How to remove ads displayed by Related-Offers from Mac

What is Related-Offers?

Related-Offers is supposedly a messaging application, however, its installation setup contains potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) such as adware and browser hijackers. This app belongs to the Bundlore adware family. When installed, it displays unwanted advertisements and might also gather browsing data.

You are advised against using apps such as Related-Offers - uninstall them immediately.

This adware-type app promotes other similar apps through its installer (installation setup). Adware displays various advertisements, which are usually annoying, since they conceal underlying content of opened web pages. MyShopcoupon, PathBrand, and SimpleProExtension are examples of apps also categorized as adware.

These often display coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, etc. People who click these ads are usually redirected to dubious web pages. For example, deceptive sites used to advertise unwanted applications such as Advanced Mac Cleaner, Smart Mac Booster, Auto Mac Booster, and so on. In some cases, these ads are designed to run scripts that download and install PUAs.

Furthermore, the installation setup of Related-Offers is used to distribute various browser hijackers, which are designed to collect data, change browser settings, and promote dubious search engines such as searchmine[.]net, go-search[.]me and my-search[.]site.

They modify browser settings including the homepage, search engine, and new tab URL, and they gather data such as IP addresses, geolocations, URLs of visited pages, entered search queries, and so on. People who create these apps share all recorded data with other people (sometimes, cyber criminals).

The information is used to generate revenue. This could lead to problems with browsing safety, privacy, and so on. If there are any adware-type apps, browser hijackers or other PUAs installed on your computer or browser, eliminate them immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by Related-Offers
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Agent-EN [Drp]), BitDefender (Adware.MAC.Bundlore.DMM), Emsisoft (Adware.MAC.Bundlore.DMM (B)), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Bnodlero.q), Full List (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Payload	Advanced Mac Cleaner, MyShopcoupon, searchmine.net, and many others.
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.

Adware serves ads that often lead to unwanted downloads/installations or simply open untrustworthy websites. People sometimes download these apps intentionally, since they believe that they are legitimate. In fact, developers promote PUAs in this way simply to trick people into downloading and installing them.

How did Related-Offers install on my computer?

Generally, people end up having unwanted apps installed when they click untrustworthy advertisements or download/install programs without checking the set-ups.

In many cases, PUAs are bundled into software setups and related information is not properly disclosed - it is usually hidden in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar parts, which many people do not check and leave unchanged. This commonly leads to unwanted downloads and installations.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download software from official, trustworthy websites. Avoid downloading through third party software downloaders, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrent clients, eMule, unofficial websites, and other dubious sources. Study each download and installation setup by checking "Advanced", "Custom" and other similar settings.

Deselect any suggested additional, unwanted apps. Note that untrustworthy ads often seem legitimate, however, they can redirect people to untrustworthy websites relating to adult dating, pornography, gambling, etc.

If you encounter unwanted ads or your browser opens dubious sites, check for suspicious apps installed on the browser (extensions, plug-ins, add-ons, etc.) and programs installed on the operating system, and remove them.

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

Related-Offers installer that contains bundled apps (adware):

Screenshot of a window that pops up after installation of Related-Offers:

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 Related-Offers?
• STEP 1. Remove Related-Offers related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove Related-Offers ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove Related-Offers adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove Related-Offers ads from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove Related-Offers adware using Combo Cleaner:

Related-Offers adware removal:

Remove Related-Offers-related 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.

▼ Show Discussion