Maftask Virus (Mac)

What is Maftask?

Maftask (or mafntask) is the process name of a deceptive application called Mac Auto Fixer. Developers promote Mac Auto Fixer using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" and, thus, it often infiltrates systems without consent. For these reasons, Mac Auto Fixer is categorized as a potentially unwanted application (PUA).

Maftask is just the process name of a dubious app. It simply starts the Mac Auto Fixer application on each system startup. Once opened, Mac Auto Fixer immediately performs a 'system scan' and delivers a list containing dozens of potential threats/infections.

The 'free version' of Maftask is supposedly incapable of eliminating the listed viruses and, therefore, users are encouraged to pay for the 'full version'. This might be a scam - you can read more about this potentially unwanted application in this article.

If you want to prevent Mac Auto Fixer from running on each system startup, you should remove the Maftask process (executable), which is stored within the "/Users/test/Library/Application Support/maf/maftask.app/Contents/MacOS/maftask" folder. If you want to uninstall the Mac Auto Fixer application, remove the files listed below.

Threat Summary:

Name	Mac Auto Fixer unwanted application
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names (Mac Auto Fixer)	Avast (MacOS:AMC-DK [PUP]), AVG (MacOS:AMC-DK [PUP]), BitDefender (Adware.MAC.Generic.12496), ESET-NOD32 (a variant of OSX/GT32SupportGeeks.B potentially unwanted), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Malicious Process Name	maftask
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 hundreds of potentially unwanted applications (for example adware, browser hijackers, and similar), all of which are virtually identical. Research shows that most offer "useful features". Potentially unwanted applications are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.

Therefore, rather than enabling the functions promised and giving value for regular users, these applications cause unwanted redirects, deliver intrusive advertisements, gather sensitive information, and promote in-app purchases, thereby posing a significant threat to your privacy and browsing safety.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Mac Auto Fixer has an official download website, however, it is likely to infiltrate systems without permission, since developers use "bundling" as a way to distribute this PUA. "Bundling" is essentially stealth installation of third party applications together with regular software/apps. Developers do not disclose these installations properly.

Therefore, all details regarding PUA installations are hidden within "Custom/Advanced" settings or other sections of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many users rush these procedures and skip steps. In doing so, they expose their systems to risk of various infections, expose their systems to risk of infection, and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent this situation, be very careful when downloading/installing software. Choose "Custom" or "Advanced" settings and analyze each step of these procedures. We encourage you to download your software from official sources only, via direct download links.

Third party downloaders/installers are monetized using the "bundling" method (they promote PUAs), and thus such tools should never be used. Potentially unwanted applications are also distributed using intrusive advertisements, which redirect to malicious sites and execute scripts that download/install malware.

Most seem legitimate, but these ads often lead to untrustworthy websites, such as gambling, survey, and so on. They are delivered by adware-type PUAs.

Therefore, if you experience this type of redirect, uninstall all suspicious apps/browser add-ons. The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior. The key to safety is caution. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Screenshot of Mac Auto Fixer PUA:

Mac Auto Fixer automatically performing a system scan (GIF):

List of files that must be removed to delete Mac Auto Fixer:

/Applications/Mac Auto Fixer.app
/Library/Application Support/maf
/Library/hlprmaf/mafgset.plist
/Library/LaunchAgents/com.techyutil.maftask.plist
/Library/LaunchAgents/com.techyutil.mafuninstaller.plist
/Volumes/MacAutoFixer/.hlpr/Mac Auto Fixer
/Volumes/MacAutoFixer/.hlpr/maf
~/Applications/Mac Auto Fixer.app
~/Library/Application Support/Mac Auto Fixer
~/Library/Application Support/maf
~/Library/Caches/com.techyutil.macautofixer
~/Library/Caches/com.techyutil.maftask
~/Library/Caches/com.techyutil.maftaskreviser
~/Library/Caches/com.techyutil.mafuninstaller
~/Library/Caches/com.techyutils.cleaner
~/Library/hlprmaf
~/Library/hlprmaf/mafgset.plist
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.techyutil.maftask.plist
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.techyutil.mafuninstaller.plist
~/Library/Logs/Mac Auto Fixer.log
~/Library/Logs/maftask.log
~/Library/Mac Auto Fixer
~/Library/Preferences/com.techyutil.macautofixer.plist
~/Library/Preferences/com.techyutil.maftask.plist
~/Library/Preferences/com.techyutil.mafuninstaller.plist
~/Library/Preferences/com.techyutils.cleaner.plist

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:

• What is Maftask?
• STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

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

Potentially unwanted applications removal:

Remove potentially unwanted applications from your "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

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

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

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

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.

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

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

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

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

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

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.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

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

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.

Scan 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.

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.

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

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Remove malicious Safari extensions:

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

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.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the 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".

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

Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (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".

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

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