How to uninstall ProductiveOperation adware

What is ProductiveOperation adware?

ProductiveOperation is rogue software classified as adware, which also has browser hijacker traits. It runs intrusive advertisement campaigns and modifies browsers to promote fake search engines. ProductiveOperation promotes  Safe Finder (via akamaihd.net) in this manner.

Due to the dubious methods used to proliferate this app, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). Furthermore, most PUAs have data tracking capabilities, which are employed to monitor users' browsing activity.

Adware-type applications deliver pop-ups, banners, coupons and other intrusive ads. These significantly diminishes the browsing activity, since they overlay web page content and limit browsing speed. When clicked, they can redirect to untrusted/rogue, sale-based, deceptive, scam and malicious websites.

Additionally, some intrusive ads can even stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Browser hijackers assign the addresses of bogus search engines as the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs. Therefore, each search query typed into the URL bar and new browser tab/window opened redirects to the promoted address.

ProductiveOperation promotes Safe Finder (through akamaihd.net) in this manner. Fake search engines are rarely capable of providing search results, and so they redirect to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other genuine sites. Browser hijackers can restrict/deny access to browser settings and/or reset any permitted changes made.

As mentioned, most adware and browser hijackers can track data. They can monitor users' browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather sensitive information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

The collected data typically contains personally identifiable information. Furthermore, PUA developers monetize this information by sharing it with and/or selling to third parties. Therefore, the presence of unwanted apps on devices can result in system infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.

To ensure device integrity and user safety, all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be eliminated without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by ProductiveOperation
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Additional Information	This application belongs to 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.

Adware may seem legitimate and useful. Some other examples are RequestTop, UpgradeAnalog and OdysseusLookup. Users are often tempted into download/installation with offers of various functionality, however, the advertised features seldom work, and even if they do work, it is not as promised.

This is true for most PUAs. The sole purpose of these unwanted applications is to generate revenue for the developers. Regular users receive no real value and can instead experience serious issues. PUAs run intrusive advertisement campaigns, cause unwanted redirects, modify browsers and gather private data.

How did ProductiveOperation install on my computer?

Intrusive ads proliferate PUAs. Once clicked, they can execute scripts designed to download/install PUAs without users' permission. Certain PUAs have "official" download web pages, however, these applications are most commonly downloaded/installed with other products.

"Bundling" is the term used to define this deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions. Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. skimming or ignoring terms, skipping steps and using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of inadvertent installation of dubious and/or bundled content.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research all software before download/installation and/or purchase. Use only official and verified download channels. Untrusted sources such as unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and/or bundled content.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and other additions. It is also important to exercise caution when browsing.

Intrusive advertisements often seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to highly dubious pages (e.g. pornography, adult-dating, gambling, etc.). If you encounter ads/redirects of this kind, inspect the system and immediately remove all suspect applications and browser extensions.

If your computer is already infected with ProductiveOperation, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Pop-up window displayed once ProductiveOperation installation is complete:

ProductiveOperation redirecting users to Safe Finder website via akamaihd.net:

ProductiveOperation adware installation folder:

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

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

ProductiveOperation adware removal:

Remove ProductiveOperation-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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