How to uninstall AproditeSearch adware from the operating system

What is AproditeSearch?

AproditeSearch is rogue software belonging to the AdLoad adware family. Following successful installation, it delivers various unwanted and dangerous advertisements. AproditeSearch also has browser hijacker qualities such as browser modification and bogus search engine promotion.

Furthermore, adware and browser hijackers usually have data tracking capabilities, which are used to monitor users' browsing activity.

Since AproditeSearch has dubious proliferation methods, it is categorized as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). This app has been spread via fake Flash Player updaters, which are also used to proliferate ransomware, Trojans and other malware.

Adware runs intrusive ad campaigns. The delivered ads (e.g. pop-ups, banners, surveys, coupons, etc.) affect browsing, since they reduce browsing speed and overlay website content. When clicked, intrusive advertisements redirect to various sale-oriented, untrusted, rogue, deceptive/scam, compromised and malicious sites.

They can even be triggered (when clicked) to execute scripts designed to stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Browser hijackers operate by altering browser settings - they assign the addresses of their fake search engines as the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs.

Therefore, when a new browser window/tab is opened or a search query is typed into the URL bar, users are redirected to the bogus web search engine. Fake search engines are useless, since they often cannot generate unique results, and even if they can, the results are inaccurate and can promote other untrusted/malicious websites.

Bogus search tools commonly redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) Google, Yahoo, Bing or other legitimate search engines. Furthermore, any changes users attempt to make to their browsers are reset, if access to the settings is allowed at all. Therefore, the browser hijacker must be eliminated to recover the affected browser.

All adware and browser hijackers are able to track data. They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.) and gather users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other sensitive details). This vulnerable data is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit.

In summary, the presence of this rogue software on systems can lead to infections and infiltration, financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft. To protect device integrity and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by AproditeSearch
Threat Type	Adware, 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.

AddUpgrade, NetDataSearch, macLauncher, AphroditeResults are some examples of adware-type apps. They often seem legitimate and useful. Users are lured into download/installation with offers of various "useful" functions, however, the features promised are just bait, since they are rarely operational.

In fact, this applies to all PUAs. The only purpose of unwanted applications to generate revenue at users' expense. PUAs operate by delivering intrusive ad campaigns, modifying browsers and promoting fake search engines, force-opening untrusted/malicious websites and collecting private data.

How did AproditeSearch install on my computer?

Fake updaters is just one proliferation method of PUAs. They also spread through the download/installation set-ups of other software. This deceptive marketing technique of packing normal products with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of inadvertent installation of bundled content. Certain PUAs have "official" download web pages. Once clicked, intrusive advertisements can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All products should be researched to verify their legitimacy, prior to download/installation. Use only official and verified download sources. Avoid free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders.

When downloading/installing, you are advised to read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and other additions. Intrusive ads often seem legitimate and harmless, however, they cause redirects to dubious web pages such as gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others.

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

Files related to AproditeSearch adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AproditeSearch/AproditeSearch
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AproditeSearchDaemon/AproditeSearch
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.AproditeSearch.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.AproditeSearchDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote AproditeSearch adware 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 "AproditeSearch" 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 AproditeSearch?
• STEP 1. Remove AproditeSearch related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove AproditeSearch ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove AproditeSearch adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove AproditeSearch ads from Mozilla Firefox.

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

AproditeSearch adware removal:

Remove AproditeSearch-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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