How to uninstall AresLookup adware

What is AresLookup?

AresLookup is an adware-type application that also possess browser hijacker characteristics. It delivers various intrusive advertisements, modifies browsers and promotes fake search engines. Due to its dubious proliferation methods, AresLookup is also categorized as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Most PUAs have data tracking capabilities, which are employed to track users' browsing habits. This app has been proliferated using fake Adobe Flash Player updaters/installers, which is a common method for distributing not just PUAs but also malware (e.g. ransomware, Trojans, etc.).

Adware enables the placement of third party graphical content on any visited website. The delivered ads can be pop-ups, surveys, banners, coupons and others. These intrusive advertisements significantly diminish the browsing experience, since they overlay web pages and reduce browsing speed.

Additionally, once clicked, the ads redirect to sale-oriented, untrusted/rogue, compromised, deceptive/scam and malicious sites. These ads can even be triggered (when clicked) to execute scripts designed to download/install software (e.g. PUAs) without users' permission.

Browser hijackers (with which AresLookup shares common characteristics) assign the addresses of fake search engines as the homepage, default search engines and new tab/window URLs. Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the address of the bogus search engine.

These fake search tools cannot usually generate unique results, and so they tend to redirect to Google, Bing, Yahoo and other legitimate search engines. Furthermore, when users attempt to make any changes to their browsers, they are automatically reset (if access to the settings is allowed at all).

Therefore, to recover the hijacked browser, it is necessary to remove the hijacker software. AresLookup is also likely to monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and collect users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

The data is usually shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit. To summarize, the presence of PUAs on devices can result in various system infiltration and infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.

Therefore, you are strongly advised to remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by AresLookup
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Additional Information	This application belongs to Adload malware family.
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.

EngineOrder, ArchiveIdea and OriginalTechSearch are some examples of other adware infections. This software typically seems legitimate and users are often tempted into download/installation with offers of "useful" functions. These features are rarely operational and, even if they do work, it is not as promised.

This applies to most PUAs. The only purpose of these unwanted apps is to generate revenue for the developers. Regular users receive no genuine value and simply experience various issues. PUAs operate by delivering intrusive advertisement campaigns, hijacking browsers, force-opening untrusted/malicious websites and collecting private data.

How did AresLookup install on my computer?

PUAs are commonly downloaded/installed with other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

By rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.), many users risk unintentionally allowing bundled content onto devices. Some PUAs have "official" download web pages. Once clicked, intrusive ads can execute scripts to stealthily download/install PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research all products to verify their legitimacy, prior to download/installation. Use only official and trustworthy download channels, as opposed to unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks or other third party downloaders.

When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, functions, etc. Intrusive ads often seem normal and innocuous, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. pornography, adult-dating, gambling and others).

If you experience these advertisements/redirects, inspect the system and remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay. If your computer is already infected with AresLookup, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Files related to AresLookup adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AresLookup/AresLookup
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AresLookupDaemon/AresLookup
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.AresLookup.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.AresLookupDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote AresLookup 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 "AresLookup" 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 AresLookup?
• STEP 1. Remove AresLookup related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove AresLookup ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove AresLookup adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove AresLookup ads from Mozilla Firefox.

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

AresLookup adware removal:

Remove AresLookup-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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