How to remove the ActiveTrack application
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is ActiveTrack?
ActiveTrack is an application from the AdLoad adware family. It is designed to display advertisements, promote a fake search engine, and might also operate as an information tracking tool. This application is partly adware and partly a browser hijacker.
People often download and install apps of this type inadvertently and, therefore, they are classified as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). Note that ActiveTrack is distributed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.
Typically, applications such as ActiveTrack display advertisements in the form of banners, coupons, surveys, pop-ups, etc. Users who click ads associated with adware are often redirected to various untrusted, potentially malicious web pages, or they allow them to execute scripts designed to cause download/installation of other PUAs.
ActiveTrack also operates as a browser hijacker - it promotes the address of a fake search engine by changing browser settings (such as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab). Commonly, browser hijackers do not allow users to undo/modify these changes - they must be uninstalled.
ActiveTrack also collects various user-system information. Apps of this type usually target browsing-related details such as, for example, addresses of opened (visited) pages, entered search queries, IP addresses, geolocations, etc. Some can target confidential information as well.
Developers sell the data to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue in other ways. ActiveTrack is also installed via a fake Adobe Flash Player installer. Typically, such installers do not install or update the official Adobe Flash Player - they usually install PUAs or even malicious programs such as ransomware, Trojans, and other malware.
| Name | Ads by ActiveTrack |
| Threat Type | Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus. |
| Detection Names | Avast (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), AVG (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/TrojanDownloader.Adload.AE), 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. |
In summary, ActiveTrack users might experience problems relating to online privacy, browsing safety or become victims of identity theft. Note that adware developers tend to advertise these apps as useful and legitimate, however, adware-type apps so not operate as promised.
They simply gather data and display ads - they do not deliver any useful features or any other value. Therefore, never trust any adware. ExclusiveAction, SearchLibrary and LookupConsole are other apps of this type. Unfortunately, there are many more.
How did ActiveTrack install on my computer?
Research shows that ActiveTrack can be installed (rather than Adobe Flash Player) through its fake installer. PUAs are commonly distributed through these rogue installers, which are often included into various download/installation set-ups as "additional offers".
This distribution method is called "bundling". Many people inadvertently allow PUAs to be downloaded and installed with other programs when they fail to check and change the "Custom", "Manual", "Advanced" or other settings that are available in the set-ups. Unwanted downloads/installations are also caused by clicking ads that execute certain scripts.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
You are advised to download all software from official, trustworthy websites and through direct links. It is not safe to use torrent clients, eMule (and other Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders, unofficial pages, freeware download sites, or other channels of this kind. Third party installers cannot be trusted.
These channels can trick users into downloading and installing unwanted or even malicious programs. Furthermore, it is important to check the "Advanced" or "Custom" settings of the download/installation setup. Decline offers to download or install unwanted software.
Do not click intrusive ads that are shown on dubious websites, since these can open untrusted websites or cause unwanted downloads and installations. Remove any unwanted, suspicious apps (extensions, add-ons, plug-ins) installed on the browser immediately.
Also remove programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with ActiveTrack, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.
Files related to ActiveTrack adware that need to be removed:
- ~/Library/Application Support/com.ActiveTrack/ActiveTrack
- ~/Library/Application Support/com.ActiveTrackDaemon/ActiveTrack
- ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ActiveTrack.plist
- ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ActiveTrack.plist
IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote ActiveTrack 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 "ActiveTrack" 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
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Quick menu:
Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:
ActiveTrack adware removal:
Remove ActiveTrack-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.
Outstanding!
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