How to uninstall DataQuest adware

What is DataQuest?

DataQuest is part of the AdLoad adware family. This application displays advertisements, promotes a fake search engine, and might also gather various information. In summary, this app operates as adware and a browser hijacker. Typically, users do not download or install apps of this type intentionally, and therefore they are classified as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

Research shows that DataQuest is usually installed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

Apps such as DataQuest serve advertisements in the form of pop-ups, banners, surveys and coupons. If clicked, these can open dubious or even malicious websites. In some cases, they download and install unwanted software by executing certain scripts. In any case, it is not safe to click them.

As mentioned, DataQuest operates as adware but also as a browser hijacker: it promotes a fake search engine by changing browser settings. Typically, this is done by modifying settings such as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab.

Note that fake search engines can be generate misleading results. Furthermore, DataQuest might collect user-system information (such as IP addresses, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages, geolocations, and so on) and might be capable of accessing personal, confidential information as well.

Note that the data could be passed to cyber criminals - the developers sell it to them or simply misuse it. Note that DataQuest is distributed though a fake Adobe Flash Player installer. These installers never update or install the official Adobe Flash Player.

In most cases, they install unwanted applications such as DataQuest, however, they can cause installation of malware including ransomware, Trojans, or other malicious software.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by DataQuest
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AD [Trj]), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Adware.MAC.AdLoad.1), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/TrojanDownloader.Adload.AE), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Cimpli.k), Full List (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Your 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.
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.

More examples of adware include LookupModule, ProcessSign and SearchSkilledData. These apps serve advertisements and/or collect user-system information. They are advertised as useful, and supposedly deliver various features, improve the browsing experience, and so on, however, most are useless and simply cause problems.

For example, people might become victims of identity theft, experience problems relating to online privacy, browsing safety, and other issues. Therefore, if DataQuest or other PUAs are installed on the browser and/or operating system, remove them immediately.

How did DataQuest install on my computer?

Unwanted downloads and installations usually happen when people click deceptive ads that execute certain scripts, or when the apps are distributed by inclusion in the download/installation set-ups of various programs.

This distribution method is known as "bundling" and is used by developers who attempt to trick users into downloading and installing PUAs together with regular software.

Offers to download and install PUAs can often be found in "Advanced", "Custom", "Manual" or other similar settings of the set-ups, however, many users download and install their programs without checking and changing them. In this way, they allow additional PUAs to be downloaded and installed.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Files and programs should not be downloaded or installed through third party downloaders, installers, torrent clients, eMule and other Peer-to-Peer networks, dubious web pages, or other channels - they are used to distribute unwanted, potentially malicious apps. Files and programs should be downloaded from official websites and via direct links.

Check all download/installation set-ups that contain settings such as "Custom" and "Advanced" - decline offers to download or install potentially unwanted apps before completing the process. Do not click advertisements that appear on dubious web pages, since they can lead to untrusted websites or download/install unwanted applications by executing certain scripts.

Remove any unwanted, suspicious apps (extensions, plug-ins, add-ons) installed on the browser immediately. The same should be applied to software of this kind that is installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with DataQuest, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Files related to DataQuest adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.DataQuest/DataQuest
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.DataQuestDaemon/DataQuest
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.DataQuest.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.DataQuestDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote the DataQuest website are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:

1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles"

2) Select the "DataQuest" profile and delete it.

3) Perform a full system scan with Combo Cleaner anti-virus suite.

After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for this adware.

 

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

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

DataQuest adware removal:

Remove DataQuest-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.

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