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

What is ElementSignal

ElementSignal is a malicious application that falls under the category of Adware. Adware can make big problems to your Mac. Adware also known as ‘ad-supported’ software is a type of malicious software that displays a lot of adverts in form of pop-ups, coupons, banners or even fake alerts on the internet browser. Adware can seriously affect your privacy, your computer’s performance and security.

Another reason why you need to remove the ElementSignal app is its online data-tracking activity. It can have spyware and keyloggers built into itself leading to greater damage to your Mac computer and possible invasion of your privacy data. You should remove this adware as soon as possible. Here, in this post below, you can found the best possible tutorial on How to remove ElementSignal and get rid of unwanted advertisements from your Mac for free.

How does ElementSignal get on your Apple Mac

Most of unwanted advertisements and popups come from web browser toolbars and/or extensions, BHOs (browser helper objects) and third-party apps. In most cases, these items claim itself as software which improve your experience on the Internet by providing a fast and interactive start page or a search engine that does not track you. Remember, how to avoid the unwanted software. Be cautious, run only reputable programs which download from reputable sources. NEVER install any unknown and suspicious applications.

Threat Summary

Name	ElementSignal, ElementSignal 1.0 app
Type	adware, potentially unwanted program (PUP), Mac virus, Mac malware
Detection Names	Osx.Adware.Cimpli, OSX.Trojan.Gen, Adware.MAC.Generic, ApplicUnwnt, MacOS.Agent-MT, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload and Adware/Adload!OSX
Distribution	Freeware installers, torrent downloads, fake updaters and malicious pop-up advertisements
Symptoms	Every time you perform an Internet search, your internet browser is redirected to another website, web browser pop-ups appear and recommend fake security software, new entries appear in your Applications folder, new addons suddenly added on your browser, your web-browser homepage has changed and you cannot change it back, slow browsing Internet.
Removal	ElementSignal removal guide

How to remove ElementSignal adware software

In the step-by-step guidance below we will have a look at the adware software and how to remove ElementSignal from Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome web-browsers for Mac OS, natively or by using a few free removal utilities. Some of the steps below will require you to exit this web site. So, please read the guide carefully, after that bookmark it or open it on your smartphone for later reference.

To remove ElementSignal, use the steps below:

1. Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device
2. Uninstall ElementSignal related software through the Finder
3. Remove ElementSignal related files and folders
4. Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes
5. Remove ElementSignal from Safari, Chrome, Firefox
6. How to stay safe online

Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device

ElementSignal 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. If there is Profiles in the list, then click on it, then select a profile associated with ElementSignal.

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

Uninstall ElementSignal related software through the Finder

Try to identify and remove the application that causes the appearance of unwanted ads or browser redirect, using the Applications list which is located in the Finder.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

It will display a list of all apps installed on your Apple Mac. Scroll through the all list, and remove any dubious and unknown programs. Right click to dubious program and select “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 ElementSignal related files and folders

Now you need to try to find ElementSignal 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.

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

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

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

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

Check for ElementSignal 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 ElementSignal 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.ElementSignal.system.plist, com.search.system.plist, com.installapp.system.plist, com.macsearch.system.plist and com.machelper.system.plist. In most cases, browser hijackers, adware and PUPs create several files with similar names.

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

You can remove ElementSignal related files automatically through the use of MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM). We suggest this free malware removal utility because it can easily delete adware software, browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and system entries.

1. Installing the MalwareBytes Free is simple. First you will need to download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware by clicking on the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
   20841 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: September 10, 2020
   
2. After the download is done, close all apps and windows on your MAC system. Open a file location. Run the downloaded file and follow the prompts.
3. Press the “Scan” button to search for ElementSignal adware. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your MAC and the speed of your MAC system. While the MalwareBytes program is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as threat.
4. After finished, MalwareBytes Free will show you the results. In order to remove all items, simply press “Quarantine”.

Remove ElementSignal from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

Annoying ElementSignal adware software or other symptoms of adware software in your web browser is a good reason to locate and get rid of malicious extensions. This is an easy method to recover web-browsers settings and not lose any important information.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
In the top-right corner, expand the Google Chrome menu. When the drop-down menu appears, choose ‘More tools’ and click on ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to delete ElementSignal adware by reset Google 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 problems with ElementSignal adware software 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

By installing an ad-blocking program such as AdGuard, you’re able to block malicious web-sites, stop autoplaying video ads and remove a large number of distracting and unwanted ads on web-pages.

AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link.

Once the download is complete, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen. Follow the prompts.

Each time, when you launch your machine, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted pop-up advertisements, block malicious and misleading webpages.

To sum up

Now your computer should be free of the ElementSignal adware. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted popups and unwanted harmful webpages) and MalwareBytes Free (to periodically scan your computer for new adwares and other malicious software).

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