How to remove AppliedReview adware

What is AppliedReview?

AppliedReview is an adware-type potentially unwanted application (PUA), which is designed to serve advertisements and promote Safe Finder by opening it through akamaihd.net. Commonly, apps such as AppliedReview gather browsing-related and other information. This app is categorized as a PUA, since most people do not download or install adware intentionally.

Like most adware-type applications, AppliedReview feeds users with intrusive advertisements. Typically, adware serves coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups and other ads that often conceal underlying content of visited websites. When clicked, they can open various untrusted websites.

Some ads displayed by adware are designed to run scripts that download and install unwanted software. Furthermore, it is possible that AppliedReview collects browsing data (IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited websites, etc.) and even private, sensitive information.

There is a possibility that adware developers will sell collected data to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who then misuse it to generate revenue in other ways. Users who have apps such as AppliedReview installed on their systems risk becoming victims of identity theft, experiencing problems relating to browsing safety, online privacy, and other issues.

Therefore, you are strongly advised to uninstall all adware from the operating system and browser immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by AppliedReview
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.

Most adware-type applications have just one purpose: to generate revenue for the developers by serving advertisements. They also collect various information.

Adware is often promoted as useful software that supposedly delivers various features and other value, and yet it does not operate as advertised and simply causes problems. Some examples of other adware-type apps are NationalSpecial, CommonAdmin and SystemSpecial.

How did AppliedReview install on my computer?

Some potentially unwanted apps can be downloaded from their 'official' websites, however, people often download and install them inadvertently through deceptive ads or together with other, regular software. Commonly, developers distribute PUAs using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling".

I.e., by including such apps into the set-ups of other programs. Usually, included apps are mentioned in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of set-ups, however, many users often leave the default settings unchanged when they download and install various programs.

By failing to change these settings, they agree to download and install additional software (PUAs). When clicked, some deceptive ads can cause unwanted downloads and installations by executing certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Unwanted downloads and installations can be avoided by downloading files and programs only from official pages, checking download and installation set-ups for offers to download and/or install unwanted apps, and not clicking dubious ads.

Third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule) and other similar channels are often used to distribute unwanted, sometimes even malicious apps. Check all download and installation settings (e.g., "Custom", "Advanced") and dismiss any offers to download or install PUAs before completing the process.

Ads that appear on dubious web pages tend to open other untrusted sites or even cause unwanted downloads and installations. Therefore, these ads should not be trusted or clicked. Remove unwanted, suspicious extension, add-ons and plug-ins installed on the browser immediately.

The same should be applied to programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with AppliedReview, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Pop-up window displayed once AppliedReview installation is complete:

AppliedReview redirecting users to the Safe Finder website via akamaihd.net:

AppliedReview 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:

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

Video showing how to remove AppliedReview adware using Combo Cleaner:

AppliedReview adware removal:

Remove AppliedReview-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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