ByteFence Unwanted Application (Mac)

What is "ByteFence"?

The ByteFence application supposedly prevents various unwanted applications from being installed. Ironically, ByteFence is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) that many users install inadvertently - they are tricked into installing this dubious software.

PUAs are usually promoted using the "bundling" method. At time of research, the PDF Mac Master's installer was one of a number of tools used to spread ByteFence.

Once installed, ByteFence supposedly blocks PUAs from being installed. It also provides a list of the number of unchecked checkboxes, switched radio buttons, and suppressed button clicks. This PUA encourages users to enable Accessibility in System Preferences (Security & Privacy) to allow it to control these settings.

Do not trust applications that are promoted using the "bundling" method. Do not give permission for ByteFence to access and control the system settings mentioned above. Software installers that promote PUAs (such as PDF Mac Master) might install multiple unwanted apps at once.

These download or installation set-ups usually contain offers to install adware-type programs and browser hijackers. PUAs often deliver intrusive advertisements or gather various browsing-related data such as IP addresses, geo-locations, search queries, URLs of visited websites, and so on.

Having PUAs installed can affect the browsing experience or cause problems relating to browsing safety, online privacy, or even identity theft. We recommend that you uninstall ByteFence and all other PUAs immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	ByteFenceHelper potentially unwanted application
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
Symptoms	Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady 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.

Generally, developers promote potentially unwanted apps as tools capable of providing 'useful' features. Unfortunately, most PUAs simply generate revenue for their developers by various means. They often provide none of the functionality promised and can lead to privacy/browsing safety issues, and other problems.

Some examples of other apps promoted using "bundling" are SysTweak AntiMalware, PremierOpinion, and Archive Manager.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

In some cases, PUAs can be downloaded from their official websites, however, ByteFence is promoted using at least one installer (installation set-up). Therefore, developers promote this app using "bundling", a deceptive method used to trick people into installing potentially unwanted apps together with other software.

Often, this is achieved by hiding these apps in download or installation settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and using checkboxes that are ticked by default, and so on.

Information about PUAs bundled with download/installation set-ups is not properly disclosed. Furthermore, users who skip installation or download steps without checking settings, often install PUAs inadvertently.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Browse the web and download software carefully. All software should be downloaded using official and trustworthy sources, and not third party downloaders or peer-to-peer networks (such as torrents and other similar programs). Check "Custom", "Advanced", and other settings of the download or installation set-ups.

Deselect offers to install unwanted applications and only then proceed to the next step or complete the installation/download process. Not all advertisements are legitimate, especially intrusive ads or those displayed on untrustworthy websites.

If you encounter ads that redirect you to dubious websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, etc.), there might be potentially unwanted/adware-type applications installed on your browser/computer. Check the list of installed extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons, and remove any suspicious/unwanted entries immediately.

The same applies to programs installed on your operating system. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Screenshot of an installer (PDF Mac Master) promoting ByteFence app:

Screenshot of the ByteFence app asking to enable access to the Security & Privacy settings:

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 "ByteFence"?
• 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 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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