How to Remove Kromtech MacKeeper from Mac

George Herman
George Herman
IT Security Expert

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What is Kromtech MacKeeper

Kromtech.com is a shady website, which is known to spread the ad-supported app MacKeeper. That’s how this malicious software got the name Kromtech MacKeeper. The appearance of Kromtech.com means that you most likely have unwanted software installed on your computer, which makes your browser to constantly load the unreliable page. Due to this, Kromtech MacKeeper falls into the potentially unwanted programs (PUP) category.

How it is distributed

The most common distribution methods for Kromtech MacKeeper include freeware, infected pop-ups and ads, torrent files, software bundles, etc. When installing software that you’ve downloaded from the internet, make sure to opt for a Custom/Advanced type of installation and decline any additional installations that the installer is proposing. If you fail to notice the presence of such optional programs, they will get automatically installed without your knowledge.

How it operates

After a successful installation, the Kromtech malware will take control over your web browsers, so it can open numerous ads as new tabs. Redirects are known to be hosted on different subdomains, i.e. app4.kromtech.net, app5.kromtech.net, app6.kromtech.net, etc. The parasite’s main goal is to make you download and install a program called MacKeeper, which is being advertised as a useful system optimizer. As already mentioned, MacKeeper is an ad-supported program, which floods your browsers with all types of advertisements, banners and pop-ups, instead of optimizing your Mac’s performance, as it promises. In reality, it can cause trouble when it’s running on your Mac device. This parasite will also try to obtain your private data. How? Well, every subdomain is likely to display a different offer, which may prompt you to share sensitive data, visit another shady link, or subscribe to push notifications. What you should do, is close the website immediately, and remove the PUP which is causing these annoying pop-ups and redirects.

Staying safe from Kromtech MacKeeper 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 Kromtech MacKeeper PUP from Mac

If you’ve had the misfortune of getting your Mac infected with the Kromtech 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 Kromtech MacKeeper. 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 Kromtech MacKeeper 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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