Threat Summary
Type: | Malware |
Sub-type: | Potentially Unwanted Program |
Damage Level: | Low |
Reported: | March 11, 2017 |
Updated: | March 13, 2017 |
Posted By: |
Safe Cleaner for Mac is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) made for Macintosh system. It is also labeled as malicious tool that when installed on the computer may cause troubles and irritation. In the usual course of deploying Safe Cleaner for Mac, authors of this program are using invasive and misleading technique. Can t open my files. Installer files of this unwanted program are embedded on various software like free games, tools, and fake program update.
Victims may also acquire Safe Cleaner for Mac from the official web site through browser redirect issue that adware may have dropped on your Internet browser program. With the help of promotional materials and deceiving techniques, there are quite a number of people that were misguided into installing Safe Cleaner for Mac.
About Safe Cleaner for Mac (from safecleanerformac.com)
Clean your Mac with the advanced cleaning options of Safe Cleaner For Mac. Its One-Click Cleaning feature is a fast, reliable, and secure method of cleaning junk files with just one-click. It scans and removes unneeded languages, temporary files, user cache and log files that help save valuable hard disk space. It even optimizes applications to make them perform better by removing the redundant parts. With just one-click, you can perform multiple cleaning tasks and saves lots of time as well!
Overview
Third-party programs like free games, tools, media players, and bogus program updates are the main player that unfolds Safe Cleaner for Mac onto users computer. With these unknown programs, malicious items can be easily sneaks into the computer by running a multiple instance of software installation. However, only the main program is visible to the user. They are unaware that Safe Cleaner for Mac is also being loaded.
When Safe Cleaner for Mac starts running, it may provide several actions to misinform users. Either it will issue alerts or it may run scans on the computer and hard drive. Next, it suggests payment for the Safe Cleaner for Mac full version.
With the illusory tactics used by Safe Cleaner for Mac to encourage user into paying for the full version, many victims are forced into obtaining this bogus software. After realizing that Safe Cleaner for Mac is ineffective, they resort into uninstalling the program and demanding for refund. However, it is too late. Money has taken away by the maker of this fraud program.
Safe Cleaner for Mac Removal Steps
Free Adware Cleaner
Nov 14, 2017 Much of the nastiest adware arrives the same way it does on Windows, via junkware-packed installers from application-downloading sites like download.com or via shady advertisements that push you to an unofficial, tainted installer. Get your applications from the Mac App Store or the developer’s website.
- Keep your Mac safe all day. Triple protection. BitMedic offers you 3 step protection to keep your Mac safe from attacks. 1-click scan. BitMedic gives you two scanning options. Adware cleaner. Say good-bye to popup-adware scams. Remove adware and harmful browser extensions.
- Free virus scanner of Combo Cleaner checks and detects various kinds of threats. To remove them from the infected computer, you will have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner. Manual Removal and Additional Scan Close Safe Cleaner for Mac Application. 1 Close Safe Cleaner for Mac opened window or running application.
To effectively remove Safe Cleaner for Mac from your computer, please follow the removal procedures as stated below. It is also vital to scan the system with anti-virus, anti-malware, and security tool as presented. Junkware removers we provided on this site are completely free to use.
Force Quit Safe Cleaner for Mac
1. From Apple Menu, choose Force Quit. Alternatively, press and hold down Command + Option + Esc on your keyboard.
2. On the Force Quit Applications window, select Safe Cleaner for Mac and click the Force Quit button.
This method should end any running background process that belongs to unwanted application.
Scan and Remove Safe Cleaner for Mac with Bitdefender Adware Removal Tool
1. Download Bitdefender Adware Removal Tool for Mac from official website. [Download Now]
2. Unzip the file and run it on your Mac system.
3. On the main console, click on Search for Adware.
4. Remove all threats after the scan. If this procedure is not sufficient in getting rid of Safe Cleaner for Mac, please proceed to the next step.
Uninstall Safe Cleaner for Mac browser extension
1. Uninstall Safe Cleaner for Mac extension, add-on, or plug-in from affected browser. This method will remove all malicious codes integrated into the browser.
