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

What is SmartTask

SmartTask is an adware application that targets Mac platform. Adware is type of malware that displays unwanted ads redirects search results to advertising web sites and gathers user information for marketing purposes. SmartTask can display banner ads, full-screen ads, pop ups, videos, or other varieties of online advertising. It can attack your Mac’s internet browsers such as Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Maybe you approve the idea that the ads or pop ups is just a small problem. But these unwanted ads eat system resources and slow down your MAC performance.

Another reason why you need to get rid of the adware is its online data-tracking activity. SmartTask has the ability to gather your browsing history and confidential data, including passwords and credit card numbers. In the future, your user data can be transferred to third parties.

So, we recommend you remove it without a wait. This will also prevent the adware software from tracking your online activities. A full SmartTask removal can be easily carried out using manual or automatic method listed below.

How does SmartTask get on your Apple Mac

Most of unwanted advertisements and pop ups come from web browser toolbars and/or add-ons, BHOs (browser helper objects) and additional software. Most commonly, these items claim itself as software that improve your experience on the Net by providing a fast and interactive homepage or a search provider that does not track you. Remember, how to avoid the unwanted apps. Be cautious, start only reputable software which download from reputable sources. NEVER install any unknown and dubious programs.

Threat Summary

Name	SmartTask
Type	adware, potentially unwanted application (PUA), Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names	Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, Osx.Adware.Cimpli, Adware/Adload!OSX, OSX.Trojan.Gen, ApplicUnwnt, Adware.MAC.Generic, MacOS.Agent-MT and Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload
Distribution	Freeware installers, torrent downloads, fake updaters and suspicious popup advertisements
Symptoms	Every time you perform an Internet search, your web browser is redirected to another web page, you experience tons of of unwanted pop up ads, there is an unexpected application in the ‘Applications’ section of the Finder, an unexpected extension appears in your internet browser, your web browser start page has changed and you are unable to change it back, slow Internet browsing speeds.
Removal	SmartTask removal guide

How to remove SmartTask from Mac computer

Not all unwanted apps such as the SmartTask adware are easily uninstallable. You might see popups, deals, text links, in-text ads, banners and other type of ads in the Safari, Firefox and Chrome and might not be able to figure out the program responsible for this activity. The reason for this is that many undesired software neither appear in the Finder. Therefore in order to completely remove SmartTask adware software, you need to complete the steps below. Read this manual carefully, bookmark it or open this page on your smartphone, because you may need to close your web browser or reboot your MAC system.

To remove SmartTask, complete the steps below:

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

Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device

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

In System Preferences, click Profiles, then select a profile related to SmartTask.

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 Apple computer, which is normal.

Remove SmartTask associated software by using the Finder

One of the first things to attempt for removal of adware is to check your Mac computer installed applications screen and look for unwanted and questionable applications. If there are any apps you do not recognize or are no longer using, you should delete them. If that doesn’t work, then you may need to run malware removal utility like MalwareBytes AntiMalware.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

It will open a list of all programs installed on your Apple Mac. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall any dubious and unknown programs. Right click to suspicious program and choose “Move to Trash”. Another solution 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 SmartTask related files and folders

Now you need to try to find SmartTask 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

Manual SmartTask removal requires some computer skills. Some files and system entries that created by the adware can be not fully removed. We recommend that use MalwareBytes AntiMalware to scan the Mac computer. Moreover, this program will help you to remove PUPs, adware software, browser hijackers and toolbars that your MAC OS can be affected too.

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

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
   20842 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: September 10, 2020
   
2. When downloading is done, close all apps and windows on your Apple Mac. Open a file location. Run the downloaded file and follow the prompts.
3. Press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the SmartTask adware. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your MAC system and the speed of your computer. While the MalwareBytes AntiMalware tool is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software.
4. When the system scan is finished, it will show the Scan Results. Review the report and then press “Quarantine”.

Remove SmartTask from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

If you are still getting SmartTask , then you can try to remove it by removing malicious extensions.

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. Select ‘More tools’, then ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to remove SmartTask 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 SmartTask 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

If you want to remove unwanted advertisements, internet browser redirects and pop-ups, then install an ad blocker program like AdGuard. It can block unwanted advertisements and pop ups, stop websites from tracking your online activities when using the Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox. So, if you like browse the World Wide Web, but you do not like intrusive ads and want to protect your MAC system from malicious web pages, then the AdGuard is your best choice.

1. Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard by clicking on the following link.
   
   

   AdGuard for Mac download
   3677 downloads
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: January 17, 2018
   
2. After downloading is complete, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. When the setup is done, click “Skip” to close the install application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will assist 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 machine, AdGuard will start automatically and stop annoying ads, block harmful and misleading web-sites.

Finish words

Once you have removed the SmartTask adware using the tutorial, Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox will no longer any unwanted advertisements. Unfortunately, if the steps does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help here.