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Smart Mac Care Unwanted Application (Mac)

Also Known As: Smart Mac Care PUA
Type: Mac Virus
Damage level: Medium

What is Smart Mac Care?

Smart Mac Care is a rogue application identical to Mac Tonic, Advanced My Cleaner, Mac Mechanic, and many others.

By offering system optimization/cleaning functionality, Smart Mac Care attempts to give the impression of legitimacy, however, this application is categorized as a potentially unwanted application (PUA). Smart Mac Care is likely to infiltrate systems without users’ permission and gives no real value for regular users.

Smart Mac Care unwanted application

This PUA allows users to perform a full system scan. Once the scanning is finished, users are presented with many potential supposed threats/infections that must be eliminated immediately. The 'free' version of Smart Mac Care is apparently incapable of doing so and, therefore, users are encouraged to purchase a 'full' version. This is a scam.

The entire list of potential threats/infections is false - your computer is probably safe and virus-free. Smart Mac Care's developers generate revenue by tricking gullible users into purchasing useless full versions - the software simply cleans the fake list. Therefore, you should never purchase the full version.

As mentioned above, Smart Mac Care typically infiltrates systems without users’ permission. There is a high probability that it came together with a number of other potentially unwanted applications such as adware or browser hijackers.

These apps deliver intrusive advertisements, cause unwanted redirects, and gather sensitive information. Therefore, we strongly advise you to eliminate Smart Mac Care and other suspicious applications/browser plug-ins immediately.

Threat Summary:
Name Smart Mac Care PUA
Threat Type Mac malware, Mac virus
Symptoms Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.
Distribution methods Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)

To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner.
▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac
To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are dozens of deceptive applications, all of which share similarities with Smart Mac Care. By offering "useful features", potentially unwanted applications often trick users to install, however, these programs are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.

Deceptive applications provide no real value for regular users - all claims are false. Potentially unwanted applications deliver intrusive advertisements, cause unwanted redirects, gather sensitive information, and (sometimes) promote in-app purchases. In doing so, PUAs pose a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety.

How did Smart Mac Care install on my computer?

Smart Mac Care is free for anyone to download on its official website, however, due to the lack of knowledge and careless behavior of many users, this PUA often infiltrates without consent. Research shows that developers proliferate Smart Mac Care using intrusive advertising and "bundling" methods.

Intrusive ads redirect users to malicious websites and execute scripts that stealthily download and install rogue apps. "Bundling" is stealth installation of third party programs together with regular software/apps. Developers hide "bundled" apps within "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes.

Many users are likely to click dubious ads and skip download/installation steps - behavior that often leads to inadvertent installation of PUPs. In this way, they expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent infiltration by potentially unwanted applications, be very cautious when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Intrusive ads typically seem legitimate, but when clicked, redirect to dubious websites. Most are delivered by adware-type PUAs.

Therefore, if you experience dubious redirects, eliminate all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins. Furthermore, carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs and opt-out of all additionally-included programs. Software should be downloaded from official sources only, using direct download links.

Most third party downloaders/installers are monetized using the "bundling" method (they promote rogue apps). Therefore, they should never be used. The key to computer safety is caution. If your computer is already infected with Smart Mac Care, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Screenshot of Smart Mac Care app:

Smart Mac Care potentially unwanted application

IMPORTANT NOTE! Smart Mac Care adds itself to the list of applications that automatically run upon each user log in. Therefore, before commencing, perform these steps:

  • Go to System Preferences -> Users & Groups. 
  • Click your account (also known as Current User).
  • Click Login Items.
  • Look for the "Smart Mac Care" entry.  Select it, and click the "-" button to remove it.

Smart Mac Care PUP system preferences

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

Smart Mac Care removal:

Remove Smart Mac Care-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

mac adware removal from applications folder

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select “Applications”. In the applications folder, look for “MPlayerX”,“NicePlayer”, or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Remove adware-related files and folders

Mac Go To Folder step

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Mac removing related files and folders - step 1Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 2Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 2

In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 3Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 4Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 1

In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 2

In the "LaunchDaemons" folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example "com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist", "com.myppes.net-preferences.plist", "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist", "com.avickUpd.plist", etc., and move them to the Trash.

Mac removing malware related files and folders - step 5Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure your system is not infected, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file, double click combocleaner.dmg installer. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates its virus definition database and click the "Start Combo Scan" button.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 1

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide; otherwise, it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 2

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Safari iconRemove malicious Safari extensions:

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 1

Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 2

In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for regular browser operation.

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Google Chrome logoRemove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 1

Click the Chrome menu icon Google Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 2

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox logoRemove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 1

Click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 2

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Removal Instructions in other languages
Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

QR Code
Smart Mac Care PUA QR code
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