How to uninstall SocratesResults adware from the operating system

What is SocratesResults?

SocratesResults is a rogue application classified as adware. It also has certain browser hijacker characteristics. It operates by delivering intrusive advertisement campaigns, modifying browser settings and promoting fake search engines. Most adware and browser hijackers monitor users' browsing activity, and it is highly likely that SocratesResults does so as well.

Due to the dubious proliferation methods used to proliferate this app, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). One of these methods is via fake Adobe Flash Player updates. Note that bogus software installers/updaters are often used to proliferate Trojans, ransomware and other malware as well.

Adware enables the placement of various intrusive ads (e.g. pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys, etc.), typically on any visited website. These overlay web page content and limit browsing speed. Additionally, when clicked, intrusive advertisements redirect to untrusted/malicious sites and stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs).

Browser hijackers reassign the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of bogus search engines. Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and each search made via the URL bar redirects to the promoted address.

Fake search engines are rarely capable of providing unique results, and so they often redirect to Yahoo, Google, Bing and other legitimate sites. Furthermore, browser hijackers can reset any user changes made and/or deny access to the browser settings outright.

As mentioned, most PUAs (adware and browser hijackers included) have data tracking capabilities. They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, web pages viewed, search queries, etc.) and gather personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

The collected data is typically monetized by PUA developers - by sharing with third parties, seeking to misuse it for profit. To summarize, the presence of unwanted apps on devices can lead to system infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.

To protect device and user safety, you are strongly advised to eliminate all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by SocratesResults
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.Adlo), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Cimpli.k), Full List (VirusTotal).
Additional Information	This application belongs to the Adload malware family.
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.

VentureSprint, RecordExplorer and RotatorAssist are some examples of other adware-type apps. They may seem legitimate and harmless, and people are often enticed into download/installation with offers of "useful" functionality, however, the features promised are seldom operational.

In fact, this is common to all PUAs. These unwanted applications have just one purpose: to generate revenue for the developers. PUAs run intrusive ad campaigns, hijack browsers, cause unwanted redirects and gather private data.

How did SocratesResults install on my computer?

PUAs are proliferated 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 download/installation processes (e.g. skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content onto devices. Some PUAs have "official" download pages. Intrusive ads proliferate these applications as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research all products prior to download/installation. All downloads must be done from official and verified sources.

Untrusted channels such as unofficial and free file-hosting (freeware) sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and bundled content, and should thus be avoided.

When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive ads may seem appear legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

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

Files related to SocratesResults adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.SocratesResults/SocratesResults
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.SocratesResultsDaemon/SocratesResults
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.SocratesResults.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.SocratesResultsDaemon.plist

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

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

SocratesResults adware removal:

Remove SocratesResults-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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