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

What is ExpandedEnvironment

According to security researchers, ExpandedEnvironment is a malicious application that belongs to the Adware category . Adware is a form of software developed to throw advertisements up on your browser screen. Adware generates profit for its author by occasionally showing a lot of ads and popup deals. You might experience a change in your home page or search provider, new tabs opening or even a redirect to scam sites.

The worst is, the adware can install a component which enables its developer to track which websites you visit, which products you look at upon those pages. They are then able to choose the type of ads they display you. So, if you had adware on your computer, there is a good chance you have another that is collecting and sharing your confidential data with third parties, without your say-so.

If your internet browser has been infected by the adware, you must have complete any of the steps below. Once you have removed ExpandedEnvironment from your Apple Mac by following our simple steps below, make sure not to commit the same mistakes again in the future.

How does ExpandedEnvironment get on your machine

The majority of adware spreads bundled with freeware or even paid software which Web users can easily download online. The setup packages of such software, most often, clearly indicate that they will install additional apps. The option is given to users to block the installation of any optional apps. So, in order to avoid the installation of any adware: read all disclaimers and install screens very carefully, select only Custom or Advanced installation type and uncheck all bundled applications in which you are unsure.

Threat Summary

Name	ExpandedEnvironment, ExpandedEnvironment 1.0 app
Type	adware software, potentially unwanted application (PUA), Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names	OSX.Trojan.Gen, Adware.MAC.Generic, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, ApplicUnwnt, Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload, MacOS.Agent-MT, Adware/Adload!OSX and Osx.Adware.Cimpli
Distribution	Free software installers, shady popup ads, torrent downloads and fake update tools
Symptoms	You keep getting redirected to unfamiliar webpages, you experience lots of of unexpected advertising pop-ups, unwanted application installed without your consent, unexpected web-browser addons or toolbars keep coming back, your internet browser settings are being altered without your request, slow Internet browsing speeds.
Removal	ExpandedEnvironment removal guide

How to remove ExpandedEnvironment adware software

Not all unwanted apps like the ExpandedEnvironment adware are easily uninstallable. You might see popups, deals, text links, in-text advertisements, banners and other type of ads in Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Safari and might not be able to figure out the program responsible for this activity. The reason for this is that many unwanted apps neither appear in the Finder. Therefore in order to fully remove ExpandedEnvironment , you need to execute the steps below. Read it once, after doing so, please bookmark this page (or open it on your smartphone) as you may need to close your browser or restart your MAC.

To remove ExpandedEnvironment, execute the steps below:

1. Remove profiles created by ExpandedEnvironment
2. Check the list of installed software
3. Remove ExpandedEnvironment related files and folders
4. Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes
5. Remove ExpandedEnvironment from Safari, Chrome, Firefox
6. How to stay safe online

Remove profiles created by ExpandedEnvironment

ExpandedEnvironment can install a configuration profile on the Mac system to block changes made to the browser settings. Therefore, you need to open system preferences, find and delete the profile installed by the adware.

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. If there is Profiles in the list, then click on it, then select a profile related to ExpandedEnvironment.

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

Check the list of installed software

Check the list of installed programs on your Mac and uninstall all unknown and recently installed applications. If you see an unknown program with incorrect spelling or varying capital letters, it have most likely been installed by malicious software and you should clean it off first with malicious software removal utility such as MalwareBytes Free.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

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

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

Remove ExpandedEnvironment related files and folders

Now you need to try to find ExpandedEnvironment 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.

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

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

Some files created by ExpandedEnvironment 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 ExpandedEnvironment 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: com.ExpandedEnvironment.service.plist, installapp.plist, com.net-preferences.plist, com.google.defaultsearch.plist, , macsearch.plist, com.machelper.plist and search.plist. Most often, PUPs, adware and browser hijackers create several files with similar names.

Check for ExpandedEnvironment 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.ExpandedEnvironment.system, then this folder must be deleted. Move all suspicious folders and files to the Trash.

Check for ExpandedEnvironment 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 ExpandedEnvironment 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.installapp.system.plist, com.ExpandedEnvironment.system.plist, com.macsearch.system.plist, com.search.system.plist and com.machelper.system.plist. In most cases, adware software, potentially unwanted programs and browser hijackers create several files with similar names.

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

If you’re still having issues with the ExpandedEnvironment removal or just wish to check your Mac device occasionally for adware and other malware, then download MalwareBytes Free. It’s free for home use, and searches for and removes various unwanted apps that attacks your machine or degrades MAC system performance. MalwareBytes can get rid of browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs, toolbars and adware as well as malicious software, including ransomware and trojans.

1. Download MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) on your machine by clicking on the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
   20841 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: September 10, 2020
   
2. After the downloading process is done, please close all programs and open windows on your MAC system. Run the downloaded file. Follow the prompts.
3. The MalwareBytes Free will run and open the main window.
4. Further, click the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes Free program will scan through the whole MAC OS for the ExpandedEnvironment adware. This task may take some time, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes tool is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.
5. After MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) has completed scanning your MAC, MalwareBytes will create a list of unwanted applications and adware.
6. Review the results once the tool has done the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click the “Remove Selected Items” button.
7. Close the AntiMalware and continue with the next step.

Remove ExpandedEnvironment from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

If you have ‘ExpandedEnvironment ‘ removal problem, then remove unwanted extensions can help you. In the steps below we will show you the method to get rid of harmful extensions without reinstall. This will also allow to delete ExpandedEnvironment from your web browser.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
Click on ‘three dots menu’ button at the top right corner of the Google Chrome window. Select ‘More tools’, then ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to remove ExpandedEnvironment 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 ExpandedEnvironment removal, you need to reset 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

Running an ad blocker program such as AdGuard is an effective way to alleviate the risks. Additionally, ad blocker applications will also protect you from harmful ads and web-sites, and, of course, block redirection chain to misleading, scam and similar web-pages.

1. Please go to the link below to download the latest version of AdGuard for Mac.
   
   

   AdGuard for Mac download
   3677 downloads
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: January 17, 2018
   
2. When the downloading process is done, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. When the installation is finished, click “Skip” to close the install program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you launch your MAC, AdGuard will run automatically and stop annoying advertisements, block malicious and misleading webpages.

Finish words

Now your MAC system should be free of the ExpandedEnvironment adware. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop-up ads and annoying malicious web-pages) and MalwareBytes Anti Malware (to periodically scan your MAC system for new adware softwares and other malicious software).

If you are still having problems while trying to remove ExpandedEnvironment from the Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari, then ask for help here here.