How to remove ServiceBuilder adware

What is ServiceBuilder?

ServiceBuilder supposedly improves the browsing experience and is useful in various other ways, however, this app serves advertisements, gathers information (including private, sensitive details) and promotes Safe Finder (by opening it via akamaihd.net).

In most cases, people download and install adware unintentionally. Therefore, ServiceBuilder and other apps of this type are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

Typically, software such as ServiceBuilder feeds users with coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups and other advertisements that conceal underlying content of visited web pages. People who click these ads are often led to untrusted, potentially malicious websites or they allow them to execute scripts designed to cause download/installation of unwanted software.

Furthermore, ServiceBuilder can read data such as credit card details, telephone numbers, passwords and other sensitive information. The developers sell the data to third parties including cyber criminals or misuse it to make fraudulent purchases/transactions, steal identities and accounts, etc.

Therefore, ServiceBuilder's users might become victims of identity theft, suffer monetary loss, experience problems relating to online privacy and other serious issues. Note that ServiceBuilder might record information relating to users' browsing habits. For example, details such as geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages, IP addresses, etc.

In any case, ServiceBuilder and other apps of this type should be removed from your browser and computer immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by ServiceBuilder
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/Adware.Synataeb.D), 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.

More examples of similar adware are DisplaySuccess, CoordinatorMedia and GroupSource. Commonly, these apps are advertised as useful and legitimate.

They supposedly deliver various features, improve the browsing experience and provide other value, however, adware-type apps are designed only to serve advertisements and gather data, which can cause serious problems.

How did ServiceBuilder install on my computer?

Typically, people download and install PUAs together with other (usually free) programs. I.e., when these apps are included into the download/installation set-ups as 'additional offers'. This distribution method of potentially unwanted apps is known as "bundling".

Unwanted downloads and installations are caused when people acquire their programs without checking and changing the default settings, and declining offers to download or install additional apps. Typically, these offers are mentioned in "Advanced", "Custom", and "Manual" settings.

These unwanted downloads and installations can also be caused by clicking deceptive advertisements that execute certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All programs and files should be downloaded from official pages and through direct links. Other channels and sources such as third party downloaders, unofficial web pages, and Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule) should not be used. The same applies to installations via third party installers.

Furthermore, download and installation set-ups that contain settings such as "Custom", "Advanced" should be checked for offers to download or install additional (unwanted) software. Additional downloads and installations can be avoided by changing the settings (decline additional offers of software) before completing the process.

Do not trust or click ads that appear on dubious web pages, since they can open untrusted web pages or cause unwanted downloads/installations. Remove any unwanted/unknown or suspicious extensions, add-ons or plug-ins installed on the browser. Also remove any programs of this kind installed on the operating system immediately.

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

Pop-up window displayed once ServiceBuilder installation is complete:

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

ServiceBuilder installed on Safari:

 

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

Video showing how to remove ServiceBuilder adware using Combo Cleaner:

ServiceBuilder adware removal:

Remove ServiceBuilder-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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