 3 itself, use its Uninstaller module, followed by these additional steps:

Remove the file ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

• To navigate to that file, copy and paste the following line into the Finder's Go menu > Go To Folder...

~/Library/LaunchAgents/

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

• Then, open  (Apple menu) > System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items.
• Select the item CleanMyMac3 Menu
• Click the [—] (minus) button.
• Restart your Mac.

Beware that reinstalling OS X alone will have no effect on either removing CleanMyMac or reversing the damage it is capable of inflicting upon a system. To recover from the effects of having used it to modify OS X, the additional software you require and the essential files you need, follow the applicable recovery procedure below:

• If you have a backup that you created prior to using CleanMyMac, now is the time to use it. For Time Machine, boot OS X Recovery, and at the Mac OS X Utilities screen, choose Restore from Time Machine Backup. Choose a date preceding the installation of CleanMyMac.
• If you do not have a backup that predates the use of CleanMyMac, create one now. To do that read Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac.
  • The recovery procedure will require that you erase the Mac using OS X Recovery, and then create a new User Account whose contents will be empty. You will then be able to use Setup Assistant to migrate your essential documents including photos, music, work products and other essential files.
  • To erase and install OS X read How to reinstall OS X on your Mac.
    • Follow Step 2 to completely erase that Mac's internal storage: Disk Utility (El Capitan): Erase a volume.
    • Then, follow the procedure in Move your content to a new Mac.
    • When asked how you want to transfer your information, select Transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.
    • Under Select the Information to Transfer, select only your previous User account and do not select "Applications", "Computer and Network Settings" or "Other files and folders". De-select those choices.
  • Subsequent to using Setup Assistant, you will need to reinstall the essential software you may require, once again remembering to install software only from their original sources, and omitting all non-essential software.
  • "Non-essential software" is a broad category that includes but is not limited to third party "cleaning", "maintenance", and "anti-virus" products.

That is not CMC, you have a pop up ad for Mac Space Reviewer, don't install it, and review your browsing habits.

The "Mac Space Reviver" nag may be limited to your User Account, which would have been reinstalled along with it. It is not related to "CleanMyMac" but they are both fruit of the same unscrupulous tree.

To determine how to get rid of it please read the following instructions. They are designed to obtain additional information needed to eradicate it.

Navigate to the following folder, and post its contents in a screenshot.

~/Library/LaunchAgents

To open that folder, copy the entire line above and paste it in the Finder's Go menu > Go to Folder... field. It should look like this:

Take a screenshot showing all that folder's contents, and post it in a reply. To take a screenshot read the Appendix in the following User Tip: Writing an effective Apple Support Communities question. There will be additional instructions to follow.

For a description of how this may have occurred, how to avoid it in the future, and for Apple's recommended actions read How to install adware.

What about MalwareBytes Anti-Malware for Mac which is actually recommended by apple.

Most likely, it is a popup advertisement that should simply be ignored.

In the same manner as before, please post the contents of the following

~/Library/Application Support/

There will be a great number of files in that folder, so you may have to post multiple screenshots.

In the same manner as before, please navigate to the following folder, and take a screenshot:

/Library/LaunchAgents

There may be nothing in that folder, but if it contains anything please make sure the screenshot captures all its contents.

Repeat the above with the following folder:

/Library/LaunchDaemons

Please post those two screenshots in a reply. The reason is to identify any additional files that may be installed in those locations.

Be sure to identify which is which – capturing the entire window (including its title) will help.

yes.....i used malwarebytes and it cleaned my computer right on up!!!......works great

I'm glad to hear that.

Incidentally, this crapware that you had installed didn't have any relation to upgrading to Sierra. Something else that you downloaded installed all that junk, but I can't say what. Those PCVARK products (Advanced Mac Cleaner, Mac Adware Cleaner, Mac Space Reviver, etc) are one of the most pervasive and nastiest sets of junk apps out there, and are found in all manner of bad installers downloaded from the wrong sites.

Also, note that none of those actually had anything to do with CleanMyMac. Although CleanMyMac is not something you should be using, it's not related to those PCVARK apps and has not (yet) met our PUP (potentially unwanted program) criteria. We've got our eyes on it though.

Thomas Reed

Director of Mac Offerings, Malwarebytes

I use Malware-Bytes periodically the only thing it mentions as a PUP is a Audio/Video Player called MplayerX I used it for years and the only thing it does is allow playing audio and video types such WMA and WMV that Microsoft quit allowing Mac to play years ago when Mr Gates was around and Bent on trying shut down Apple.

pjonesCET1 wrote:

I use Malware-Bytes periodically the only thing it mentions as a PUP is a Audio/Video Player called MplayerX

The developer of MPlayerX is known to package it with adware and malware. I don't recommend trusting that app. Go get a copy of VLC instead:

http://www.videolan.org/