How to get rid of apps downloaded via app-department.report?

How to remove apps that open pages like app-department[.]report?

What is app-department[.]report?

Usually, websites like app-department[.]report display pop-up windows and, or show messages warning visitors that their device has a virus (or viruses) and that they need to click a link and download and install an application to get rid of it (or them). In other words, app-department[.]report is one of the many deceptive pages that use scare tactics to trick their visitors into installing some application. Virus alerts (and other notifications) that sites like app-department[.]report are always fake. Typically, these pages get opened while visiting certain (usually questionable) websites, after clicking shady ads, or by installed potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

App-department[.]report has variants written in English, Spanish, Japanese, French, and German languages (it could have variants written in other languages as well). All of its variants are more or less similar: they claim to have detected a certain number (e.g., three, thirteen) of viruses on a device and urge visitors to remove those viruses with an app that can be downloaded by tapping the "Remove Virus" button that opens a download page for a specific application (at the time of the research it was an app called AdBlocker Pro for Safari). Also, fake notifications on the app-department[.]report pages warn visitors to get rid of viruses as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will damage Facebook account, WhatsApp messages, photos, and some installed applications. As mentioned in the first paragraph, any virus alerts or other warning on websites like app-department[.]report are fake and can be ignored. It is worthwhile to mention that these pages can use false, deceptive statements to advertise legitimate applications. In one way or another, all apps should be downloaded directly from the App Store (or official pages).

If a device opens pages like app-department[.]report regularly, it is likely that it has some PUA installed on it. A couple more reasons not to have PUAs installed are that they can be designed to generate unwanted advertisements (e.g., banners, surveys, pop-up ads, coupons) and collect information relating to browsing habits. Moreover, PUAs can be designed to gather personal information like credit card details, email addresses, passwords. It is worthwhile to mention that pages like app-department[.]report can be used to promote apps of this type (e.g., adware, browser hijackers), or even malicious applications.

Threat Summary:

Name	app-department.report pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus
Fake Claim	Device is infcted with three or thirteen viruses
Serving IP Address	136.243.81.39
Promoted Unwanted Application	AdBlocker Pro for Safari
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 three days free trial available.

App-department[.]report is similar to tionscalen[.]top, phone-security[.]me, protected-connect[.]com and many other deceptive websites that use scare tactics to trick users into believing that they need to install some application and remove Trojans, viruses, fix errors, protect their connection, etc. As mentioned in the introduction, one of the reasons why browsers or devices open pages like app-department[.]report is because they have some PUA installed on them. These apps are called potentially unwanted because users download and install them unknowingly.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

In some cases, PUAs are distributed via deceptive advertisements by designing them to execute certain scripts. Users cause unwanted downloads, installations by clicking those advertisements. It is noteworthy that most of these ads appear only on dubious sites. A more popular way to distribute potentially unwanted apps is by using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling": to include PUAs in downloaders, installers of other programs as extra offers. Usually, offers to download, install bundled apps can be declined using "Custom", "Advanced", "Manual, or other settings or checkboxes that downloaders, installers have. Users cause unwanted downloads, installations when they do not opt out undesired apps (leave the aforementioned settings unchanged).

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Applications of files should not be downloaded from unofficial websites, through torrent clients, eMule and other Peer-to-Peer networks, third party downloaders, etc., or installed via third party installers. They should be dowloaded from App Store, official pages and via direct links. Downloaders, installers that have any settings (like "Custom", "Advanced") should be always checked for bundled PUAs - undesired offers should be declined before completing downloads, installations. Additionally, it is advisable not to click on any ads while visiting shady pages. Those ads could open untrustworthy sites or cause unwanted downloads, or even installations. Unwanted, suspicious apps (e.g., extensions, add-ons, plug-ins or other apps) that installed on a browser or the operating system should be removed. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text in the pop-up (English version):

YOUR IPHONE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED
Immediate Action Is Required!
OK

Screenshot of the background page:

Text in the background:

Apple SecurityTuesday
23 February 2021
WARNING! Your Apple iPhone is severely damaged by 13 viruses!

We have detected that your Browser is (62%) DAMAGED by BROWSER TROJAN VIRUSES picked up while surfing recent corrupted sites.
Immediate action is required to prevent it from spreading and infecting sensitive data like your Facebook account, Whatsapp messages photos and private applications.

Here is how you can solve this in just a few seconds (Step by Step)

Step 1: Tap REMOVE VIRUS to install VPN from the App Store.

Step 2: Open the app to activate the latest update and remove any older (Infected) versions.
1 minutes and 37 seconds
Remove Virus
Detected By Apple.

