How to Remove Application.Hacktool.MacOS from Mac

George Herman
George Herman
IT Security Expert

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What is Application.Hacktool.MacOS

Application.Hacktool.MacOS is the detection name of malicious software, which falls under the PUA (Potentially Unwanted Applications) umbrella. This parasite is responsible for all the annoying ads and pop-ups that interrupt your browsing. PUA such as this, monitors your online activity, so it can produce targeted advertisements you’ll be most likely to click on. Why? Well, that’s how it will be able to successfully create revenue for its creators, via the pay-per-click scheme. As a whole, PUA parasites can damage your web browsers, spam you with intrusive adverts, and even obtain your personal information. That being said, you do not want it on your computer system.

How it is distributed

PUAs are most commonly distributed through freeware, software ‘bundling’, torrent files, infected ads, fake update messages and email attachments. You may see websites, which will try to make you update Flash Player, or another application through their platform. Do not trust such sources! Make sure to download updates from developers’ official pages only! Online pop-up messages can also be very misleading. If during your online browsing you stumble upon a pop-up that claims your computer has been infected by a virus, it is most definitely a lie! No website can determine if your PC’s security has been compromised. You have AV software for that. Such messages aim to manipulate you into installing shady software which will only harm your computer.

How it operates

As we already established, Application.Hacktool.MacOS is capable of monitoring your online activity, and collect data like browsing history and search results. Unfortunately, it may not limit itself to just this data. Private information such as passwords, Login credentials, credit card numbers, bank accounts, IP addresses, etc. may also fall into the hands of cyber criminals, who seek to share it with other third-parties for profit. As a result of all the heavy advertisements being generated by the parasite on a daily basis, your browser’s performance will decrease, and so will your internet speed. All the affected web browsers will start to crash and freeze, making you unable to do any kind of work normally. You could also be exposed to other threats. For example, PUAs may redirect you to shady pages, which may seek to infect your Mac with dangerous viruses. The only way to regain control over your browser and make sure that your online privacy is protected, is to remove the Application.Hacktool.MacOS as soon as you detect it! This article will guide you through detailed instructions on how to manually get rid of this parasite.

Staying safe from Application.Hacktool.MacOS PUA

Apart from having a reliable AV software installed on your Mac, there are other things you can do to ensure your device’s safety. We highly recommend you to:

  • Pay close attention when you install third-party software, especially torrent files, so you don’t install shady additional applications that you don’t want. In most cases, that’s how malicious parasites are able to infect your computer;
  • Read any Terms and Conditions you see, so you know exactly what you agree to. The last thing you want is to unknowingly give permission to a nasty virus to infiltrate your Mac;
  • Follow links that lead to trustworthy sites only;
  • It is best to visit only reliable and official websites. You never know what dangers might lurk behind an unfamiliar site;
  • No matter how attractive an ad is, if you are not familiar with the website it redirects to, it might be best to steer clear of it and not click;
  • Always check the sender’s email address before opening a message. If it states that it’s from an official company, compare the email with the one given in their official page. If there is no match, delete the message, since it most likely is fake and has malicious aims;
  • Don’t open email attachments from unknown senders. More often than not, such files carry infections that can seriously damage your computer.

How to manually remove Application.Hacktool.MacOS PUA from Mac

If you’ve had the misfortune of getting your Mac infected with the Application.Hacktool.MacOS PUA, the instructions below can help you to remove it manually. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to Utilities. You can do that by using the ⇧+⌘+U key combination, or by going to Finder and choosing Utilities from the Go main menu at the top.

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it.

3. A list will be displayed. Find any processes that seem suspicious to you and use the ‘Force Quit‘ option to quit them completely.

4. Open Finder. Click on the Go button from the main menu at the top, and choose Applications. An alternative way is to use the ⇧+⌘+A key combination.

5. Look for any suspicious applications, especially ones with a name similar to Application.Hacktool.MacOS. If any are found, right-click on them and select the ‘Move to Trash‘ option.

6. Remove any related left-over files by going to Finder‘s search bar and typing the name of the app you want to remove. Make sure to modify the two drop down menus above to ‘System Files‘ and ‘Are Included‘, so that any hidden files are visible for you to remove. Once you find the files you want to remove, simply drag them to Trash.

7. All that’s left for you to do is remove any related extensions to Application.Hacktool.MacOS from your Mac browsers.

For Mozilla Firefox extensions:

  • Open the Firefox browser and from the ‘burger’ menu in the top right corner of the window select ‘Add-ons’.
  • Select any suspicious extensions that may be related to the virus and click ‘Remove’.

For Google Chrome extensions:

  • Open the Chrome browser and select Tools > Extensions from the menu (the three dots in the top right corner of the browser window).
  • Locate any suspicious extensions that may be related to the virus and remove them.

For Safari extensions:

  • Open the Safari browser. From the Safari menu choose Preferences. Select Extensions from the options at the top.
  • Find any extensions you think are related to the virus, select them and click ‘Uninstall’. A new window will show up asking for confirmation. Click Uninstall again, for the extension to get deleted permanently from your browser.

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