The Disk Tuner is a dangerous Mac malware that is placed in fake optimization software. Such programs are easily created by different hacking groups in an attempt to inflict virus infections.
Victims can get infected with it by downloading such files from untrusted websites, forums, chatrooms, and social media. Usually, most of the malware of this category may present adware, install other threats, and cause unwanted system changes. The scope of the damage will depend on the current configuration.
Disk Tuner Summary
| Name | Disk Tuner |
| Type | Unwanted Software for Mac |
| 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 |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Disk Tuner. |
Disk Tuner Mac Virus – What Does It Do
This newly-detected threat for Mac takes the name of Disk Tuner, a generic application name that is used to manipulate the victims into thinking that they are installing a legitimate and useful program. NOTE: This can also refer to an authentic and legitimate application whose name and design is hijacked by unknown hackers. In many cases, it is practically impossible to distinguish between the real and the fake copies. As such different hacking groups can create new variants of it and embed their own unique behavior sequences and modules.
As such different distribution strategies can be used to spread the malicious files. In most cases, the criminals will focus on the use of social manipulation techniques as they are the most effective in this regard. The criminals impersonate well-known companies or web services, with the intention of making the users infect themselves with the Disk Tuner Mac virus. Examples of such content are the mass-sent email messages and special landing pages. All of them may be hosted on similar-sounding domain names to the ones that are impersonated, stolen design and content, and enforce other manipulation techniques.
Once the Disk Tuner Mac Virus infection is active on a given computer there are multiple malicious actions that can be made depending on the actual configuration as defined by the hackers. A very common approach that is taken by many criminal groups is to prepare the virus as a persistent infection. This means that it will launch when the computer is powered on, and potentially block the running of security products and access to the recovery options. Such threats are very difficult to remove.
In addition if any system changes are planned they might include editing of important configuration values, operating system options, and applications. This can lead to performance issues, the inability to run certain applications and services, and data loss. Important files can be removed from the host system, including backups and shadow volume copies.
Mac viruses like Disk Tuner work by presenting an application that looks and behaves just like the common system optimization utilities. It may request a payment to clear out issues or to unlock certain functionality. There may be a certain kind of content shown that is categorized as riskware. The first type is the intrusive advertising that aims to show all kinds of banners, pop-ups, and “nag screens” with text and graphics from advertisers. For every instance, they will receive a small commission fee. The other possibility is the showing up of phishing windows that will ask for personal information. It is important to note that the provided information can be used for crimes such as identity theft and blackmail.
The Disk Tuner Mac Virus can also be a conduit for other infections. They can include Trojan threats that spy on the users, ransomware file-encrypting viruses, as well as cryptocurrency miners which are scripts that generate income based on the affected computer resources.
We highly suggest that active infections are removed as soon as possible to prevent additional damage.
Remove Disk Tuner Virus from Your Mac
To get rid of Disk Tuner, we strongly suggest that you comply with the removal guide listed below. It has been made to aid you remove Disk Tuner in depth from your Mac. If you want a rapid and reliable solution, we strongly suggest that you download and install plus run a scan of your computer by utilizing an innovative malware removal software. Such anti-malware programs are designed to discover and remove all elements of programs, like Disk Tuner and help see to it that these infections are fully gone and also your Mac is safe against them in the future.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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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.
Step 1: Uninstall Disk Tuner 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 Disk Tuner:
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 Disk Tuner. 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 Disk Tuner. 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 Disk Tuner 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 Disk Tuner. 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 Disk Tuner – 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 Disk Tuner files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Disk Tuner, 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.
Disk Tuner FAQ
What is Disk Tuner on your Mac?
The Disk Tuner 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 Disk Tuner 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 Disk Tuner?
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 Disk Tuner?
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 Disk Tuner Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Disk Tuner 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 Disk Tuner?
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 Disk Tuner 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