Application promoted through English version:

Screenshot of the pop-up window (Spanish version):

Text in this pop-up:

(1) NOTIFICACIÓN DEL SISTEMA
Por favor, lee la notificación importante sobre tu dispositivo IOS
VALE

Screenshot of the background page:

Text in this page:

Apple Security martes
23 febrero 2021
Se han detectado (3) virus en tu iPhone y la batería se ha infectado y está dañada

Si no eliminas este malware ahora, puede causar más daño a tu dispositivo. Cómo solucionarlo:

Paso 1: pulsa el botón que aparece abajo e instala de forma gratuita la herramienta de protección antivirus recomendada desde la AppleStore

Paso 2: ejecuta la aplicación para eliminar todo el malware y así reparar tu teléfono al 100 %
1 minutes and 54 seconds
Descargar e instalar
Detected By Apple.

Screenshot of the pop-up (Japanese version):

Text in this pop-up:

1）件のシステム通知
お使いのiOSデバイスに関する 重要な通知をお読みください。
OK

Screenshot of the background page:

Text in this page:

Apple Security火曜日
23 2月 2021
お使いのiPhoneで(3)件のウイルスが検出されており、バッテリーが感染しダメージを受けています。

今すぐこのマルウェアを除去しない場合、マルウェアがデバイスに さらにダメージを起こす原因となる場合があります。修復方法は以下の通りです：

手順1：下のボタンをタップし、 推奨されるウイルス対策ツールをAppStoreから無料で インストールします

手順2： アプリを実行しすべてのマルウェアを除去し、 携帯電話を完全に修理します
1 minutes and 51 seconds
ダウンロードとインストール
Detected By Apple.

Screenshot of the pop-up (French version):

Text in this pop-up:

(1) NOTIFICATION SYSTÈME
Veuillez lire la notification importante concernant votre appareil iOS.
OK

Screenshot of the background page:

Text in this page:

Sécurité Apple Mardi
23 Février 2021
(3) virus ont été détectés sur votre iPhone et votre batterie a été infectée et endommagée.

Si vous ne retirez pas ce logiciel malveillant immédiatement, il pourrait causer plus de dégâts à votre appareil. Voici comment remédier à cela :

Étape 1 : Touchez le bouton ci-dessous et installez l’outil de protection antiviral recommandé gratuitement depuis l’App Store

Étape 2 : Exécutez l’application pour retirer tous les logiciels malveillants et restaurer votre téléphone à 100 %.
1 minutes and 45 seconds
Télécharger et installer
Detected By Apple.

Screenshot of the pop-up window (German version):

Text in the pop-up window:

IHR IPHONE WURDE KOMPROMITTIERT
Sofortiges Handeln ist erforderlich!
OK

Screenshot of the background page:

Text in this page:

Apple Security Dienstag
23 Februar 2021
Auf Ihrem iPhone wurden (3) Viren erkannt und der Akku wurde infiziert und beschädigt.

Wenn Sie die Malware jetzt nicht entfernen, kann dies zu weiteren Schäden an Ihrem Gerät führen. So beheben Sie das Problem:

Schritt 1: Tippen Sie auf die Schaltfläche unten und installieren Sie das empfohlene Virenschutz-Tool kostenlos im App Store.

Schritt 2: Führen Sie die App aus, um alle Malware zu entfernen und Ihr Smartphone zu 100 % zu reparieren.
1 minuten und 48 sekunden
Virus entfernen
Von Apple erkannt.

To enable pop-up blocking, fraudulent website warnings, and remove web browsing data in mobile Apple devices, follow these steps:

First, go to "Settings", and then scroll down to find and tap "Safari".

Check if the "Block Pop-ups" and "Fraudulent Website Warning" toggles are enabled. If not, enable them immediately. Then, scroll down and tap "Advanced".

Tap "Website Data" and then "Remove All Website Data".

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer 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 three days free trial available.

Quick menu:

• What is app-department[.]report?
• STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

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

Potentially unwanted applications removal:

Remove 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 app-department.report pop-up 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 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 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 in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure 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 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 it's virus definition database and click "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.

app-department.report pop-up removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove app-department.report pop-up related Safari extensions:

Open 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 normal browser operation.

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

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove app-department.report pop-up related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the "Open Menu" (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose "Add-ons".

Choose the "Extensions" tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Remove" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

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

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove app-department.report pop-up related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the "Chrome menu" (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose "More Tools" and select "Extensions".

In the "Extensions" window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Trash" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

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

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