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

What is NetMacro

NetMacro is an adware application that targets Apple computers. Adware is not as dangerous as like a Trojan horse or Ransomware, but its presence can bring various pop ups and/or annoying ads. Actually creators of adware software is associated with some merchants and by showing ads to users they earn money for yourself. These advertisements not only bother your browsing experience but also redirect your web-browser to malicious web-pages.

Another reason why you need to get rid of the NetMacro adware is its online data-tracking activity. It can monetize its functionality by collecting user data from your surfing sessions. This privacy info, afterwards, can be easily transferred third party companies. This puts your privacy data at a security risk.

How does NetMacro get on your MAC OS

Adware usually comes bundled with certain free software that users download off of the Web. 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’ setup option, when installing anything downloaded from the Internet.

Threat Summary

Name	NetMacro
Type	adware software, PUP (potentially unwanted program), Mac virus, Mac malware
Detection Names	Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload, Adware/Adload!OSX, Adware.MAC.Generic, Osx.Adware.Cimpli, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, ApplicUnwnt, MacOS.Agent-MT and OSX.Trojan.Gen
Distribution	Freeware installers, fake software updaters, misleading pop up ads and torrent downloads
Symptoms	You keep getting redirected to unfamiliar web-pages, you experience a large count of of unexpected pop up windows, unwanted program installed without your knowledge, unexpected internet browser extensions or toolbars keep coming back, unexpected changes in your web-browser like using a new default search provider, slow browsing Internet.
Removal	NetMacro removal guide

How to remove NetMacro adware

In the few simple steps below, we will try to cover Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari and provide general help to get rid of NetMacro adware. You may find some minor differences in your Mac install. No matter, you should be okay if you follow the steps outlined below: remove all suspicious and unknown apps, reset web browsers settings, use free malware removal tools. Read this manual carefully, bookmark it or open this page on your smartphone, because you may need to exit your browser or restart your MAC.

To remove NetMacro, complete the steps below:

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

Remove profiles created by NetMacro

NetMacro 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 the System Preferences icon ( ) in the Dock, or choose Apple menu ( ) > System Preferences.

In System Preferences, click Profiles, then select a profile associated with NetMacro.

Click the minus button ( – ) located at the bottom-left of the Profiles screen to remove the profile.
Note: if you do not see Profiles in the System Preferences, that means there are no profiles installed on your Mac device, which is normal.

Check the list of installed applications

The next step in removing adware, browser hijackers and PUPs by yourself is to go into the Finder, then Applications. Take a look at the list of software on your Mac and see if there are any questionable and unknown applications. If you see any, you need to uninstall it. Of course, before doing so, you can do an Net search to find details on the application. If it is a potentially unwanted program, browser hijacker and adware, you will likely find information that says so.

Open Finder and click “Applications” like below.

You will see a list of software installed on your computer. We recommend to pay maximum attention to the program you installed last. Most likely, it’s the NetMacro adware software. If you’re in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing.

Once the program which you need to remove is found, simply right click on its name, and choose “Move to Trash”.

Don’t forget, choose Finder, then “Empty Trash”.

Remove NetMacro related files and folders

Now you need to try to find NetMacro 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

We recommend using MalwareBytes Free to scan the Mac for adware, browser hijackers and PUPs. This free utility is an advanced malicious software removal program designed by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This program uses the world’s most popular antimalware technology. It’s able to help you remove browser hijackers and other security threats from your Mac computer for free.

Download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) on your MAC system from the link below.

When downloading is done, close all windows on your machine. Further, launch the saved file. Follow the prompts.

The MalwareBytes Free will automatically run and you can see its main window similar to the one below.

Next, click the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the NetMacro adware. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your MAC OS and the speed of your machine. When a malware, adware or potentially unwanted programs are found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.

After the checking is done, you can check all threats found on your MAC system. Review the results once the utility has complete the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click the “Quarantine” button.

The MalwareBytes Free will delete NetMacro .

Remove NetMacro from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

Annoying NetMacro adware software or other symptoms of adware software in your web browser is a good reason to locate and delete malicious extensions. This is an easy way to restore browsers settings and not lose any important information.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
In the top right hand corner, click on ‘three vertical dots’, and this will open up the main menu on Chrome. 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 remove NetMacro 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 NetMacro adware 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

It is also critical to protect your internet browsers from harmful web sites and ads by using an adblocker program like AdGuard. Security experts says that it’ll greatly reduce the risk of malware, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard can also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.

1. Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you will need to download AdGuard by clicking on the following link. Save it to your Desktop.
   
   

   AdGuard for Mac download
   3679 downloads
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: January 17, 2018
   
2. Once the downloading process is complete, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. Once the install is done, click “Skip” to close the install program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will help you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you run your MAC, AdGuard will run automatically and stop intrusive advertisements, block harmful and misleading web-sites.

To sum up

We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted ads and unwanted harmful web pages) and MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) (to periodically scan your MAC OS for new adware softwares and other malicious software).

If you are still having problems while trying to get rid of NetMacro ads from the Safari, Google Chrome and Firefox, then ask for help here here.