How to remove FunctionRecord adware from the operating system

What is FunctionRecord adware?

FunctionRecord is dubious software classified as adware and also with characteristics typical of browser hijackers. Following successful installation, it runs intrusive ad campaigns, modifies browser settings and promotes fake search engines. FunctionRecord promotes Safe Finder through akamaihd.net. 

Additionally, most adware and browser hijackers track browsing-related information. Since most users download/install FunctionRecord unintentionally, this app is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Adware delivers pop-ups, banners, surveys, coupons, full-page and other intrusive advertisements. These significantly diminish the browsing experience, since they limit browsing speed and website visibility (by overlaying web page content). When clicked, these ads redirect to various sale-based/promotional, rogue, compromised, deceptive/scam and malicious websites.

Furthermore, clicking them can trigger some of these ads to execute scripts designed to download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs) without users' permission. Browser hijackers operate by assigning the addresses of bogus search engines as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab/window URLs.

Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the address of the promoted search engine. FunctionRecord promotes Safe Finder via akamaihd.net.

Fake web searchers are typically unable to provide search results, and so they redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) Yahoo, Google, Bing and other legitimate search engines. Furthermore, browser hijackers can deny access to the browser settings and/or undo any permitted changes made.

As mentioned, most adware-type apps and browser hijackers have data tracking capabilities - and it is very likely that FunctionRecord has these features as well. These PUAs can record users' browsing habits (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

This vulnerable data is often shared with and/or sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals), likewise seeking to misuse the information for profit. In summary, the presence of unwanted apps on devices can lead to system infections, serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft.

To ensure device and user safety, it is crucial to eliminate all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by FunctionRecord
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:AdAgent-L [Adw]), Fortinet (Adware/Synataeb!OSX), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/Adware.Synataeb.C), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Adload.i), 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.

EssentialCommand, PromoteMethod and WebAdvancedSearch are some examples of other adware-type apps. They may seem legitimate and harmless, and users are often enticed into download/installation with a wide variety of "useful" functionality, however, the advertised features are seldom operational.

This applies to most PUAs. These unwanted applications have just one purpose: to generate revenue for the developers, whilst regular users receive no real value and can instead experience serious problems. PUAs run intrusive advertisement campaigns, force-open untrusted and malicious sites, modify browsers and collect private data.

How did FunctionRecord install on my computer?

PUAs are distributed through the download/installation set-ups of other products. "Bundling" is the name of this deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing normal software with unwanted or malicious additions. Rushing downloads/installations (e.g. ignoring terms, using presets, skipping steps, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content into the system.

Intrusive ads proliferate PUAs as well - once clicked, they can execute scripts to stealthily download/install these rogue apps. Some PUAs have "official" promotional web pages, from which they can be downloaded.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

You are advised to research all products prior to download/installation and/or purchase. Use only official and verified download channels. Untrusted download sources such as unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders can allow rogue programs to infiltrate.

When downloading/installing, you are advised to read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and other additions. Intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate, however, they can redirect to highly dubious pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and so on).

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

Pop-up window displayed once FunctionRecord installation is complete:

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

FunctionRecord adware installation folder:

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

Video showing how to remove FunctionRecord adware using Combo Cleaner:

FunctionRecord adware removal:

Remove FunctionRecord-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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