For Safari Browser
Open Safari browser and select Preferences from the top menu. Then, choose Extensions tab to display all installed third party software. Look for Safe Cleaner for Mac and remove related entry.
For Chrome Browser
Open Google Chrome and select Preferences from the menu. Next, click on the Extensions link which is located on the left side of the window. Once the list shows up, select Safe Cleaner for Mac and uninstall it from the browser.
For Firefox Browser
Open Mozilla Firefox and select Add-ons from the Tools menu. Find Safe Cleaner for Mac from Extensions and Plugins and delete if it is present.
2. Once you completed uninstall process of Safe Cleaner for Mac extension, please restart the affected browser.
Delete Safe Cleaner for Mac file manually
1. Go to User library. To do this, go to your Finder and select Go menu. From the list, click on Go to Folder command and input the following string: ~/Library/LaunchAgents
2. Press Return on your keyboard to open the LaunchAgents folder.
3. Inside the said folder, you will see the following files:
Safe Cleaner for Mac.AppRemoval.plist
Safe Cleaner for Mac.download.plist
Safe Cleaner for Mac.ltvbit.plist
Safe Cleaner for Mac.update.plist
Safe Cleaner for Mac.download.plist
Safe Cleaner for Mac.ltvbit.plist
Safe Cleaner for Mac.update.plist
For Chrome, the Downloads page is under the Window drop-down in the upper left corner of your browser. Right-click or hold Control on your keyboard and select Silverlight.pkg. Select Open on the pop-up menu. Select Open on the prompt that says Silverlight.pkg is not from the Mac App Store. The Official site of Microsoft Silverlight. Download and install the latest version Microsoft Silverlight plug in for your browser. All Microsoft Sites. Silverlight home page Prepare for Silverlight 5 end of support after October 2021. Learn more Get Microsoft Silverlight. Dec 06, 2017 Download Microsoft Silverlight for Mac Second Technique: In this method, you will get the Microsoft Silverlight for Mac OS on your MacBook. To download the app, you need to open the MacBook App Store. Now you have to go to the search bar and type in as Microsoft Silverlight and click to search for the app. How to download silverlight on mac. Dec 04, 2014 It is incredibly easy to download and install Silverlight on Mac PC. How to Install it on MAC. Users just need to head forward to the official Microsoft Silverlight Page, where you will get to know that whether your Mac is installed with updated version of Silverlight or not, and if not then it will recommend you to install it. After you visit.
4. Drag them all to your Trash. Empty the Trash Bin and restart the computer.
5. Go to Finder once more and Go to Folder using this string: ~/Library/Application Support
6. Press Return on your keyboard to open the Application Support folder.
7. Once more, find any items with word Safe Cleaner for Mac and put them to your Trash. Please restart the computer.
8. Lastly, go to your Finder and select Go menu. From the list, click on Applications command. Look for Safe Cleaner for Mac and drag it to Trash.
Scan Again with with Anti-malware Tool
1. Download the most recent version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac. [Download Now]
2. Double-click to open the .Dmg file and drag the program onto Applications folder to install.
3. Run the anti-malware tool.
4. Click Scan to start checking the computer for items related to Safe Cleaner for Mac and other malware.
5. After scanning the computer, the tool will issue a list of detected threats.
6. Click on Remove Selected Items to start deleting all identified threats.
Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner rogue optimization tool from Mac OS X to stop its frustrating alerts and undo the concomitant bad effects it calls forth.
Update: October 2019
Advanced Mac Cleaner usually appears on Mac boxes out of the blue and floods the victim’s experience with annoying warning messages. Also known as Mac Cleaner, it dupes the user into thinking that their machine has got numerous problems hindering normal performance. According to the fake alerts, the operating system’s productivity is impacted by junk files, duplicate objects, unneeded login items, crammed up cache, trash and logs, as well as rogue apps that are claimed to occupy excessive hard disk space and thus reduce the processing speed as well as responsiveness to commands. The number of these wrongfully reported items is flagrant, going over 1000 even on a well-tuned or new Mac computer.
