How to avoid the appleconnect.co website

What is appleconnect[.]co?

appleconnect[.]co is a deceptive website that is disguised as an Apple Support website. Cyber criminals use it to trick people into allowing them to control computers remotely. To achieve this, they encourage people to give access to the computer through FastSupport, a legitimate website that controls systems via the GoToAssist toolset.

This web page is designed to download a file named "TeamViewerQS.dmg", the installer of TeamViewer. The official Apple company has nothing to do with appleconnect[.]co. Therefore, do not to trust this or any other unofficial sites and, more importantly, do not give cyber criminals permission to control your system remotely.

appleconnect[.]co is often opened through another deceptive website that displays fake virus alert notifications and encourages visitors to remove so-called 'detected viruses'. In this case, people are encouraged to give scammers (who claim to be technicians) permission to control the computer remotely so that they can remove malware (or help in some other way).

Giving such permission can lead to serious problems. For example, cyber criminals might install a keystroke logger, Trojan, ransomware, or other malicious software, access personal documents that might contain sensitive information, and so on.

Installed malware can be used to steal passwords, encrypt data, log keystrokes (pressed keys), take screenshots, infect computers with additional malware, etc. This could lead to financial/data loss, identity theft, serious problems with privacy, and so on.

For these reasons, we strongly recommend that you never trust web pages such as appleconnect[.]co or open files downloaded through them. If the browser opens deceptive sites such as appleconnect[.]co automatically, it is very likely that this is caused by a potentially unwanted application (PUA) installed on the browser or computer.

Typically, PUAs force people to visit dubious, untrustworthy websites. They also collect browsing-related details and display ads. PUAs record details relating to users' browsing habits including, for example, IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited websites, etc.

They might also record sensitive information. Furthermore, developers often share the data with third parties (potentially cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. Many PUAs feed users with ads (coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups). If clicked, these redirect people to potentially malicious websites or execute scripts that download and install unwanted software.

Threat Summary:

Name	appleconnect.co fake support page
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	173.214.172.205
Symptoms	Unwanted downloads, installations, 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.
Additional Information	Appleconnect[.]co is designed to download installer of TeamViewer (TeamViewerQS.dmg)
Damage	Financial, data loss, problems relating to privacy, browsing safety, installation of malware.
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 deceptive websites that are used to trick people into installing unwanted software or even allowing control of systems remotely. Some examples are apple.com-shield[.]live, apple.com-mac-booster[.]live, and apple.com-guard-device[.]live.

These websites are used to promote dubious applications, however, other web pages of this kind might be designed to redirect people to sites such as appleconnect[.]co. Redirects can also be caused by PUAs installed on the system. These apps cause unwanted redirects, display ads, and gather data. They provide no real value and can cause many problems.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Most users download and install PUAs through intrusive advertisements or during download/installation of other software. To trick people into unwanted downloads or installations, developers often use a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". They include unwanted apps into the set-ups of regular software that people wish to download/install intentionally.

Information about the inclusion of PUAs in download/installation set-ups is usually hidden in "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar settings. PUAs (or even malware) are downloaded and/or installed when people download and install programs (typically, freeware) without checking and changing the settings available in the set-ups.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Download software from official websites and via direct download links. It is not safe to use torrent clients, eMule (or other Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders, unofficial websites, or other sources/channels of this kind. Installations should not be performed using third party installers.

Check all available settings such as "Advanced", "Custom" that are included in the setup and opt-out of offers to download/install unwanted programs. Do not trust or click intrusive ads, especially if they are displayed on dubious websites. For example, on sites relating to gambling, adult dating, and so on.

These ads usually open untrustworthy websites or cause unwanted downloads or installations. Remove any unknown, unwanted or suspicious apps (extensions, add-ons, plug-ins) installed on the browser immediately. The same should be applied to programs of this kind installed on 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.

Appearance of appleconnect[.]co scam (GIF):

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 appleconnect[.]co?
• 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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