What Is Movie Finder?
This guide has been created in order to explain what is the Movie Finder PUP plus show exactly how to remove it completely from your computer system.
A PUP (potentially unwanted program), recognized by the name Movie Finder has been found to carry out various unwanted actions on victims’ computer systems. The software may display a considerable amount of ads on the victim’s machine and it may use tracking cookies to spy on your online activities. The result is your computer system may be reduced in performance and also end up being rerouted to third-party sites which may be hazardous for it. Because Movie Finder is not classified as a malware, many anti-virus programs may not find it. This is the reason we recommend that you read this short article to understand the threats of adware such as Movie Finder, and see just how to remove this low-level risk from your computer system.
Movie Finder Summary
| Name | Movie Finder |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| 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 machine. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
Download
Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Movie Finder. |
Movie Finder – Description
The main strategy of spreading apps like Movie Finder to your computer system is through including the program as a browser extension through a website on your browser. This could lead to Movie Finder being included along with requested permission to change some of your internet browser settings.
There are multiple techniques of having this potentially unwanted program appearing on your computer. The primary method is a result of using bundling (packed installers of free programs downloaded from the web). Such installers are generally another free program you are seeking to download or install, like a cost-free helper, portable apps, cost-free media player, or any other software you might have been trying to find to download. Normally traditional users have a tendency to miss out on the installers of programs like Movie Finder because they are often concealed in one of the install steps and might only turn up in the “Custom” install mode.
After Movie Finder has been set up on the computer system, the program might start to execute numerous different actions, starting with dropping its files in the system directory folders of your computer. When this has been done, the Movie Finder app may in addition start to include customized settings on your browser, in order to modify it.
Movie Finder may change numerous different settings on the victim computer, yet the primary of those might be to create a customized search page of unidentified origin, which besides showing what you are searching for, may additionally disclose ad-supported search suggestions and results instead of objective ones.
In addition to this, Movie Finder might likewise use different sort of trackers, to get info from your computer system. These can be:
- Geo-locators.
- LSOs (also known as Flash Cookies).
- Tags.
- Cookies.
- Pixels.
These type of tracking objects can be used by Movie Finder for different purposes. The main one is to track and accumulate information relating to:
- The searches you make online.
- Your online clicks.
- The sites you check out.
- Your bookmarked and most checked out websites.
These details may be utilized of by the program Movie Finder in order to show different kinds of promotions on your computer, like:
- Ad-supported search results web page.
- Browser reroutes to unknown internet site by means of a new tab.
- Banner adverts.
- Pop-ups.
- Highlighted text advertisements.
Considering that those ads might lead you to unsafe websites that could be of a scamming or unsafe nature and also compromise your computer, protection researchers and specialists recommend the removal of Movie Finder as soon as possible.
Remove Movie Finder from Your Machine
In order to remove this unwanted app completely from your computer, among your choices is to pay attention to the removal guide steps underneath this blog post. They are made to assist you to delete such software applications either by yourself or automatically from your computer. If the manual removal does not appear to help for the deletion, experts highly advise to download and do a scan using professional anti-malware software and hence remove all the files plus other unwanted objects in association with applications, like Movie Finder plus secure your computer system versus future infections or risky apps.
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.
Follow Me:
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.
Step 1: Uninstall Movie Finder 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 Movie Finder:
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 Movie Finder. 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 Movie Finder. 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 Movie Finder 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 Movie Finder. 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 2: Remove Movie Finder – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.
Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Step 3: Scan for and remove Movie Finder files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Movie Finder, 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.
Movie Finder FAQ
What is Movie Finder on your Mac?
The Movie Finder 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 siginficantly and display advertisements. They could also use cookies and other trackers to obtain browsing information from the installed web browsers on your Mac.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your Mac to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your MacOS.
Can my Mac get a virus?
Yes. As much as any other device, Apple computers do get viruses. Apple devices may not be a frequent target by malware authors, but rest assured that the following Apple devices can become infected with a virus:
- iMac
- Mac Mini
- Macbook Air
- Macbook Pro
- iPhone
- iPad
What are the symptoms of Movie Finder on your Mac?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also most Mac threats in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your Mac may become slow and has poor performance in general.
Symtpom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Mac's Activity Monitor.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts reccomend that you check your Mac for viruses.
What types of Mac threats are there?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently infect your Mac can be the following types:
- Rogue Antivirus programs.
- Adware and hijackers.
- Trojan horses and other spyware.
- Ransomware and screen-lockers.
- Cryptocurrency miner malware.
What to do if I have a Mac virus, like Movie Finder?
Do not panic! You can easily get rid of most Mac threats by firstly isolating them and then removing them. One reccomended 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, tracking cookies and unwanted adware apps plus take care of them quickly. This saves time for manual removal that you would otherwise have to do.
How to secure my passwords and other data from Movie Finder?
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 Movie Finder Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Movie Finder 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 Movie Finder?
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 Movie Finder threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by Mac malware, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.
References
1. macOS More Susceptible to Adware and PUPs than Windows
2. XLoader Malware-as-a-Service Now Available for macOS for Only $49
3. XCSSET Mac Malware Targets Apple’s M1-Based Macs and macOS 11
4. macOS Backdoor Malware Linked to OceanLotus Hackers
5. The State of Apple’s Privacy So Far in 2021