How to remove AphroditeResults adware

What is the AphroditeResults adware?

AphroditeResults is a rogue app, which is part of the AdLoad adware family. Following successful infiltration, it runs intrusive advertisement campaigns and delivers various undesirable and even harmful ads. AphroditeResults also has capabilities that are common to browser hijackers, which include modification of browser settings and fake search engine promotion.

Due to its dubious proliferation methods, AphroditeResults is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). Furthermore, most PUAs (including adware and browser hijackers) can track browsing-related data. AphroditeResults has been promoted through fake Adobe Flash Player updaters.

Note that fake software updates are commonly used to proliferate PUAs and even malware (e.g. Trojans, ransomware, etc.).

AphroditeResults enables placement of third party graphical content on any visited website. The delivered intrusive ads (e.g. pop-ups, banners, surveys, coupons, etc.) significantly diminish the browsing experience. They limit browsing speed and web page visibility.

Furthermore, if these ads are clicked, they redirect to sale-oriented, untrusted, rogue, compromised, deceptive/scam and even malicious pages. They can even be triggered (when clicked) to execute scripts to stealthily download/install software (e.g. PUAs).

As mentioned, AphroditeResults has browser hijacker qualities as well. Applications categorized as such reassign homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of bogus search engines. Therefore, each search made via the URL bar and each new browser tab/window opened redirects to the fake search engine.

Few of these bogus search tools can provide unique results, and so they tend to redirect to (or cause redirection chains leading to) Google, Yahoo, Bing and other genuine search engines. The web searcher promoted by AphroditeResults is no exception - it is unable to generate search results and simply redirects to search.yahoo.com.

While these modifications may seem minor and relatively easy to undo, this is impossible without removal of the browser hijacker. Any changes users attempt to make are automatically reset, if access to the browser settings is allowed at all. Typically, PUAs have data tracking capabilities.

They can monitor browsing activity (browsing and search engine histories) and collect sensitive data derived from it (IP addresses, geolocations and personally identifiable information). The gathered data is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) seeking to misuse it for profit.

The presence of PUAs can result in system infiltration and infections, serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To ensure device integrity and user safety, you are advised to remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by AphroditeResults
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Adware.MAC.AdLoad.1), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/TrojanDownloader.Adload), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Cimpli.k), Full List (VirusTotal)
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.

SoloProcess, BrowserProduct, InnovativeShare and SkilledDeskSearch are some examples of software classified as adware. It often seems legitimate and tempts people into download/installation with offers of "useful" features, however, the functions promised are usually nonoperational.

In fact, this applies to most PUAs. These unwanted apps have just one purpose: to generate revenue for the developers, whilst regular users receive no real value. PUAs run intrusive ad campaigns, force-open untrusted and malicious sites, hijack browsers and collect private data.

How did AphroditeResults install on my computer?

Fake software updaters are just one PUA proliferation method. They can also be packed with other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular content with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled software onto devices. Some PUAs have "official" download web pages. When clicked, intrusive ads can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All products should be researched before download/installation or purchase. Use only official and verified download sources. Avoid Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule, etc.), free file-hosting websites and other third party downloaders, since these can offer bundled content.

Treat download/Installation processes with caution. Read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and other additions. Intrusive advertisements may seem normal and harmless, however, they can redirect to highly dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and so on).

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

Files related to AphroditeResults adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.AphroditeResultsDaemon.plist
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AphroditeResultsDaemon/AphroditeResults
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.AphroditeResults.plist
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AphroditeResults/AphroditeResults

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote AphroditeResults are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:

1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles".

2) Select the "AphroditeResults" profile and delete it.

3) Perform a full system scan with Combo Cleaner anti-virus suite.

After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for this adware.

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

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

AphroditeResults adware removal:

Remove AphroditeResults-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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