is adware removal pro safe to use?

FLPower wrote:

I found this page below and installed the free Adware Removal Pro from the site. I was first anxious to install it but ended It was trustful free (trial for the first 14 days) and had removed all the infection within a minute!

Programs like Adware Removal Pro fake their detection by destroying your browser settings and all your extensions, regardless of whether they are legitimate or not. This software will also remove things like your password manager, your ad blocker, etc.

Such programs might accidentally solve a problem that you could have solved on your own in 30 seconds without any need for third-party software... but because it tricked you into thinking it was doing something useful, you might pay for it.

the findings here with "real time" scanning software is that it has a tendency to interfere with the stability of OS X. Both Etrecheck and the free version of Malwarebytes do not behave in this manner.

There are a number of pay and free security products on the App Store but this is no validation from Apple that these products are stable or anything else , only that the developers have chosen to identify themselves with Apple.

spydie2 wrote:

It was never pushed in my face. I never saw any ads for it until I went looking for it

Adware Removal Pro uses tricks like fake user reviews and fake adware removal instructions designed to drive search engine traffic to their website, which promotes Adware Removal Pro on every page. THAT is why you found it when you went looking.

JimmyCMPIT wrote:

There are a number of pay and free security products on the App Store but this is no validation from Apple that these products are stable or anything else , only that the developers have chosen to identify themselves with Apple.

In addition to that, the technical restrictions that Apple places on apps in the Mac App Store (to make them safer than other apps) make it impossible to have a functional security app.

Adware Removal Pro is junk. Anything that gets pushed in your face with a pop-up window is junk.

When was the last time you saw and ad for Microsoft Word appear in a pop-up window?

Legitimate, valuable, reliable software does NOT advertise itself this way, because it does not have to!

Adware Removal Pro is safe to use. I downloaded it because I, somehow, picked up a re-directed search engine (that doesn't show up in my extensions or my search engine choices) called "smartsearch" and it placed translucent search tab in all my browsers. I ran Adware Removal Pro and it got rid of the problem.

Ssp.zryydi.com

Apparently, some adware and/or malware showed up on your screen.

There are so many of those lately, the only thing you can do is remove it/them with a tool like Malwarebytes (or manually). There is nothing that can prevent this from occurring. Except for one thing: do not go online and/or be extremely careful with what websites you visit. And, unfortunately, there isn't a thing Apple can do to prevent them - they "invade" any computer that happens to go to a certain website address. At least, with a Mac, they are relatively painless to get rid of.

Hello sungyle,

This is a user-to-user support forum. We are just other Apple customers like yourself. Apple employees usually do not read or comment here. I guarantee they would never address a delicate subject like this.

Generally I agree with everything you've said. However, I think you are wrong about one important point. This problem has not been in place for a long time. It is relatively new and has been getting worse. At one time, Apple published some half-hearted, difficult-to-follow, manual adware removal instructions but then withdrew those instructions. Apple allows anti malware apps in the Mac App Store that cannot possibly work unless the developers blatantly violate Apple's own rules for the Mac App Store.

Apple does not usually include adware in the anti-malware security logic that it includes inside the operating system. This serves to make people affected by this adware think, falsely, that Apple has no security. That, in turn, makes them vulnerable to a wide variety of scams. We have a rapidly expanding 3rd party Mac security market that sells software that attempts to duplicate functionality that Apple already provides and generally does a poor job against the adware that so many Apple users suffer from. The rules of this forum forbid us from speculating about why Apple is taking this approach. But I can encourage people to send feedback to Apple and tell them directly how they feel about the situation: https://www.apple.com/feedback/

The most disappointing part here is, Apple has done nothing to help her Mac customers.

Why? Don't they know there is a problem?

Short of Apple allowing that crap to show up in the App Store, I don't agree there is a problem. Others do, though.

I think it is the responsibility of the user to not fall prey to a scam.

How do you avoid it? Pretty simple:

Effective defenses against malware and other threats

Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages

How to install adware

None of that requires any knowledge of computer science, just the same common sense you would apply when buying any other product. If you buy a Rolex from a guy on the street in a third-world country, you're going to get scammed.

However, a computer is not a toaster. It does require a modicum of learning to operate safely and effectively. Those three links give you everything you need to know (and teach your children) about using a computer on the Internet.

I personally would not bother wasting resources on chasing down every piece of Adware as it morphs day to day. That would be a complete waste of time because it is so simple for the user to avoid it in the first place.

The most disappointing part here is, Apple has done nothing to help her Mac customers.

Apple absolutely, positively will help you... if you contact them: Contact Support.

Apple: please say something.

Apple's participation on this site is extremely limited. Please read Writing an effective Apple Support Communities question.

At present, the Mac remains a general purpose computing appliance that can be used or abused as its users deem appropriate for their needs or wants. Within certain limitations, macOS will allow users to install whatever junk they want to install. That decision is up to you.

Things might not always be that way, so be careful what you ask for.

I have no idea about Apple's corporate policies. Any discussion or speculation about those policies is strictly forbidden by the Apple Support Communities Terms of Use.

I have my own corporation though. It doesn't take too many interactions with lawyers and liability insurance companies to make one be very reluctant to say anything in public. I have a fair amount of envy for Apple employees' freedom from those worries.

Personally, I would like Apple to do lots of things differently. Unfortunately, Apple's customers, myself included, have repeatedly demonstrated our willingness to spend money for Apple's products regardless.

If you have specific suggestions for Apple, by all means, submit feedback. If you have ideas for specific ways that Apple's products could be improved, maybe file bug reports. But when it comes to Apple's corporate and employee policies, there isn't much that can be done. If you take a quick look at the policies and employee actions of other large, silicon valley companies, Apple and its policies starts to look really, really good by comparison.

It was never pushed in my face. I never saw any ads for it until I went looking for it

I am curious: are you affiliated with that app?

I would be suspect of any adware or malware products out there for Macs. However, one that you should consider is Malwarebytes. It is developed by one of our own ASC contributors here and comes recommended by others. Disclaimer: I do not work for Malwarebytes but have been using this app for some time now without any issues.

Think about how you heard of this, or any software you are considering:

If the recommendation came from advertising, that says the tool is not good enough to stand on its own, and needs to be Pushed in the marketplace to gain users. Recommendations in pop-up windows are frequently a SCAM. Legitimate products simply do not get advertised this way.

If the recommendation came from trusted technical users who swear by it, and not just [possibly phony] recommendations on the vendor's Web site, it may be worthwhile.