This article has been created to explain what is the Trovi “virus” and how you can try and remove it from your Mac and hence stop advertisements coming from it.
The Trovi Virus is the type of infection, whose primary purpose is to get users to download and install its Trovi software, promising an improvement in how you browse the web. In reality however, things are quite different, because Trovi runs processes, like com.sysd.launchserviced and others that may be responsible for unwanted activities on your Mac. Such can be random browser redirects, pop-ups and other types of ads to appear, leading users to various third-party websites of unknown origin. The outcome of this is that your Mac may become affected with other adware and may even become a victim of malware.
Threat Summary
| Name | Trovi |
| Type | Browser Hijacker for Mac OS |
| Short Description | Aims to display custom search results, change home pages and show different types of ads. |
| Symptoms | The main symptom is a process, called com.sysd.launchserviced runnin in Activity Monitor. |
| Distribution Method | Via bundling of apps or via Trovi websites. |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Combo Cleaner
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Trovi. |
Trovi “Virus” Mac – How Did I Get It
The primary method of replication used by this browser hijacker is to be spread as a result of software bundling. This basically means that you may find Trovi to be added to the installation setup of another program or App you may have downloaded from third-party site other than the AppStore. These third-party installers usually include ad-supported programs, like Trovi and their main idea is to slither them as a part of an advertising scheme.
Another way by which you may have added Trovi is via your web browser. This method is believed to be conducted when you have visited an advertisement or Trovi’s website and have added Trovi as a browser extension or an add-on for your web browser.
Trovi Virus Mac – Main Activity
Once on your Mac, Trovi may immediately begin modifying the web browsers installed on it and by those web browsers. The outcome of this is that websites, like Trovi search may be added as a default search engine and home page as well as new tab page on your browsers:
The search engine is not the one you want seeing on your Mac, because it uses different types of tracking technologies to monitor your browsing acivity:
- Cookies.
- Pixels.
- Geo-locators.
- Ad-supported search results.
- Tags.
Once Trovi has been installed, it may track your activities with different purposes. The main actions tracked by Trovi may be focused on:
- Your search queries.
- Data from the sites you have visited.
- Data on the ads you’ve clicked.
- Your browsing history.
- Your bookmarked sites.
Based on these, Trovi may display different ads on your Mac, which sometimes tend to become very annoying and quite frankly, unwanted. But the main risk of this is that these ads may also lead you to dangerous websites, like:
- Malicious URLs that may infect your Mac with viruses.
- URLs of phishing nature that pretend to be login pages of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and others.
- Sites that may insert cryptocurrency miner scripts which may use the CPU of your Mac to mine for coins.
- [wplinkpreview url=”https://sensorstechforum.com/apple-device-virus-apple-scam-removal-instructions/”]Tech Support Scam sites, that may attempt to scam you over the phone.
This is the main reason to consider removing Trovi since it may not be directly harmful for your browser or your Mac, but it’s activities point out to Trovi being a potentially unwanted program on your Mac and it may lead to malicious sites.
Remove Trovi “Virus” from Your Mac
Before beginning the removal process of Trovi from your Mac, we recommend that you backup all the files, just in case.
To try and remove Trovi from your Mac, we recommend that you follow the removal instructions that are underneath this article. They have been created with the main idea to help you out with the removal process of Trovi from your Mac. With their aid you can remove Trovi either manually or automatically from your Mac, based on your preferences and experience with malware removal. For maximum effectiveness, security experts always advise that the best way of removing Trovi from your Mac is to do it automatically with the aid of an advanced malware removal tool, which can be able to help you to remove Trovi by scanning for it’s files and objects.
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.
Step 1: Uninstall Trovi 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 Trovi:
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 Trovi. 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 Trovi. 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 Trovi 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 Trovi. 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 Trovi – 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 Trovi files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Trovi, 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.
Trovi FAQ
What is Trovi on your Mac?
The Trovi 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 Trovi 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 Trovi?
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 Trovi?
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 Trovi Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Trovi 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 Trovi?
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 Trovi 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