It’s not a commonplace distribution practice that’s leveraged by Advanced Mac Cleaner makers to promote their nasty brainchild. A great deal of infected users have caught this pseudo optimizer when installing free tools such as FileZilla or updating Adobe Flash Player via downloads from unofficial sources. In these cases, the setup wizard prompts you that an extra applet will be installed as a bonus to make the Mac run smoother. Some people are prudent enough to avoid such offers, which are generally known to deliver adware programs, but this caution doesn’t always help. Unless the bundle is manually unchecked and thus opted out of from the start, Advanced Mac Cleaner will still be installed in the background.
Furthermore, the culprit may additionally cross-promote affiliated scareware like Mac Adware Cleaner by means of prompts on its GUI. To add insult to injury, it may hijack the victim’s default web browser and redirect their traffic to landing pages pushing its licensed version or a copy of another rogue system utility, such as Mac Tonic or Mac Auto Fixer. The malware is also known to propagate alongside browser redirect viruses and persistent adware apps that affect the victim’s web surfing experience. One of the notorious campaigns pushing the scareware in question relies on sketchy browser alerts that report alleged infection with a combo of 3 viruses called Tapsnake, CronDNS, and Dubfishicv. The victims are redirected to phony web pages that mimic AppleCare and insist on urgent download of Advanced Mac Cleaner to sort out the problem that isn’t there in the first place. It appears that the gang behind the rogue program in question is deploying a well-orchestrated malicious marketing campaign with a distinct flavor of social engineering.
The user may be unaware of this forcible setup from the get-go, but not until a message like the one above pops up. It says that a huge number of issues have been found, specifying this information as follows “Issues may include duplicate files, system & internet junk, rogue software & recoverable drive space. Fix and enjoy a performance boost.” The ‘Start Repair’ button, if clicked, takes you to the junk application’s main interface that displays high improvement potential for each cluster of problems. Obviously, cleaning the purported bugs is a paid service. At that point, it’s reasonable to contemplate over what’s happening: you are being told to pay for rectifying issues that do not exist. It’s certainly the best move to get rid of the Advanced Mac Cleaner scam rather than follow the evildoers’ recommendations.
Another flavor of this scareware problem surfaced in October 2019. It was precipitated by a release of Apple’s macOS Catalina 10.15. After upgrading their operating system to the new version, numerous users started experiencing obnoxious popup activity with Advanced Mac Cleaner at its core. The annoying notifications say, “helperamc will damage your computer. You should move it to the Bin.” The process mentioned on these alerts is spawned by the rogue system tool under scrutiny and can be seen in the Activity Monitor, along with other related executables called “amcuninstall” and “hlpramc”.
Here is what’s happening: the latest macOS build, evidently, leverages an improved algorithm to identify potentially harmful apps. In particular, it will flag a program as a malicious one if it was installed on an unknown date, if its installer was downloaded from an unverified source, or in case some other telltale signs of sketchy activity are spotted. To let the users know about such suspicious objects, the system displays the above-mentioned popup dialogs. In this situation, the infection is probably in a dormant state and doesn’t manifest itself conspicuously. The Catalina update has simply unearthed the issue due to new security perks it delivers. Unfortunately, although the warnings include a “Move to Bin” button, it doesn’t work as intended. Therefore, the victims have to do their homework and find a way to remove Advanced Mac Cleaner despite its persistence.
Advanced Mac Cleaner manual removal for Mac
The steps listed below will walk you through the removal of this application. Be sure to follow the instructions in the order specified.
