Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Note! Your system might be affected by MediaDownloader and other threats
Threats such as MediaDownloader may be persistent. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like Combo Cleaner will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files. Combo Cleaner’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read Combo Cleaner’s EULA and Privacy Policy.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
This article informs about MediaDownloader and provides help for the complete removal of this adware.
MediaDownloader is a program that infiltrates Mac devices in order to realize vicious advertising purposes. This is why it is considered to be a potentially unwanted program classified as adware. Once started on a device it implements various changes of system and browser settings that allow it to generate various online ads in browsers and on screen. In addition, it is believed to use tracking technologies to harvest data from affected systems and provide it to its unknown owners. If you want to secure your Mac you should remove MediaDownloader adware from it as soon as possible.
Threat Summary
Name
MediaDownloader
Type
Adware
Short Description
An undesired program that delivers lots of annoying advertisements in systems it affects.
Symptoms
Browser slowdowns could occur due to increased number of ads generated by this adware. Sensitive detials could be obtained by unknown actors.
Distribution Methods
Software bundles; Corrupted installers; Deceptive web pages
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by MediaDownloader
Since MediaDownloader is considered to be a potentially unwanted program of adware type, it is likely to infiltrate Mac devices with the help of vicious mechanisms.
Commonly PUPs of this kind are being distributed along with software bundles and free third-party apps. The presence of its configuration code is often concealed in the Advanced/Custom configuration step of the installers of affected apps. So it is highly recommendable to review the details in these steps during the installation process of new apps. Once you access them and get informed about the extras you could prevent your Mac system from being affected by nasty programs like MediaDownloader adware.
Fake software installers that mimic legitimate programs like Adobe Flash Player are among the possible spread techniques associated with MediaDownloader adware. So in order to prevent your device from being affected by nasty programs like this adware be advised to double check manually if the legitimate versions of the apps installed on your Mac really need to be updated. One way to do this is by starting them on the device and look for Updates section/button. Another way is to open their official websites and check which is the latest version released by the vendors.
It could be also distributed via browser extensions that pretend to have the functionality to convert online videos to file mp4 format. Such extensions may unnoticeably hijack your preferred web browser after visiting a corrupted web page that contains installing script.
MediaDownloader – More Information
Soon after the configuration files of MediaDownloader adware are started on your Mac, you could notice the presence of this undesired program. The traits of its activities are lots of annoying ads that could appear during browsing sessions. The ads associated with this undesired program are likely to present some of the following phrases:
Advert from MacWizz
Powered by MacWizz
Ad by MacWizz
Ads by MacWizz
Advertisement by MacWizz
Brought to you by MacWizz
By utilizing this practice this undesired app of adware type aims to generate revenue for its owners. This is possible with the help of a scheme called pay-per-click. Even though that it is a legitimate advertising scheme many adware owners utilize it as well. It helps them to gain profit for each realized click on an ad generated by their program.
Another issue that may occur after MediaDownloader adware gains access to your Mac is collection of sensitive data. And this could be explained by the fact that its owners need certain details about you and your browsing behavior for the optimization of their advertising campaigns. So as long as this undesired program is running on the system it may be able to obtain details like:
Visited URLs and websites
Browser’s home page
Search queries
Search queries on the visited web pages
Type of used browser
Operating system type
Internet protocol (IP) address
Geographic location
The domain name of current Internet service provider (ISP)
All issues that occur after the installation of MediaDownloader on your Mac could be prevented by its complete removal.
Remove MediaDownloader Adware from Mac
In order to remove MediaDownloader adware and all associated files that enable its appearance in the browser, you need to perform properly ordered removal steps. The removal guide below presents steps for both manual and automatic removal process. Combined they will not only help you to get rid of this particular undesired program but also provide for the overall security of your Mac. Have in mind that files associated with this hijacker may have different names than MediaDownloader.
In case that you have further questions or need additional help with the removal process, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us via email.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by MediaDownloader and other threats. Scan Your MAC with Combo Cleaner Combo Cleaner is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as MediaDownloader. Keep in mind, that Combo Cleaner needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check Combo Cleaner’s EULA and Privacy Policy.
Manually delete MediaDownloader from your Mac
1. Uninstall MediaDownloader and remove related files and objects
OFFER
Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!
We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with Combo Cleaner
Keep in mind, that Combo Cleaner needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check Combo Cleaner’s EULA and Privacy Policy
Step 1: Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
Step 2: Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
Step 3: In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to MediaDownloader:
To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.
Step 4: Click on the “Go” button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
Step 5: In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to MediaDownloader. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.
Step 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 MediaDownloader. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“–“) icon to hide it.
Step 7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
1.Go to Finder. 2.In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove. 3.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. 4.If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
2. Remove MediaDownloader – related extensions from your Mac’s browsers
Remove MediaDownloader – related extensions from your Mac’s browsers.
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla FirefoxRemove a toolbar from Google Chrome Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.
Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.
Select the Extension and click “Remove“
After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.
Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“
From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the add-on and click on the garbage bin icon on the right of it.
After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.
Step 1: Remove Safari extensions
Start Safari
Open the drop menu by clicking on the sprocket icon in the top right corner.
From the drop menu select ‘Preferences’ In the new window select ‘Extensions’ Click once on the extension you want removed. Click ‘Uninstall’
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the MediaDownloader will be removed.
Step 2: Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.
Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.
Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.
Automatically remove MediaDownloader from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as MediaDownloader, 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.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.