How to Remove Application.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy from Mac

George Herman

IT Security Expert

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What is Application.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy

Application.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy belongs to the Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA) category. It is a nasty parasite that generates numerous intrusive advertisements every time you open your web browsers. Sounds harmless, right? Well, it is not. Such ads may redirect you to unreliable sources and trick you into installing other shady software without you even realizing it. On top of that, this PUA compromises you online privacy. You definitely do not want it to stay on your Mac, so the sooner you remove it, the better chance you have of preventing it to cause trouble.

How it is distributed

Unwanted applications like Application.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy are most commonly distributed through freeware, software bundles and fake update messages. When browsing the internet you may stumble upon pop-ups or messages that state Flash player is outdated and needs to be updated. We highly recommend not to blindly trust such messages. Check the program in question yourself. If it says in the update settings that you do indeed need to update it, visit the official page and make the necessary installation. It is very common for pop-ups or other ads to reroute to shady third-party pages that lead to silent cyber attacks, which end with a parasite infection.

How it operates

As already mentioned, Application.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy is programmed to produce a large amount of annoying ads that will interrupt your browsing non-stop. And it will only get worse, the longer this infection is left unattended. The affected web browsers will suffer the consequences – they will crash and freeze, trying to display every sponsored content thrown its way by the parasite. This will also slow down your internet connection. What’s more, the parasite will use the personal information that you keep or use when browsing, like search results and web history, to provide targeted ads that you’ll definitely click on. This is done so the pest can create pay-per-click revenue for its creators. Unfortunately, there is a chance that other sensitive information can get stolen as well. Things like passwords, Login credentials, credit card numbers, bank accounts, IP addresses, etc. – all things that you type in and store in your browser. If you want to protect your online privacy and return to a normal browsing experience, you need to get rid of this PUA as soon as you detect its presence. In this article you’ll find detailed instructions on how to do that manually.

Staying safe from Application.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy 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.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy PUA from Mac

If you’ve had the misfortune of getting your Mac infected with the Application.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy 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.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy. 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.MAC.OSX.OpinionSpy 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.