What Is Wave Mac
Wave Mac is the name of an adware application that may perform various questionable activities on your Mac. Such can be that this software may modify the web browsers of your Mac with the main purpose of getting it to display ads and redirects to different web pages. This is done with the purpose to generate income for the developers of this application via pay-per-click schemes from the ads it shows.
Read this article to learn more on Wave Mac and how you can remove this potentially unwanted program from your computer.
Wave Summary
| Name | Wave Mac |
| Type | Browser Hijacker / PUP |
| Short Description | Aims to modify the settings on your web browser in order to get it to cause browser redirects and display different advertisements. |
| Symptoms | Your web browser begins to display various types of online advertisements, which results in slowing down of your computer. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Wave Mac. |
Wave Mac PUP – More Information
Wave Mac PUP is the type of software that has been created with the main idea to show ads on your Mac. Other apps for Mac that exhibit the same behavior include Service Records Mac, FunctionLogInput and ExtendedField.
These applications have the one and only purpose of getting you to see as many ads as possible after modifying the settings of your web browser. The main way they often enter your Mac is via bundling their install files to other software, like freeware apps downloaded from third-party sites, such as media players, file converters and other.
Wave Mac PUP may be the reason o the following kinds of ads showing up on your Mac:
- Browser pop-ups.
- Ads appearing instead of search results.
- Text-embedded advertisements.
- Banner adverts.
- Redirects and transfers to third-party sites.
- Push notifications promotions.
Wave Mac adware may use different types of trackers embedded in those ads. These are small objects dropped on your Mac that have been designed to obtain information concerning your online activities. Such objects often are:
- Geo-location trackers.
- Cookies.
- Tags.
- Pixels.
- LSOs (Locally Shared Objects, also known as flash cookies).
Wave Mac adware may use those trackers to obtain the following details concerning what you do on your web browser:
- Pages visited.
- Browser history.
- Your clicks made online.
- Bookmarked sites.
Wave Mac adware is the type of app that is made to show ads, which is the main risk concerning it. The advertisements shown by this software may eventually lead to different risky web pages, from the likes of:
- Phishing or “Fake” sites.
- Scamming sites.
- Rogue software download frauds.
- Endless redirect loop schemes.
- Scam surveys.
- Virus domains.
- Tech support scams.
And since these ads are shown for profit without regards to which sites they will take you to, this app has been classified as indirectly risky for your Mac, and its removal is recommended.
Remove Wave Mac from Your Device
To remove Wave adware from your Mac, our recommendations are to follow the removal guide that has been posted beneath this article. Be advised that security experts strongly recommend using advanced anti-malware software to perform the removal. Such a program is specifically designed in order to delete any viruses and adware from your Mac and hence make sure it is malware-free in the future.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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Steps to Prepare Before Removal:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
- Backup your files in case the worst happens.
- Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
- Arm yourself with patience.
- 1. Scan for Mac Malware
- 2. Uninstall Risky Apps
- 3. Clean Your Browsers
Step 1: Scan for and remove Wave Mac files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Wave Mac, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Quick and Easy Mac Malware Video Removal Guide
Bonus Step: How to Make Your Mac Run Faster?
Mac machines maintain probably the fastest operating system out there. Still, Macs do become slow and sluggish sometimes. The video guide below examines all of the possible problems that may lead to your Mac being slower than usual as well as all of the steps that can help you to speed up your Mac.
Step 2: Uninstall Wave Mac and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Wave Mac:
4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Wave Mac. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Wave Mac. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any leftover files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Wave Mac via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
1. Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2. Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3. Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Wave Mac. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 3: Remove Wave Mac – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Wave Mac-FAQ
What is Wave Mac on your Mac?
The Wave Mac threat is probably a potentially unwanted app. There is also a chance it could be related to Mac malware. If so, such apps tend to slow your Mac down significantly and display advertisements. They could also use cookies and other trackers to obtain browsing information from the installed web browsers on your Mac.
Can Macs Get Viruses?
Yes. As much as any other device, Apple computers do get malware. Apple devices may not be a frequent target by malware authors, but rest assured that almost all of the Apple devices can become infected with a threat.
What Types of Mac Threats Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the types of threats that can currently infect your Mac can be rogue antivirus programs, adware or hijackers (PUPs), Trojan horses, ransomware and crypto-miner malware.
What To Do If I Have a Mac Virus, Like Wave Mac?
Do not panic! You can easily get rid of most Mac threats by firstly isolating them and then removing them. One recommended way to do that is by using a reputable malware removal software that can take care of the removal automatically for you.
There are many Mac anti-malware apps out there that you can choose from. SpyHunter for Mac is one of the reccomended Mac anti-malware apps, that can scan for free and detect any viruses. This saves time for manual removal that you would otherwise have to do.
How to Secure My Data from Wave Mac?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your e-mail passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activiites with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these reccomendations, your network and Apple devices will become significantly more safe against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
More tips you can find on our MacOS Virus section, where you can also ask any questions and comment about your Mac problems.
About the Wave Mac Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Wave Mac how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific macOS issue.
How did we conduct the research on Wave Mac?
Please note that our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware definitions, including the various types of Mac threats, especially adware and potentially unwanted apps (PUAs).
Furthermore, the research behind the Wave Mac threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by Mac malware, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.