How to Remove Flvto Downloader PUP from Mac

George Herman

IT Security Expert

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What is Flvto Downloader

Flvto Downloader is promoted as a useful YouTube downloader program:

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Sadly, there is more to this software than meets the eye. It can be added as an extension to your browser, but chances are, it won’t be the real program, but a malicious copy of it, seeking to bombard you with advertising content and modify your browser settings to its needs. Due to this, malware researchers categorize the Flvto Downloader as adware-related PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program).

How it is distributed

If you visit the official site of this program, a pop-up will appear, saying “www.flvto.biz wants to show notifications”. This is one of the methods the PUP uses to infect Mac devices. If allowed, push notifications of this sort are capable of adding malicious software automatically to your web browsers. Another way for the Flvto Downloader to infiltrate your computer is via software bundling. Basically, it is included as bonus content in the installer of an app you want to install. In most cases, users don’t pay close attention and miss the fact that there’s an additional program, the installation of which is purely optional. But because the box next to it is ticked by default, unless the user opts out of its installation, the unwanted program will get automatically installed without authorization.

How it operates

Other than altering your browser’s settings, the Flvto Downloader PUP is capable of many other malicious actions. It will flood your screen with numerous intrusive advertisements that may lead to unreliable pages. Such redirects are very likely to be dangerous and can potentially infect your Mac with viruses. In addition to that, due to the abnormal amount of ads and pop-ups that are being generated by the malware on a daily basis, the browser will become unresponsive to your online activity. It will start to freeze, your internet speed will drop. And, on top of that, your private data can get jeopardized! Personal information like passwords, IP addresses, bank accounts, credit card numbers, Login credentials, etc. may get obtained by suspicious third-parties, if you stay idle and leave this PUP to its own devices. In order to return to a normal browsing experience and protect your online privacy, you need to remove the Flvto Downloader PUP from your device ASAP!

Staying safe from Flvto Downloader PUP

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 Flvto Downloader PUP from Mac

If you’ve had the misfortune of getting your Mac infected with the Flvto Downloader PUP, 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 Flvto Downloader. 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 Flvto Downloader 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.