Remove AddCloud Adware From Mac

AddCloud Adware: Easy Delete Process

AddCloud Adware is a type of malicious software that mainly targets Mac computer devices and can infect most popular browsers such as Chrome and Safari. After intruding the Mac systems, this notorious adware proceeds to alter some of the browser settings, which is why it is also regarded as a browser hijacker. These changes often include replacing the default homepage with a new one, as well as applying a new search engine. And on top of that, victims are generally subjected to constant redirects which can either occur in the same tab or can happen in new tabs and browser windows.

AddCloud Adware Displays Intrusive Pop-ups:

The affiliated websites that AddCloud Adware may reroute you to, usually sell some type of product or service. So, in a sense, these potentially unwanted programs are typically used as advertising tools. Hence, that’s why this intrusive threat fills your screen with all sorts of pop-ups, banners, in-text links and other such promotional materials. This nasty PUP can also engage in tracking your browsing activities. For instance, it can monitor your search history and record the type of content you interact with. The gathered data is then employed to optimize the stream of ads and make those showing up on your screen tailored to your interests.

And while this behavior of AddCloud Adware may sound rather harmless and benign, it’s often entirely uncalled for. Furthermore, most users never knowingly agreed to have a PUP running in their work-station, so they would probably not happy to know about this process. This, as well as the intrusive ads, is a quite solid reason to terminate this intruder from your Mac once and for all. This notorious hijacker cannot directly damage your computer in any way, but it can lead to some quite unpleasant dilemmas.

For one, as a consequence of the activity of AddCloud Adware, you Mac may be significantly slowed down. Moreover, it could potentially interfere with the work of other installed applications, making them freeze up or even crash. This is especially true for your browser, which can become overloaded with all the numerous commercial contents that are being thrown on its screen. Ads delivered by this PUP may redirect you to highly dangerous websites and expose your system to even more dangerous cyber threats like Trojans or Ransomware. So, stay away from these adverts and try to perform AddCloud Adware removal from the Mac immediately.

Ways To Propagate AddCloud Adware:

These potentially unwanted applications are generally distributed with the help of program bundles. And you are most likely to have downloaded this adware yourself from some torrent site or similar platform where software is available for free download. Software bundling is by far the most common PUP distribution method. When you choose the Quick or Recommended installation settings, you end up contaminating your device with unwanted threats.

The good news is that if you modify the setup of your newly downloaded program and pay attention to the installation steps, you may very well be able to avert such browser-based intruders from ever entering your device in future. The Custom or Advanced method allows you to opt-out the unnecessary programs from the list and pick only the one you wanted at the start. You should also rely only on official and verified download sources as third-party sites often bundle apps. If this parasite could remain inside your system for some more time, it may lead to many other unkind issues. So, you must remove AddCloud Adware from the Mac without wasting any time.

Remove Files and Folders Related to AddCloud Adware

Open the “Menu” bar and click the “Finder” icon. Select “Go” and click on “Go to Folder…”

Step 1: Search the suspicious and doubtful malware generated files in /Library/LaunchAgents folder

Type /Library/LaunchAgents in the “Go to Folder” option

In the “Launch Agent” folder, search for all the files that you have recently downloaded and move them to “Trash”. Few of the examples of files created by browser-hijacker or adware are as follow, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.Itvbit.plist”, installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, and “kuklorest.update.plist” and so on.

Step 2: Detect and remove the files generated by the adware in “/Library/Application” Support folder

In the “Go to Folder..bar”, type “/Library/Application Support”

Search for any suspicious newly added folders in “Application Support” folder. If you detect any one of these like “NicePlayer” or “MPlayerX” then send them to “Trash” folder.

Step 3: Look for the files generated by malware in /Library/LaunchAgent Folder:

Go to Folder bar and type /Library/LaunchAgents

You are in the “LaunchAgents” folder. Here, you have to search for all the newly added files and move them to “Trash” if you find them suspicious. Some of the examples of suspicious files generated by malware are “myppes.download.plist”, “installmac.AppRemoved.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist” and so on.

Step4: Go to /Library/LaunchDaemons Folder and search for the files created by malware

Type /Library/LaunchDaemons in the “Go To Folder” option

In the newly opened “LaunchDaemons” folder, search for any recently added suspicious files and move them to “Trash”. Examples of some of the suspicious files are “com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preference.plist”, “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist” and so on.

