How to uninstall VPNrecommended adware from your operating system

What is VPNrecommended?

VPNrecommended is suspicious software, endorsed as a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tool. Since most users download/install this app inadvertently, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

While VPNrecommended may seem to be a legitimate tool, it is bundled with adware and/or browser hijackers. Therefore, with VPNrecommended infiltrated into systems, users might encounter misleading/malicious advertisements and redirects to similarly dangerous sites.

Additionally, adware-type apps and browser hijackers are a serious privacy concern, as they typically have data tracking capabilities.

Adware enables the placement of banners, pop-ups, coupons, surveys, full-page, and other intrusive ads on any visited website and/or different interfaces. The delivered advertisements significantly diminish the browsing experience by limiting web page visibility and browsing speed.

Intrusive ads also pose a threat to device/user safety. Once clicked, they can redirect to untrusted/malicious sites, and some can stealthily download/install software (e.g., PUAs). Browser hijackers reassign the default search engine, homepage, and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of fake search engines. Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the fake search engine address.

The promoted search engines are rarely able to provide search results, and so they tend to redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other legitimate sites. Even when bogus search engines can generate unique results, they tend to be inaccurate and promote dubious and harmful websites.

Recovering a hijacked browser is impossible without removing the software affecting it, as browser hijackers can restrict/deny access to browser settings and undo any permitted changes made.

Most PUAs (adware and browser hijackers included) can track data. They can monitor browsing activity (visited URLs, viewed pages, searched queries, etc.) and gather sensitive information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations, and even personally identifiable details). The collected data is then monetized by sharing with and/or selling to third-parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

In summary, this unwanted software can lead to system infections, serious privacy issues, financial loss, and identity theft. To protect device integrity and user privacy, all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be removed immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by VPNrecommended
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names (installer)	Avast (Other:Malware-gen [Trj]), BitDefender (Adware.MAC.Generic.19817), Ikarus (Trojan-Downloader.OSX.ShlayerVPNrecommended), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Bnodlero.bg), 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.

ConfigType, DeskProduct, RotatorBox, and StandartProduct are some examples of other adware-type apps. They may seem legitimate and offer various "useful" functionality, however, the advertised functions are seldom operational. In fact, this applies to most PUAs.

The only purpose of this unwanted software is to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than delivering any real value, PUAs run intrusive advertisement campaigns, hijack browsers, cause redirects, and collect private data.

How did VPNrecommended install on my computer?

VPNrecommended has been observed being distributed through a scam website hosted on Amazon AWS. Deceptive sites and "official" promotional/download pages are often used to spread PUAs, however, they are more commonly downloaded/installed together with other products.

The false marketing technique of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling". Rushing download/installation processes (e.g., ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content into the system.

Intrusive advertisements proliferate PUAs as well. When clicked, they can execute scripts to download/install these rogue applications without user permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research all software before download/installation. Use only official and verified download channels. Unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule), and other third party downloaders commonly offer harmful and bundled content, and are therefore untrusted and should be avoided.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on.

Intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, however, they can redirect to dubious and malicious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and many others). If you encounter ads or redirects of this kind, inspect the system and remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately.

Installed programs must be activated and updated with tools or implemented functions that are provided by the official developers. No other third party, unofficial tools should be used.

Note that it is illegal to activate licensed software with ‘cracking’ tools. Files and programs should be downloaded from official websites and via direct download links. Avoid third party installers and the tools/sources mentioned above.

Do not open website links or files in irrelevant emails that are received from unknown, suspicious addresses. These bogus emails are often disguised as official and important. Regularly, scan your computer with reputable, up-to-date antivirus or anti-spyware software.

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

Deceptive installer promoting VPNrecommended;

First installation step:

Second installation step:

VPNrecommended in the applications folder:

Scam website hosted on Amazon AWS, which promotes VPNrecommended installer:

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

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

VPNrecommended adware removal:

Remove VPNrecommended-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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