Avoid downloading fake Flash updates from mainspotupdatesfreenew.info

How to stop redirects to mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info from Mac computers

What is mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info?

mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info is a website running a scam designed to promote fake Adobe Flash Player updates. Visitors are warned that their Flash Player is outdated, missing the latest security updates and must be updated immediately. Rogue software updaters are used to spread a variety of untrustworthy/malicious content. They are commonly employed to proliferate Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) such as adware and browser hijackers, and even malware including trojans, ransomware, etc. Most users visit mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info inadvertently when redirected by intrusive ads or PUAs already infiltrated into the system.

Visitors to mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info are presented with several pop-up windows containing thematically identical messages. The top of the page states that the latest version of Flash Player is necessary to encode and/or decode audio files in high quality. To play such files, users are urged to install the latest updates. The pop-up in the center of the web page recommends updates for streaming and watching content online. As Adobe Flash Player is an essential browser plug-in that enables users to watch media (video, audio) and games online, it must be updated. Since it supposedly lacks the latest security updates, it is stated that the software has been blocked and cannot perform the aforementioned functions. Another pop-up, which overlays that previously described, yet again states that the Adobe Flash Player plug-in installed on the device is out-of-date, and without the newest updates can no longer be used. The window at the bottom-right corner of mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info reiterates that Flash Player needs to be updated for users to continue watching online media. Each of these pop-ups has "Download/Update" buttons - clicking on any initiates download of the fake updater. The scam site then provides instructions about how to install the updates. Users are instructed to open the downloads list and double-click the recently downloaded "Flash Player" file. They must then confirm installation by clicking "Continue and Install", and type their password. This is not a genuine Adobe Flash Player updater and will not update the plug-in (as mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info claims). In fact, it will install unwanted and/or malicious software. You are strongly advised against trusting this website or others like it. Downloading/Installing and/or purchasing anything that these web pages promote can lead to serious problems, ranging from browsing and system infiltration/infections, to financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.

One of the main causes of redirects to untrustworthy and malicious websites are PUAs, however, apps within this classification have other dangerous capabilities as well. They can run intrusive advertisement campaigns. I.e., deliver harmful ads that diminish the browsing experience. Some can make specific modifications to browsers and deny access to settings, and/or reset any user changes made. Fake system cleaners/optimizers are also a type of PUA. They are presented as legitimate software capable of detecting/removing threats and/or otherwise improving system operation. They generally need to be purchased (even though they are often advertised as "free"). After purchase, however, they remain nonoperational. Regardless of their other capabilities/specifications, PUAs are usually capable of tracking data. They can monitor browsing activity (browsing and search engine histories) and collect users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This private data can then be shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit. The sole purpose of unwanted software is to generate revenue for the developers at users' expense. PUAs are thus useless to regular users and can lead to various issues. To ensure device and user safety, you are advised to remove all suspect applications immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	mainspotupdatesfreenew.info pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	Site claims visitors Adobe Flash Player is outdated.
Serving IP Address	18.217.79.26
Promoted Unwanted Application	Site promotes fake software updates.
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 three days free trial available.

Deceptive/scam sites are common. Examples include yourultimatesafevideoplayer.info, mainsourceofupdates.best, and yourfine2upgradesfree.best, all of which are practically identical to mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info. These schemes are furthered through the use of social engineering and scare tactics to encourage users into performing certain actions. By claiming that an essential piece of software is outdated/missing, the device is infected, or users have won a prize, the scams attempt to trick people into taking immediate action. This might be downloading/installing/purchasing content, making high-toll calls to fake technical support, paying for "services rendered", revealing personal information, making monetary transactions and so on. Therefore, use caution when browsing and research what you are planning to download. Treat all personal information with care.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Rogue updaters are just one way that PUAs proliferate. They can be downloaded/installed with other products as well. "Bundling" is the term used to describe this deceptive marketing method of pre-packing regular content with unwanted or malicious software. Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps, etc.) endangers devices with system infiltration and infections. Some PUAs have "official" download web pages (which are often endorsed by deceptive sites). Intrusive advertisements also proliferate these applications. When clicked, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Research products, before downloading/installing. Use only official and verified download sources. Untrustworthy channels such as P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.), free file-hosting websites and other third party downloaders can offer bundled content and should not be used. Do not update software with third party updaters, as they can install unwanted and/or malicious applications. Treat download/installation processes with care. Read the terms, explorer all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of downloading/installing supplementary apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive ads typically seem normal and innocuous, however, they can redirect to highly dubious pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.). If you encounter ads/redirects of this kind, inspect the system and remove all suspicious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins without delay. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in the pop-up windows initially presented by mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info:

Top pop-up:

 

Latest version of Flash Player is required to encode and/or decode (Play) audio files in high quality. - Click here to update for latest version.

 

------

Center pop-up:

 

Software update
Recommended Update  
For streaming and online watching
Update now
 
"Adobe Flash Player" is an essential plugin for your browser that allows you to view everything from video to games and animation on the web. The version of “Adobe Flash Player" on your system does not include the latest security updates and has been blocked.

To continue using “Adobe Flash Player", download an updated version.
Download Flash... Update

 

------

Bottom-right pop-up:

 

Flash Player Update REQUIRED
Install latest version of Adobe Flash Player in order to continue watching.
Download

Screenshot of the second pop-up displayed in the middle of the page (overlaying the initial center pop-up):

Text presented in this pop-up:

“Adobe Flash Player” is out-of-date

The version of this plug-in on your computer doesn't include the latest security updates. Flash cannot be used until you download an update from Adobe.

Update Download Flash...

Screenshot of instructions provided by mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info about how to install the fake updater:

Text presented in this page:

1

Go to the ‘Downloads’
Open your downloads list by
clicking on the top right corner
the ‘arrow’.

 

2

Open the file
Locate and double-click the file
starting with ‘Flash Player’.

 

3

Run the application
Confirm the installation by clicking
Continue and Install
buttons.
Type your password.

Appearance of mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info scam (GIF):

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer 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 three days free trial available.

Quick menu:

• What is "mainspotupdatesfreenew[.]info"?
• 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 mainspotupdatesfreenew.info pop-up 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 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 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 in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure 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 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 it's virus definition database and click "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.

mainspotupdatesfreenew.info pop-up removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove mainspotupdatesfreenew.info pop-up related Safari extensions:

Open 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 normal browser operation.

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

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove mainspotupdatesfreenew.info pop-up related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the "Open Menu" (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose "Add-ons".

Choose the "Extensions" tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Remove" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

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

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove mainspotupdatesfreenew.info pop-up related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the "Chrome menu" (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose "More Tools" and select "Extensions".

In the "Extensions" window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Trash" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

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

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