What Is PowerLane Mac
PowerLane is the name of an ad supported program that may appear on your Mac device. This software is a part of a large adware scheme that is designed in order to display a lot of different advertisements for profit. These ads are often monetised via paper click or other such schemes and their main idea is to lead you to third-party websites of unknown origin. This may be risky for your computer in a couple of ways including that it may take it to some very dangerous websites, like scams or even malicious ones.
Read this article in order to learn more information how does this software at work, how does it spread and how to remove it from your computer system.
PowerLane Mac – Details
| Name | PowerLane |
| Type | Adware / PUP / Redirect for Mac |
| Short Description | Aims to modify the settings on your computer in order to get it to cause browser redirects and display different advertisements. |
| Symptoms | Your device 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 Mac Has Been Affected by PowerLane
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Malware Removal Tool
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss PowerLane. |
PowerLane Virus – How Did I Get Infected
PowerLane is a program that is part of a large scale adware operation for MAC, also known as the Adload apps.
These applications exist with the main idea to show ads while pretending to be legitimate software. Some recently detected variants of the same family include the following apps:
These programs can end up on your Mac via multiple different methods. One of them is if they’re bundled together to the installation package of some other application that you may have downloaded from the web. They may exist in one of the install steps, where they are often advertised as a legitimate and helpful app, like the example image below shows:
PowerLane may also end up on your computer system by being automatically activated as a result of the user being redirected to some type of a fake Adobe Flash Player update web page, like shown in the example below:
PowerLane Mac – What Does It Do?
PowerLane may be behind different types of activities on your Mac without your actual consent. One of them may be to perform modifications of your web browser, like at plug-ins and extensions so that it can display a lot of different advertisements without asking for permission, for example the following:
- Redirects.
- Interruptive banner ads.
- Intrusive push notifications.
- Pop-ups with video and/or sound.
- Changed search results to show ads instead of relevant sites.
- Highlighted text on the pages you visit.
PowerLane may be an application that can also utilise different forms of tracking technologies, like geolocation objects, pixels, tags and of course cookies:
PowerLane may be using these tracking technologies is under the pretext that it will improve its services, but reality of the situation is that she does not know where information is gathered and what happens to it. As long as you’re concerned, the following details may be gotten from you, concerning your browsing activities:
- What you have visited.
- Your mouse movements.
- IP and Mac addresses.
- Your bookmarked websites.
- The browsing history from your browser.
- What searches you have made.
- Your mouse clicks.
Is PowerLane a Virus?
No, PowerLane is not a virus. The problem with this software is that it may be just as risky as one, because some of the advertisements it may be behind could actually redirect you to very risky websites, for example:
- Web pages that contain scams.
- Redirects to dangerous sites via multiple pay-per-click redirects.
- Rogue software sites.
- Survey sites that are fraud.
- Phishing pages.
- URLs, containing a virus infection file or script.
- Tech support fraud pages.
These are the main reasons why the PowerLane app has been classified as an indirect threat to your device and should be removed from your computer system as soon as possible.
How to Remove PowerLane from Mac?
If you want to get rid of PowerLane completely from your Mac, our main suggestion is to make sure and follow the removal steps that have been posted underneath this article. These instructions are specifically created in order to have all the steps that are necessary to clean up your web browsers and your macOS from all traces of this software. For the most effective removal, security professionals do advise that you scan your Mac using anti-malware software. Such a program has been designed to thoroughly detect and remove any trackers, adware and malware from your device.
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 PowerLane files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as PowerLane, 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 PowerLane 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 PowerLane:
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 PowerLane. 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 PowerLane. 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 PowerLane 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 PowerLane. 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 PowerLane – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
PowerLane-FAQ
What is PowerLane on your Mac?
The PowerLane 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 PowerLane?
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 PowerLane?
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 PowerLane Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this PowerLane 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 PowerLane?
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 PowerLane threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by Mac malware, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.