How to uninstall RotatorAssist adware

What is RotatorAssist?

RotatorAssist is a rogue app classified as adware. It runs intrusive ad campaigns (i.e., delivers various unwanted and possibly dangerous ads). Additionally, RotatorAssist has browser hijacker characteristics, such as browser settings modification and promotion of bogus search engines.

This application promotes Safe Finder via akamaihd.net. Most adware programs and browser hijackers monitor users' browsing activity, and RotatorAssist is likely to do so as well. Due to the dubious techniques used to proliferate RotatorAssist, it is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Software within the adware classification enables the placement of pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys and other intrusive advertisements, often on any visited website. These ads diminish the browsing experience by overlaying web page content and reducing browsing speed.

When intrusive ads are clicked, they often redirect to dubious and malicious websites. The ads can also execute scripts to stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Browser hijackers operate by assigning the addresses of fake search engines as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab/window URLs.

Therefore, any new browser tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the promoted address. RotatorAssist promotes Safe Finder in this fashion (through akamaihd.net). Few bogus search engines can provide unique results, and so they tend to redirect to Yahoo, Bing, Google and other genuine sites.

Furthermore, browser hijackers can restrict/deny access to the affected browser's settings and/or undo any permitted changes made. Therefore, the browser hijacker must be eliminated to recover the hijacked browser. Most PUAs have data tracking capabilities.

They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and can collect personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). The gathered data is typically monetized by sharing with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals), seeking to misuse it for profit.

The presence of unwanted applications on devices can therefore lead to system infections, serious privacy issues, financial loss and identity theft. To ensure device health and user safety, remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by RotatorAssist
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.

UpdaterChannel, ImagineReview and SearchModule are some examples of other adware infections. They may seem legitimate and harmless, and usually offer various "useful" functionalities, however, the features promised are rarely operational. In fact, this is common to all PUAs.

These unwanted applications have just one purpose: to generate revenue at users' expense. Rather than delivering any real value, PUAs run intrusive ad campaigns, hijack browsers, cause redirects and collect private data.

How did RotatorAssist install on my computer?

Some PUAs have "official" promotional web pages from which they can be downloaded, however, these apps are more commonly downloaded/installed with other products. This deceptive marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is termed "bundling".

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled or dubious content onto the system. Intrusive ads proliferate PUAs as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to make downloads/installations without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research all software prior to download/installation. All downloads must be done from official and trustworthy sources. Dubious download channels such as unofficial and free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and bundled content.

Therefore, they should be avoided. When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive advertisements typically seem normal and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

If you encounter ads/redirects of this kind, check the system and remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with RotatorAssist, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Pop-up window displayed once RotatorAssist installation is complete:

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

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

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

RotatorAssist adware removal:

Remove RotatorAssist-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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