How to uninstall FreshBasic app/extension from Mac (Virus removal guide)

What is FreshBasic

FreshBasic is an adware application that targets mac computers. Adware is a form of malicious software. It is not as dangerous as like a Trojan horse or Ransomware, but its presence can bring various popups and/or annoying advertisements. Actually authors of adware software is associated with some third-party ad networks and by displaying advertisements to users they earn revenue for yourself. These ads not only bother your browsing experience but also redirect you to malicious web-pages.

The worst is, adware can gather personal info, including:

• IP addresses;
• URLs visited;
• search queries/terms;
• clicks on links and ads;
• internet browser version information.

How Adware get on your Apple Mac

Adware usually spreads along with certain free programs that users download off of the Internet. So, think back, have you ever download and run any free programs. In order to avoid infection, in the Setup wizard, you should be be proactive and carefully read the ‘Terms of use’, the ‘license agreement’ and other install screens, as well as to always choose the ‘Manual’ or ‘Advanced’ installation mode, when installing anything downloaded from the Web.

Threat Summary

Name	FreshBasic, FreshBasic 1.0 app
Type	adware software, potentially unwanted application (PUA), Mac virus, Mac malware
Detection Names	OSX.Trojan.Gen, Adware/Adload!OSX, Adware.MAC.Generic, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload, MacOS.Agent-MT, Osx.Adware.Cimpli and ApplicUnwnt
Distribution	Free software installers, torrent downloads, misleading popup advertisements and fake updaters
Symptoms	When you go to a web-site, you’re periodically redirected to another web page that you do not intend to visit, internet browser pop ups appear and recommend fake updates and other unwanted programs, there is an unexpected program in the ‘Applications’ section of the Finder, an unwanted add-on appears in your browser, unwanted changes in your web browser like using a new default search engine, fast Internet but slow browsing speeds.
Removal	FreshBasic removal guide

How to remove FreshBasic

Not all unwanted apps such as FreshBasic are easily uninstallable. You might see pop ups, deals, text links, in-text ads, banners and other type of ads in Safari, Chrome and Firefox and might not be able to figure out the application responsible for this activity. The reason for this is that many malicious apps neither appear in the Finder. Therefore in order to fully delete FreshBasic , you need to execute the steps below. Some of the steps will require you to reboot your machine or exit this website. So, read this instructions carefully, then bookmark this page or open it on your smartphone for later reference.

To remove FreshBasic, complete the steps below:

1. Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device
2. Check the list of installed apps
3. Remove FreshBasic related files and folders
4. Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes
5. Remove FreshBasic from Safari, Chrome, Firefox
6. How to stay safe online

Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device

FreshBasic can make changes to the Mac system such as malicious changes to browser settings, and the addition of malicious system profiles. You need to check the system preferences, find and remove malicious profiles and ensure your settings are as you expect.

Click Apple menu ( ) > System Preferences.

In System Preferences, select Profiles. if there is no Profiles in the list of preferences, that means there are no profiles installed on the Mac device. If there is Profiles in the list, then click on it, then select a profile associated with FreshBasic.

To delete a malicious profile, click on the minus button ( – ) located at the bottom-left of the Profiles screen.

Check the list of installed apps

Check out the Finder (Applications section) to see all installed apps. If you see any unknown and suspicious applications, they are the ones you need to delete.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

It will open a list of all apps installed on your MAC OS. Scroll through the all list, and remove any dubious and unknown applications. Right click to questionable application and choose “Move to Trash”. Another way is drag the program from the Applications folder to the Trash.

Most important, scroll through the all list, and move to trash any unknown applications. Don’t forget, select Finder -> Empty Trash.

Remove FreshBasic related files and folders

Now you need to try to find FreshBasic related files and folders, and then delete them manually. You need to look for these files in certain directories. To quickly open them, we recommend using the “Go to Folder…” command.

FreshBasic creates several files, these files must be found and removed. Below is a list of files associated with this unwanted program.

• /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.FreshBasic.system.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.FreshBasic.service.plist
• /Library/Application Support/.(RANDOM)/System/com.FreshBasic.system
• ~/Library/Application Support/.(RANDOM)/Services/com.FreshBasic.service.app

Some files created by FreshBasic are hidden from the user. To find and delete them, you need to enable “show hidden files”. To do this, use the shortcut CMD + SHIFT + . Press once to show hidden files and again to hide them. There is another way. Click Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal. In Terminal, paste the following text: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

Press Enter. Hold the ‘Option/alt’ key, then right click on the Finder icon in the dock and click Relaunch.

