How to uninstall apps designed to promote pwz2.com

What is pwz2[.]com?

pwz2[.]com is employed by MyCouponsmart adware and can also be used by other apps of this type. This site delivers ads and redirects visitors to other websites. Since it is used by an adware-type app, it might redirect to other dubious, potentially malicious websites.

At the time of research, it served an advertisement and redirected to the World Health Organization (WHO) website. Note that MyCouponsmart is categorized as a potentially unwanted application (PUA), since people often download and install it inadvertently.

pwz2[.]com might open various scam pages (such as hastopnet[.]com, "Winners of the new iPhone 11 Pro"), which are designed to trick visitors into providing sensitive information, installing rogue software, etc.

Note that pwz2[.]com could lead to pages designed to deceive users into installing browser hijackers, adware, other PUAs, malicious programs such as Trojans, ransomware, and other high-risk malware. This could lead to problems relating to online privacy, browsing safety, monetary, data loss, identity theft and other serious issues.

Therefore, neither pwz2[.]com nor web pages that are opened through it should be trusted. Browsers commonly open pwz2[.]com due to installed adware called MyCouponsmart, or another PUA that promotes this website. This app serves advertisements and collects sensitive information.

MyCouponsmart and other apps feed users with coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups and other ads that, when clicked, open dubious pages or cause download/installation of PUAs. Research shows that MyCouponsmart can read sensitive data such as passwords, credit card details, and telephone numbers.

This information could be misused to make fraudulent transactions and purchases, and steal accounts, identities, etc. Therefore, if your browser opens pwz2[.]com, check if MyCouponsmart (or another unwanted app) is installed on the operating system/browser and remove it.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by pwz2.com
Threat Type	Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Serving IP Address	54.209.237.34
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.

pwz2[.]com and other sites are promoted through apps such as MyCouponsmart. Generally, people download and install apps of this type inadvertently.

PUAs are often advertised as useful and legitimate, however, most are useless and cause problems - they are designed only to generate revenue for developers. If there are any apps of this type installed on the browser/computer, eliminate them immediately.

How did pwz2[.]com install on my computer?

In most cases, people cause download/installation of PUAs by clicking deceptive advertisements, which execute certain scripts, or when developers distribute them using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". This method is used to trick people into downloading and installing PUAs with other, regular software.

Typically, PUAs are included into set-ups as 'additional offers' that can be found (and declined) through "Advanced", "Custom and other similar settings. Many people leave these settings unchecked, and by leaving default settings unchanged PUAs are granted permission to be downloaded and installed together with the required software.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Third party downloaders and installers, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrent clients, eMule (and other such asols), unofficial web pages, freeware download pages, etc., can be used to distribute PUAs or even malicious apps. Therefore, all software and files should be downloaded only from official pages and via direct links.

Check all "Advanced", "Custom" and other settings, and decline offers to download or install additionally-included, unwanted apps. Do not click advertisements that appear on dubious, untrusted websites, since these can open other untrusted websites and, in some cases cause unwanted downloads and installations.

Remove any suspicious, unwanted extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins installed on the browser, and software of this kind installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

MyCouponsmart installed on Safari:

MyCouponsmart installed on Chrome:

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 pwz2[.]com?
• STEP 1. Remove pwz2[.]com related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove pwz2[.]com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove pwz2[.]com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove pwz2[.]com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.

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

pwz2[.]com redirect removal:

Remove pwz2[.]com-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 browser hijacker-related files and folders

Click the Finder icon from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for browser hijacker 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 browser hijackers, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove browser hijackers from Internet browsers

Remove Safari browser hijackers:

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.

Change your homepage:

In the "Preferences" window, select the "General" tab. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage field. You can also click the "Set to Current Page" button if you wish to set your homepage to the website you are currently visiting.

Change your default search engine:

In the "Preferences" window, select the "Search" tab. Here you will find a drop-down menu labeled "Search engine:" Simply select your preferred search engine from the drop-down list.

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

Remove Google Chrome browser hijackers:

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".

Change your homepage

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable the malicious extension (if present), look for a browser hijacker URL below the "Open a specific or set of pages" option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select "Remove".

Change your default search engine:

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list look for a browser hijacker URL, when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".

• 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".

Change your homepage

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable malicious extension (if present), remove the browser hijacker URL and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

In the URL address bar, type "about:config" and press Enter. Click "Accept the Risk and Continue".

In the search filter at the top, type: "extensionControlled". Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

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

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