How to uninstall LookupTrack adware from the operating system

What is LookupTrack?

The LookupTrack application is categorized as adware with browser hijacker characteristics. This app enables the placement of various intrusive ads on any visited website, and also modifies browsers and promotes fake search engines. LookupTrack promotes Safe Finder through akamaihd.net.

Most adware and browser hijackers monitor users' browsing activity. Due to its dubious proliferation methods, LookupTrack is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Adware delivers pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys and other advertisements. These significantly diminish the browsing experience, as they limit browsing speed and website visibility. When clicked, these intrusive advertisements redirect to deceptive and malicious pages, and can execute scripts to stealthily download/install PUAs.

Browser hijackers reassign the homepage, new tab/window and default search engine URLs to the address of the bogus web search engines. Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the addresses of fake search tools.

Rogue search engines are usually unable to generate unique results, and so they redirect to legitimate sites. In the case of LookupTrack, it redirects to akamaihd.net, then to Safe Finder, and finally to search.yahoo.com (a genuine search engine).

Whether by restricting access to the browser settings and/or by resetting any changes made, browser hijackers prevent recovery of the affected browser. Therefore, the hijacker software must be removed to restore the hijacked browser. As mentioned, most unwanted apps can track data.

They can record users' browsing habits (browsing and search engine histories) and gather personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This sensitive data is commonly shared with third parties seeking to misuse it for profit. Therefore, PUAs can cause system infiltration and infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.

To protect device and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by LookupTrack
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AB [Trj]), Sophos AV (Adloadr (PUA)), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/Adware.Synataeb.D), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Adload.g), Full List (VirusTotal).
Additional Information	This application belongs to the 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.

TechAdviseSearch, SelectionDaily, ExpertProjectSearch, and UltraLocator are some examples of other adware-type apps. They tend to appear legitimate and useful, however, this software rarely operates as advertised, if it is operational at all. This applies to all PUAs.

The only purpose of these unwanted applications is to generate revenue for the developers, whilst regular users receive no real value. PUAs run intrusive ad campaigns, cause redirects, hijack browsers and track private data.

How did LookupTrack install on my computer?

PUAs are often downloaded and installed together with other products. This deceptive marketing technique of packing normal software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling". Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of inadvertent installation of bundled content.

Some PUAs have "official" download pages. When clicked, intrusive ads can also download/install PUAs without users' permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research all software and only download it from official/trustworthy sources. Do not use unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks or other third party downloaders, as they can offer deceptive/bundled content. Treat download and installation processes with caution.

Read the terms, explore all possible options, and use "Custom" or "Advanced" settings to opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, adult-dating, pornography and others).

If you experience these ads/redirects, inspect the system and immediately remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with LookupTrack, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Pop-up window displayed once LookupTrack installation is complete:

LookupTrack redirecting users to Safe Finder website via akamaihd.net:

LookupTrack adware installation folder:

LookupTrack adware installed on the Safari browser:

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

Video showing how to remove LookupTrack adware using Combo Cleaner:

LookupTrack adware removal:

Remove LookupTrack-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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