Click on the Finder icon. From the menu bar, select Go and click “Go to Folder…”. As a result, a small window opens that allows you to quickly open a specific directory.

Check for FreshBasic generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/LaunchAgents

This will open the contents of the “/Library/LaunchAgents” folder. Look carefully at it and pay special attention to recently created files, as well as files that have a suspicious name. Move all suspicious files to the Trash. A few examples of files: macsearch.plist, search.plist, com.net-preferences.plist, com.machelper.plist, com.FreshBasic.service.plist, installapp.plist and com.google.defaultsearch.plist, . Most often, browser hijackers, adware software and potentially unwanted programs create several files with similar names.

Check for FreshBasic generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/Application Support

This will open the contents of the “Application Support” folder. Look carefully at its contents, pay special attention to recently added/changed folders and files. Check the contents of suspicious folders, if there is a file with a name similar to com.FreshBasic.system, then this folder must be deleted. Move all suspicious folders and files to the Trash.

Check for FreshBasic generated files in the “~/Library/LaunchAgents” folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
~/Library/LaunchAgents

Proceed in the same way as with the “/Library/LaunchAgents” and “/Library/Application Support” folders. Look for suspicious and recently added files. Move all suspicious files to the Trash.

Check for FreshBasic generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Carefully browse the entire list of files and pay special attention to recently created files, as well as files that have a suspicious name. Move all suspicious files to the Trash. A few examples of files to be deleted: com.machelper.system.plist, com.search.system.plist, com.installapp.system.plist, com.FreshBasic.system.plist and com.macsearch.system.plist. In most cases, adware, potentially unwanted programs and browser hijackers create several files with similar names.

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

You can get rid of FreshBasic associated files automatically through the use of MalwareBytes AntiMalware. We recommend this free malware removal tool because it can easily delete adware, PUPs, toolbars and browser hijackers with all their components such as files, folders and system entries.

Click the link below to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti Malware for Mac OS.

When the downloading process is complete, close all windows on your machine. Further, run the saved file. Follow the prompts.

The MalwareBytes Free will automatically start and you can see its main window as displayed below.

Next, click the “Scan Now” button . MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) program will scan through the whole Apple Mac for the FreshBasic adware. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. When a threat is detected, the count of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is complete.

Once the scan get completed, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will produce a list of unwanted apps and adware software. In order to remove all threats, simply click the “Quarantine” button.

The MalwareBytes Free will get rid of FreshBasic adware and move the selected items to the Quarantine.

Remove FreshBasic from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

Annoying FreshBasic adware software or other symptoms of adware in your internet browser is a good reason to find and remove harmful extensions. This is an easy method to restore browsers settings and not lose any important information.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
Click on ‘three dots menu’ button at the top right corner of the Chrome window. In the menu go to ‘More tools’, then ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to get rid of FreshBasic adware by reset Chrome settings.	Click on ‘menu’ button and select ‘Add-ons’. Go to ‘Extensions’ tab. To uninstall an add-on, click on ‘Remove’ button next to it. If you are still experiencing issues with FreshBasic adware removal, you need to reset Mozilla Firefox browser.
Safari
On the top menu select ‘Safari’, then ‘Preferences’. Select ‘Extensions’ tab. Select an extension you want to delete and click ‘Uninstall’ button next to it.

How to stay safe online

We suggest to install an ad blocking program. The ad-blocking tool like AdGuard is a application that basically removes advertising from the Internet and blocks access to malicious web sites. Moreover, security experts says that using ad blocker programs is necessary to stay safe when surfing the Web.

Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the link below. Save it to your Desktop.

After the downloading process is complete, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen. Follow the prompts.

Each time, when you launch your MAC, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted pop ups, block harmful and misleading web pages.

To sum up

Now your machine should be clean of the FreshBasic adware. We suggest that you keep MalwareBytes (to periodically scan your Apple Mac for new adware softwares and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you block intrusive popups and harmful web-pages). Moreover, to prevent any adware, please stay clear of unknown and third party software.

If you need more help with FreshBasic related issues, go to here.