Cleanup My Mac Unwanted Application (Mac)

What is "Cleanup My Mac"?

As its name suggests, Cleanup My Mac (also distributed as CleanupMY-Mac, Cleanup-My Mac, Cleanup-My-Mac, CleanupMyMac and similar names) is promoted as an application used to clean Mac computers, fix various issues, and improve MacOS system performance.

Developers present this app as a system optimization tool, however, research shows that they promote and distribute it using the "bundling" method, and therefore it is categorized as potentially unwanted app (PUA). Typically, people install PUAs accidentally or unintentionally.

Cleanup My Mac contains various tools that supposedly allow users to uninstall unwanted, rogue applications, clean the cache and browsing history, manage logs, and so on, however, none of these tools can be used without first purchasing/activating this app.

The basic version only allows users to perform a free scan. It is likely that once the scan is finished, it will display a list with a number of detected 'issues'.

Note that many potentially unwanted apps generate fake results (fake issues) - this is how rogue developers encourage people to purchase various applications (by giving the impression there are many issues present on MacOS systems). It is not known whether Cleanup My Mac displays fake results, however, many PUAs perform this action.

The "bundling" method is often used to promote several apps at once. Therefore, it is possible that Cleanup My Mac is not the only app that was installed during the process. Other browser hijackers and adware-type applications might also infiltrate systems.

PUAs commonly serve users with intrusive ads, cause unwanted redirects to dubious websites, and gather user-system information. Therefore, do not use or purchase apps that are promoted via the "bundling" method.

Threat Summary:

Name	Cleanup My Mac potentially unwanted application
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus, Potentially unwanted application.
Detection Names (maccleaner (6).pkg)	NANO-Antivirus (Trojan.Script.Packed.fotlel), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
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, financial losses.
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.

Cleanup My Mac is virtually identical to many other apps of this type including Mac Speedup Pro, Mac Cleanup Pro, and MacOptimizer.

In these examples, the apps are supposedly tools that improve Mac computer performance and fix various issues, however, most PUAs are promoted as 'useful' in various ways. In most cases, PUAs provide not real value or the functions promised.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Some PUAs have official download websites from which users can download them willingly (including Cleanup My Mac), however, people usually install them inadvertently when software developers use a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Bundling is used to trick people into installing or downloading PUAs together with other regular programs/software.

Information regarding the presence of PUAs (bundled within download/install set-ups) is hidden within the "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the download or installation processes.

Many users are successfully tricked into installing these unwanted apps, since they skip software installation/download set-up steps by quickly clicking "Next" or other similar buttons. Therefore, settings are left unchanged and unwanted installations occur.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Careless behaviour often triggers installation of potentially unwanted applications. To avoid this, do not to skip software installation steps (especially for freeware), check all available "Custom", "Advanced and other similar options and settings of the download/installation processes.

Opt-out of offers to download/install any unwanted software/apps and only then proceed to the next step or finish the entire process. Download software from official sources (using direct links). Do not use third party software downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrents and other similar sources.

Note that many intrusive ads may seem legitimate but they can redirect to untrustworthy websites (pornography, adult dating, gambling, and so on). If you encounter redirects of this type, check the list of installed extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins on your browser.

Uninstall unwanted, unknown or suspicious apps immediately. Also apply this to programs installed on your Mac. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Fake virus warning POP-UP (e.tre456_worm_osx scam) promoting installation of Cleanup My Mac unwanted application:

Screenshot of Cleanup My Mac installer:

Screenshot of Cleanup My Mac application:

Appearance of Cleanup My Mac app (GIF):

IMPORTANT NOTE! Cleanup My Mac 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 "Cleanup My Mac" entry.  Select it, and click the "-" button to remove it.

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 "Cleanup My Mac"?
• 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 Cleanup My Mac unwanted application using Combo Cleaner:

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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