Remove ForwardOpen adware from Mac operating systems

What is ForwardOpen?

ForwardOpen is yet another adware-type application endorsed as tool that improves the browsing experience by providing fast searches, accurate search results, and similar. This app operates by running intrusive advertisement campaigns (it displays unwanted, annoying, and even harmful ads).

Furthermore, adware often has data tracking capabilities. Due to the dubious ways ForwardOpen is proliferated, it is categorized as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

ForwardOpen displays various ads including pop-ups, surveys, banners, and coupons. Intrusive ads limit browsing speed and site visibility by overlaying web page content. Advertisements of this kind are more than just a nuisance, they are also a threat to device health and user safety.

Once clicked, they redirect to sale-based, untrustworthy, compromised, deceptive/scam, and even malicious websites. Some can be triggered to execute scripts that download/install PUAs without users' consent. These unwanted apps generate redirects to likewise dangerous sites.

Other types hijack browsers and promote fake search engines. PUAs commonly track data. They monitor users' browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather personal information (IP addresses, geolocations, and other details).

This sensitive data is then shared with third parties (often, cyber criminals) seeking to misuse it for financial gain. In summary, PUAs can cause browser and system infiltration/infections and lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss, and even identity theft.

To ensure device integrity and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by ForwardOpen
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus.
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious 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.

Adware is a common type of PUA. These apps share many similarities. LookupShare, ProcessSave, and IdeaDetails are some examples of applications, which are virtually identical to ForwardOpen.

In general, all PUAs are similar. They often seem legitimate and entice users to install by offering "useful" and "beneficial" features, however, these features are rarely operational. The only purpose of PUAs is to generate revenue for the developers. Regular users receive no real value. PUAs deliver ad campaigns, cause redirects, hijack browsers, and collect private data.

How did ForwardOpen install on my computer?

Some PUAs have "official" download web pages, on which they are typically endorsed as "free" and "useful" software, however, these applications also proliferate via the download/installation set-ups of other programs. The deceptive marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious content is called "bundling".

By rushing through the download/installation processes (ignoring terms, using presets, skipping steps and sections, etc.), many users endanger devices with potential system infiltration and infections. Intrusive ads can also proliferate PUAs. When clicked, they execute scripts to make rogue download/installs of unwanted apps.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Research content to verify its legitimacy, before downloading and/or installing. Software should be downloaded only from official and verified sources. Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.), unofficial and free file-hosting websites, third party downloaders, and similar channels are classed as untrustworthy and should not be used.

Treat download/Installation processes with caution. Read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and decline download/installation of additional apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive ads may seem normal and innocuous, however they often redirect to dubious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and others).

If you encounter ads/redirects of this kind, check the system and immediately remove all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with ForwardOpen, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Screenshot of ForwardOpen installation folder and desktop shortcut:

Pop-up window displayed once ForwardOpen installation is complete:

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 ForwardOpen?
• STEP 1. Remove ForwardOpen related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove ForwardOpen ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove ForwardOpen adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove ForwardOpen ads from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove ForwardOpen adware using Combo Cleaner:

ForwardOpen adware removal:

Remove ForwardOpen-related 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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