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How to uninstall OriginalGrowthSystem and other apps of this kind?

Also Known As: Ads by OriginalGrowthSystem
Type: Mac Virus
Damage level: Medium

What is OriginalGrowthSystem?

The main purpose of the OriginalGrowthSystem is to generate advertisements and promote a fake search engine. Therefore, this app can be classified both as adware and a browser hijacker.

Most users download and install them unknowingly, for this reason they are called potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). Typically, users download and install PUAs unintentionally because apps of this kind are distributed using deceptive methods.

It is known that OriginalGrowthSystem is distributed by disguising its installer as the installer for the Adobe Flash Player.

OriginalGrowthSystem adware

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, OriginalGrowthSystem is designed to generate advertisements. Usually, these apps feed users with unwanted, annoying banners, surveys, pop-up ads, coupons, and so on.

Another problem with those ads is that most of the times they are used to promote dubious web pages and can even be designed to download, install unwanted software by executing certain scripts. Therefore, ads that OriginalGrowthSystem or any other similar app generates should not be trusted.

Also, it is known that this app changes browser settings to promote a fake search engine (its address). As a rule, a browser is considered to be hijacked when an app like OriginalGrowthSystem changes the address of a default search engine, homepage, and new tab to an address of some fake search engine.

The main purpose of these changes is to make users visit a specific address when they open a browser, new tab, and enter search queries into the URL bar.

It is important to mention that fake search engines can generate misleading results (promote shad websites) and include unwanted ads in their results. Usually, changes made by an app like OriginalGrowthSystem can be undone when it is no longer installed.

One more detail about adware-type apps, browser hijackers is that they often are designed to collect geolocations, Internet Protocol addresses, enter search queries, URLs of visited sites, and other browsing-related data. In some cases, they gather sensitive information (e.g., credit card details, telephone numbers, passwords).

In such cases, gathered information may be sold to third parties (potentially cybercriminals), used for marketing purposes, or monetized using other methods. Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to have apps of this type installed on web browsers or computers.

Users who have apps that can access sensitive data are likely to become victims of identity theft, lose access to personal accounts, suffer monetary loss, or encounter other issues.

Threat Summary:
Name Ads by OriginalGrowthSystem
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.

There are many apps like OriginalGrowthSystem, some examples are SearchForWords, PublicConsoleSearch, and WebSearchUpgrade. As a rule, they generate revenue for their developers by displaying advertisements and promoting shady websites.

In other words, apps like OriginalGrowthSystem are not only useless to their users but can be the culprit behind various issues. Therefore, apps of this type should never be trusted (downloaded and installed).

How did OriginalGrowthSystem install on my computer?

It is known that the installer for OriginalGrowthSystem is disguised as an installer that is supposed to install Adobe Flash Player. It is important not to use third-party, unofficial installers.

Most of them are fake and can be used to distribute malicious software (e.g., ransomware, a trojan). Another way to trick users into downloading or installing potentially unwanted applications is to bundle them with other programs.

In such cases, PUAs are integrated into downloaders or installers for other programs as additional offers. Users can decline offers to download or install those apps via "Advanced", "Custom" or other settings (or via checkboxes).

When users finish downloads and installations without changing those settings, they agree to download and install bundled applications too.

One more deceptive way to distribute PUAs is through deceptive advertisements. More precisely, to design ads to run certain scripts after they are clicked. Usually, ads of this type appear on questionable websites.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Applications and files should not be downloaded (or installed) through, from unofficial websites, third-party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (like torrent clients, eMule), or using other channels of this kind. They should be downloaded from official websites, App Store and using direct links.

Downloaders and installers with settings like "Custom", "Advanced" should be checked for offers to download or install additional software. Any unwanted offers should be declined before finishing downloads and installations.

Ads displayed on shady websites should not be clicked. Those ads can be designed to open untrustworthy websites or cause undesired downloads, installations.

Any suspicious, unwanted extensions, add-ons or plug-ins installed on a web browser should be removed. The same should be applied to programs of this kind installed on the operating system.

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

Files related to the OriginalGrowthSystem adware that need to be removed:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/com.OriginalGrowthSystem/OriginalGrowthSystem
  • ~/Library/Application Support/com.OriginalGrowthSystemDaemon/OriginalGrowthSystem
  • ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.OriginalGrowthSystem.plist
  • ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.OriginalGrowthSystemDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote the OriginalGrowthSystem website 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"

Remove rogue profiles designed to promote pavadinimas (Step 1)

2) Select the "OriginalGrowthSystem" profile and delete it.

Remove rogue profiles designed to promote pavadinimas (Step 2)

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/browser hijacker.

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:

Video showing how to remove OriginalGrowthSystem adware using Combo Cleaner:

OriginalGrowthSystem adware removal:

Remove OriginalGrowthSystem-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

mac browser hijacker removal from 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

Mac Go To Folder step

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

Mac removing related files and folders - step 1Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

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.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 2Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 2

In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 3Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

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.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 4Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 1

In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 2

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.

Mac removing malware related files and folders - step 5Scan 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.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 1

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.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 2

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Safari iconRemove malicious Safari extensions:

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 1

Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 2

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.

Google Chrome logoRemove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 1

Click the Chrome menu icon Google 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".

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 2

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

Mozilla Firefox logoRemove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 1

Click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (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".

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 2

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

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Removal Instructions in other languages
Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

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