Step 5: Use Combo Cleaner Anti-Malware and Scan your Mac PC

The malware infections could be removed from the Mac PC if you execute all the steps mentioned above in the correct way. However, it is always advised to be sure that your PC is not infected. It is suggested to scan the work-station with “Combo Cleaner Anti-virus”.

Once the file gets downloaded, double click on combocleaner.dmg installer in the newly opened window. Next is to open the “Launchpad” and press on “Combo Cleaner” icon. It is advised to wait until “Combo Cleaner” updates the latest definition for malware detection. Click on “Start Combo Scan” button.

A depth scan of your Mac PC will be executed in order to detect malware. If the Anti-virus scan report says “no threat found” then you can continue with guide further. On the other hand, it is recommended to delete the detected malware infection before continuing.

Now the files and folders created by the adware is removed, you have to remove the rogue extensions from the browsers.

Remove AddCloud Adware from Internet Browsers

Delete Doubtful and Malicious Extension from Safari

Go to “Menu Bar” and open “Safari” browser. Select “Safari” and then “Preferences”

In the opened “preferences” window, select “Extensions” that you have recently installed. All such extensions should be detected and click the “Uninstall” button next to it. If you are doubtful then you can remove all the extensions from “Safari” browser as none of them are important for smooth functionality of the browser.

In case if you continue facing unwanted webpage redirections or aggressive advertisements bombarding, you can reset the “Safari” browser.

“Reset Safari”

Open the Safari menu and choose “preferences…” from the drop-down menu.

Go to the “Extension” tab and set the extension slider to “Off” position. This disables all the installed extensions in the Safari browser

Next step is to check the homepage. Go to “Preferences…” option and choose “General” tab. Change the homepage to your preferred URL.

Also check the default search-engine provider settings. Go to “Preferences…” window and select the “Search” tab and select the search-engine provider that you want such as “Google”.

Next is to clear the Safari browser Cache- Go to “Preferences…” window and select “Advanced” tab and click on “Show develop menu in the menu bar.“

Go to “Develop” menu and select “Empty Caches”.

Remove website data and browsing history. Go to “Safari” menu and select “Clear History and Website Data”. Choose “all history” and then click on “Clear History”.

Remove Unwanted and Malicious Plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox

Delete AddCloud Adware add-ons from Mozilla Firefox

Open the Firefox Mozilla browser. Click on the “Open Menu” present in the top right corner of the screen. From the newly opened menu, choose “Add-ons”.

Go to “Extension” option and detect all the latest installed add-ons. Select each of the suspicious add-ons and click on “Remove” button next to them.

In case if you want to “reset” the Mozilla Firefox browser then follow the steps that has been mentioned below.

Reset Mozilla Firefox Settings

Open the Firefox Mozilla browser and click on “Firefox” button situated at the top left corner of the screen.

In the new menu, go to “Help” sub-menu and choose “Troubleshooting Information”

In the “Troubleshooting Information” page, click on “Reset Firefox” button.

Confirm that you want to reset the Mozilla Firefox settings to default by pressing on “Reset Firefox” option

The browser will get restarted and the settings changes to factory default

Delete Unwanted and Malicious Extensions from Google Chrome

Open the chrome browser and click on “Chrome menu”. From the drop down option, choose “More Tools” and then “Extensions”.

In the “Extensions” option, search for all the recently installed add-ons and extensions. Select them and choose “Trash” button. Any third-party extension is not important for the smooth functionality of the browser.

Reset Google Chrome Settings

Open the browser and click on three line bar at the top right side corner of the window.

Go to the bottom of the newly opened window and select “Show advanced settings”.

In the newly opened window, scroll down to the bottom and choose “Reset browser settings”

Click on the “Reset” button on the opened “Reset browser settings” window

Restart the browser and the changes you get will be applied

The above mentioned manual process should be executed as it is mentioned. It is a cumbersome process and requires a lot of technical expertise. And hence it is advised for technical experts only. To be sure that your PC is free from malware, it is better that you scan the work-station with a powerful anti-malware tool. The automatic malware removal application is preferred because it doesn’t requires any additional technical skills and expertise.

Download the application and execute it on the PC to begin the depth scanning. Once the scanning gets completed, it shows the list of all the files related to AddCloud Adware. You can select such harmful files and folders and remove them immediately.