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How to uninstall the DisplayAdvice app

Also Known As: Ads by DisplayAdvice
Type: Mac Virus
Damage level: Medium

What is DisplayAdvice?

DisplayAdvice serves advertisements, collects sensitive information and promotes Safe Finder by opening it via akamaihd.net. Therefore, this application functions as adware and an information tracking tool. Apps of this type are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), since people often download and install them accidentally.

DisplayAdvice adware

Usually adware displays coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups and other advertisements. When clicked, these can open untrusted web pages and, in some cases, execute scripts designed to download or install unwanted applications. In any case, ads that appear due to DisplayAdvice (or other adware) should never be clicked.

Furthermore, DisplayAdvice can read sensitive information such as credit card details, passwords, telephone numbers and other personal details. DisplayAdvice's developers might sell the data to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) or misuse it in other ways such as stealing identities and various accounts, making fraudulent purchases and transactions, etc.

Therefore, DisplayAdvice's users might become victims of identity theft, suffer monetary loss, lose access to personal accounts, experience problems relate to online privacy, and other serious issues. Note that DisplayAdvice and other such apps often target browsing data (IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages).

Research shows that DisplayAdvice is distributed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer. In some cases, these installers are used to distribute malicious software such as ransomwareTrojans or other malware. Therefore, third party, fake installers should never be used.

Threat Summary:
Name Ads by DisplayAdvice
Threat Type Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names Avast (MacOS:Adload-AB [Trj]), AVG (MacOS:Adload-AB [Trj]), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/Adware.Synataeb.C), 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.

ProcessFresh is similar to a number of other apps of this type including, for example, LookupTrack, SelectionDaily and UltraLocator. These apps deliver no real value and are designed only to generate revenue for the developers by serving advertisements and collecting information.

Furthermore, adware can be the reason behind serious issues. Therefore, remove all adware from browsers and operating systems immediately.

How did DisplayAdvice install on my computer?

Frequently, users download and install potentially unwanted apps unintentionally by clicking deceptive advertisements or when developers distribute them using a marketing method called "bundling". They use this to trick people into downloading and installing PUAs with other regular software.

Generally, apps of this type are included in software set-ups as 'additional offers', which can be found in settings such as "Custom" or "Advanced".

Many users allow potentially unwanted apps to be downloaded and installed by leaving these settings unchecked and unchanged. Unwanted downloads and installations also occur through deceptive ads - when people click them, they execute certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Software should not be downloaded from unofficial, dubious websites, through torrent clients, eMule (or other Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders and so on. Third party installers should also be avoided.

The safest way download files and programs is using direct links and official web pages. Check all "Custom" and "Advanced" settings and decline offers to download or install unwanted apps. Furthermore, intrusive ads that appear on dubious web pages can lead to other websites of this kind or cause unwanted downloads/installations.

Therefore, never click these ads. Finally, you are advised to regularly check browsers for unwanted, suspicious apps (extensions, add-ons, plug-ins) and remove such entries. The same should be applied to software of this kind installed on the operating system.

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

Fake Adobe Flash Player installer used to distribute DisplayAdvice:

displayadvice adware fake adobe flash player installer

Pop-up window displayed once DisplayAdvice installation is complete:

pop-up displayed once DisplayAdvice installation is done

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

DisplayAdvice redirecting users to Safe Finder website via akamaihd.net

DisplayAdvice installed on Safari:

displayadvice adware safari extension 

DisplayAdvice Contents folder:

dynamicwindow adware contents folder 

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:

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

DisplayAdvice adware removal:

Remove DisplayAdvice-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

mac browser hijacker removal from 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

Mac Go To Folder step

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Mac removing related files and folders - step 1Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

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.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 2Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/

Mac go to /Library/Application Support - step 2

In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 3Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 1

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

Mac go to ~/Library/LaunchAgents - step 2

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.

Mac removing related files and folders - step 4Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 1

In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/

Mac go to /Library/LaunchDaemons - step 2

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.

Mac removing malware related files and folders - step 5Scan 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.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 1

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.

Mac remove malware with Combo Cleaner - step 2

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Safari iconRemove malicious Safari extensions:

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 1

Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

Removal of malicious extensions in Safari - step 2

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.

Google Chrome logoRemove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 1

Click the Chrome menu icon Google 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".

Removal of malicious extensions in Google Chrome - step 2

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox logoRemove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 1

Click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (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".

Removal of malicious extensions in Mozilla Firefox - step 2

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Removal Instructions in other languages
Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

QR Code
Ads by DisplayAdvice QR code
Scan this QR code to have an easy access removal guide of Ads by DisplayAdvice on your mobile device.
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