APMHelper is the name of an invasive malware that infiltrates Mac systems to perform various malicious activities. Once running on the system, the threat may create a new user profile in order to drop its malicious files and start them without asking you for permission. Then the program may become able to obtain different information from the affected machine and serve it to its owners. Typically, Macs affected by APMHelper start showing annoying pop-ups that state – APMHelper will damage your computer. You should move it to the Trash.
Read this article if you believe that your Mac has been affected by APMHelper malware and find out how to get rid of this undesired program.
Threat Summary
| Name | APMHelper |
| Type | Virus for Mac OS |
| Short Description | May enter your Mac and begin to display an error message, claiming that the file APMHelper is harmful. May wreak havoc and harvest sensitive details. |
| Symptoms | An error message claiming it blocked APMHelper from your Mac. |
| Distribution Method | Software Bundles, Torrent Files, Corrupted Websites |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Combo Cleaner | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss APMHelper. |
Detailed Information About “APMHelper will damage your computer. You should move it to the Trash.”? Pop-up Message
The pop-up “APMHelper will damage your computer. You should move it to the Trash.” was reported to appear on Mac operating systems. Along with Navlibx, Helpermcp and several other from the series Will damage your computer Error, APMHelper pop-ups usually appears as a result of an infection with adware, browser hijacker or another unwanted application.
Since such type of programs tends to land on computer devices with the help of shady spreading mechanisms, it is very likely that you missed the moment when the undesired program was started. Furthermore, you might unnoticeably allow the installation of undesired app during the installation of another app you downloaded from the web. Unfortunately, most of the apps that feature compromised installers do not disclose properly the details about the presence of added extras in an attempt to make you more prone to install extras without noticing them.
Once activated on the Mac, APMHelper may attempt to escalate its permissions by creating a separate profile. On the one hand, this will enable it to perform various malicious activities like browser settings corruption and data harvesting. On the other hand, by running in a different profile it will prevent you from removing it from your Mac.
In fact, a click on the “Move to Bin” button may make worsen the situation as it may activate yet another script that supports the nasty activities of APMHelper. So the best you action you can take when you notice the presence of this unwanted program is to perform a thorough removal process and eliminate all present harmful files.
Some users even believe that APMHelper could be exploited by malware vendors after the MacOS is configured to let the undesired app several different permissions. The main idea is that hackers can misuse the APMHelper rights to enter your Mac altogether in combination with the usage of a Trojan or a Mac Keylogger, for example. This may not be the case, but if you have malware on your Mac, it could perform the following malicious activities:
- Log the keys you type.
- Read and change the information on the sites you visit.
- Disable your antivirus and cause apps to malfunction.
- Download other malware or adware.
- Take screenshots.
- Tap into your audio and video.
- Read and modify or delete your files.
If you notice any of those symptoms, you should focus on securing the data on your Mac and removing this nasty piece of malware.
Remove APMHelper Virus from Your Mac
If you want to fully erase APMHelper virus, we strongly recommend that you follow the removal steps below. They contain all the necessary actions that are needed towards the removal of this bad piece of code. Experts always recommend a scan with professional anti-malware software, that will detect and remove absolutely all sorts of virus files and objects from your Mac automatically. Then your Mac will be safe and ready for use again.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has a bachelor's degree in Marketing. She has been with the STF team for five years, researching malware, reporting on the latest computer infections, and following digital marketing trends.
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- Guide 1: How to Remove APMHelper from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of APMHelper from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove APMHelper from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase APMHelper from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall APMHelper from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove APMHelper from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate APMHelper from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove APMHelper from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove APMHelper
Step 2: Uninstall APMHelper and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.Step 3: Clean any registries, created by APMHelper on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by APMHelper there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of APMHelper from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall APMHelper 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:
- 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 APMHelper 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:
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 2: Scan for and remove malware from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove APMHelper from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase APMHelper from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall APMHelper from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove APMHelper from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the APMHelper will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate APMHelper from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