- Open up the Utilities folder as shown below
- Locate the Activity Monitor icon on the screen and double-click on it
- Under Activity Monitor, find the entry for Advanced Mac Cleaner, select it and click Quit Process
- A dialog should pop up, asking if you are sure you would like to quit the Advanced Mac Cleaner (it can be manifested as an object named helperamc) executable. Select the Force Quit option
- Expand the Go menu in Apple Finder and select Go to Folder
- Type or paste the following string in the folder search dialog: /Library/LaunchAgents
- Once the LaunchAgentsdirectory opens up, find the following entries in it and move them to Trash:
- com.pcv.hlpramc.plist
- com.pcv.helperamc.plist
- com.pcv.amcuninstall.plist
- com.PCvark.AdvancedMacCleaner.plist
- Use the Go to Folder lookup feature again to navigate to the folder named ~/Library/LaunchAgents. When this path opens, look for the same entries (see above) and send them to Trash
- Similarly, go to the ~Library/Application Support folder. Locate and move the following entries to Trash:
- Advanced Mac Cleaner
- amc
- Click the Go button again, but this time select Applications on the list. Find the entry for Advanced Mac Cleaner entry on the interface, right-click on it and select Move to Trash. If user password is required, go ahead and enter it
- Now go to Apple Menu and pick the System Preferences option
- Select Accounts and click the Login Items button. Mac OS will come up with the list of the items that launch when the box is started up. Locate Advanced Mac Cleaner there and click on the '-' button
Use automatic tool to completely uninstall Advanced Mac Cleaner from your Mac
- Download and install MacBooster application (read review). The tool provides both optimization and security features for your Mac. Before you get down to obliterating Advanced Mac Cleaner virus proper, consider checking your machine for other security risks and performance issues by hitting the Scan button. Download Now
- Proceed to the Uninstaller feature, find Advanced Mac Cleaner on the Applications list and have MacBooster completely eliminate all components of the app from your Mac by clicking Uninstall in the bottom part of the GUI. Doing so will ensure all components of the malware and its remainders, which may have not been removed in the manual way, will be thoroughly cleaned up.
FAQ
Unlike benign software, Advanced Mac Cleaner is a stubborn app that attempts to complicate the uninstall process. It means that you need to circumvent its hindrance before deleting the associated components and files. This adds an extra step to the removal logic. In most cases, the following workflow does the trick:
- Open the Activity Monitor, find an entry named “helperamc”, “hlpramc” or another process with “amc” part in its name, and quit the malicious executable.
- Look for related files (com.pcv.hlpramc.plist, com.pcv.helperamc.plist, com.pcv.amcuninstall.plist, com.PCvark.AdvancedMacCleaner.plist, Advanced Mac Cleaner, amc) in the LaunchAgents and Application Support folders. Remove these objects if found.
- Go to the Finder and select Applications. Spot ‘Advanced Mac Cleaner’ app and move it to the Trash. Empty the Trash when done.
Ideally, this technique should eradicate the scareware, but with the caveat that the files may vary as new versions of Advanced Mac Cleaner appear in the wild. Stay tuned for updates in the guide above to make sure your removal efforts are effective.
Advanced Mac Cleaner is a rogue system utility that wrongfully purports to look for and fix Mac performance issues and privacy risks. Instead of carrying through with these promises, it reports non-existent problems and tries to pressure the user into buying its licensed version to unlock the repair features. This scareware is installed behind the user’s back, usually arriving with complex app bundles camouflaged as one useful program.
At first sight, it may seem that the impact of Advanced Mac Cleaner is restricted to annoying scan reports and scary-looking popup alerts. That’s a misconception. This fake optimizer isn’t safe to use, because it can harvest your sensitive information and send it to the cybercriminals in charge of the campaign. Your usernames and passwords, as well as credit card information, are potentially at risk as long as this pest is running on your Mac.
No, it’s not. The huge amount of negative feedback about this program speaks volumes about its dirty practices, not to mention the obvious elements of foul play in its modus operandi. Advanced Mac Cleaner is distributed via covert software bundles and fake virus alerts shown on numerous malicious websites. Once installed, it deluges the host system with deceptive scans and popup alerts reporting hundreds or even thousands of imaginary performance and security issues. The objective of this brainwashing is to coerce the victim to purchase the app’s license, which is supposedly a prerequisite of addressing the detected threats. Another shady quirk is that Advanced Mac Cleaner is harder to uninstall than regular Mac applications. All in all, this scareware is neither legit nor safe.