Rackcdn.com Virus (Mac)

What is rackcdn[.]com?

rackcdn[.]com is a legitimate website, the domain of which is owned by a company called Rackspace.

This page is a part of Rackspace CDN (Content Delivery Network) and is not malicious. The main goal of the CDN service is to provide fast content delivery for visitors to their web pages, however, some criminals exploit CDN services to deploy deceptive, untrustworthy content (dubious ads, redirects to potentially malicious websites, and so on).

As mentioned, rackcdn[.]com is trustworthy, however, visitors are redirected to other pages that are not. This is a result of exploits caused by scammers and malware developers. Visitors are forced to visit scam websites, for example ssl.cf6.rackcdn.com. Once opened, these pages display fake virus alerts, notifications about errors, and so on.

Scammers use these pages to trick people into believing that their computers/operating systems are infected or damaged, and then encourage them to download potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). These scam websites, and apps promoted through them, should not be trusted.

Some of these websites are used to trick visitors into contacting scammers, who disguise themselves as tech-support workers. Once contacted, the scammers urge people to purchase software, use paid services, and so on. In summary, these rogue pages are used to extort money from unsuspecting users. Additionally, criminals can use rackcdn[.]com to promote malicious programs.

Thus, having them installed can lead to computer infections, which in turn might lead to even more serious problems such as financial/data loss, and so on. This page can also be used to cause redirects to pages full of advertisements (coupons, banners, surveys, etc.) that, if clicked, might open malicious pages or cause installation of PUAs.

We recommend that you avoid using rackcdn[.]com and do not trust scam sites and other dubious pages (and apps promoted on them) that could be opened through the website.

Threat Summary:

Name	rackcdn.com scam
Threat Type	Redirects to rogue websites, display of deceptive advertisements, promotion of potentially unwanted applications.
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Serving IP Address	184.27.70.119
Promoted Unwanted Applications	Cleanup My Mac
Additional Information	rackcdn[.]com domain is owned by Rackspace who provide CDN services. The domain itself (as well as owner) is completely legitimate. However, crooks use this service in order to promote rogue sites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads, potentially unwanted applications.
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.

Many web pages may seem harmless, however, visiting them often causes unwanted results. A number examples of other websites that lead to rogue pages and display dubious ads are savefrom[.]net and youtubnow[.]com. To avoid unwanted download/installation of unwanted applications, do not visit this or any other similar websites.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

In most cases, unwanted apps infiltrate systems without direct users' permission. They are installed when software developers use a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" or through intrusive advertisements that, if clicked, cause unwanted downloads and installations.

Bundling is used by developers to trick people into installing potentially unwanted applications together with regular, usually free software. They hide bundled apps in "Custom", "Advanced" and other options/settings of software (download/installation) set-ups.

Furthermore, many people download and install software without checking the settings. In doing so, they cause unwanted download and installation of additional, unwanted apps.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download software from official and trustworthy sources (web pages) and using direct links only. Do not use third party downloaders/installers, torrents, eMule or other Peer-to-peer networks, dubious/unofficial pages, and so on. Install downloaded software correctly. Check "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of any setup and deselect offers of unwanted apps.

Intrusive ads cannot be trusted. If clicked, they cause unwanted downloads/installations or redirects to untrustworthy websites such as adult dating, gambling, pornography, and so on. If you encounter these redirects regularly, or ads are displayed on any visited website, check your web browser for any unwanted/suspicious applications (extensions, plug-ins, add-ons).

Remove all unwanted or suspicious apps immediately. Also, check the list of installed programs on your computer and uninstall unwanted, dubious software. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of scam website promoted using rackcdn[.]com CDN (GIF):

Screenshot of a potentially unwanted application (Cleanup My Mac) promoted via rackcdn.com virus:

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 rackcdn[.]com?
• 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 potentially unwanted applications promoted via rogue websites delivered through rackcdn[.]com CDN using Combo Cleaner:

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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