AphroditeResults Adware - How to remove

AphroditeResults is a dangerous app that attacks Macs. It spreads on the internet with fake Flash Player updates. It might be installed together with a few other malicious apps.

If AphroditeResults is installed successfully, it forces the browser to open promoted websites. It also logs private and sensitive user data, such as search history.

If AphroditeResults is on your Mac, it should be deleted quickly. After that, it might be a good idea to change your passwords.

AphroditeResults in short:

Threat type	Adware, trojan.
How AphroditeResults infects Macs	It spreads with malicious ads – fake software updates, it might spread together with other malware.
Problems caused by adware	Unsafe, unwanted sites open on their own, sensitive data is secretly logged by malware, unwanted apps refuse to be removed and return on their own.
How to remove AphroditeResults	Delete files and settings that are related to AphroditeResults and other malware, use antivirus apps (Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner, etc.) to find malicious files.

How AphroditeResults infects Macs

Malware by the name AphroditeResults has been around for a long time, we mentioned it in posts from last year (UpgradeAgent, GlobalToolboxSearch). I was surprised to see it in a recent thread on Discussions.apple.com.

AphroditeResults spreads with fake Flash Player installers. Scammers have been using fake Flash Player updates to spread malware for years. Even after Adobe retired Flash Player, fake updates continue to deliver Mac malware.

These updates appear as pop-ups and redirects. Usually, they infect old and abandoned websites. But they might also show up on active sites, such as movie streaming (pirating) websites and file download sites.

Ad blockers can help by stopping ads, including malicious ads, from being displayed. MacOS might stop AphroditeResults from working too, especially if you use the most up-to-date version of macOS.

Problems caused by AphroditeResults

AphroditeResults is a malicious app – adware. It can force your web browser to open ads, it might track your browsing data. Here are some things you might notice if AphroditeResults infected your Mac:

• unexpected websites open in your browser,
• unknown apps and browser add-ons appear on their own,
• the internet connection may be slow,
• some apps lag, freeze.

In addition to all the browser problems, AphroditeResults might also log your data: your browsing history, search terms, maybe even text from individual web pages. It can do this because browser extensions can potentially access the contents of every web page that is open in an infected browser.

How to delete AphroditeResults

Check your files and settings

AphroditeResults may exist as an app and/or a browser add-on. Other malicious apps and add-ons might also be lurking on your Mac.

The instructions to uninstall apps and extensions are below. If you can’t remove unwanted apps with the normal process, then you might need to delete files and settings related to the AphroditeResults malware first.

You can use anti-malware apps to aid you. Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner, and other apps can detect and delete malicious files automatically. Below are also instructions for how you might find dangerous files manually.

There are some things you’ll probably need to do yourself, without a security program. Check your profiles, network settings, and other items as described in the instructions below.

Secure your accounts

AphroditeResults is probably only meant to advertise more effectively. Advertising makes money online, malicious actors just deliver ads way more aggressively. Search and browsing history help with ad targeting, that’s all.

But the malware might be able to steal passwords. So, after AphroditeResults and other junk are gone, you might want to reset your passwords. Or at least make sure that your accounts are protected with multi-factor verification so that you’ll always know if someone tries to get into one of your accounts.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Delete malicious files

How to remove AphroditeResults Adware from macOS

Delete AphroditeResults from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the AphroditeResults Adware app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

(Optional) Delete related settings

Some malicious apps make themselves difficult to delete by changing various settings and leaving behind malicious files. Remove settings related to AphroditeResults.

• Click the Apple logo in the menu bar. Open System Preferences.
• Some malicious applications set profiles to enforce unwanted settings. Remove unwanted configuration profiles.

1. 1. In System Preferences, click the Profiles icon. This icon is only visible if there are profiles on your Mac.
   2. Select unwanted profiles and remove them by pressing the minus '-'  button at the bottom.

• Some adware applications set SOCKS proxy to manipulate your internet traffic. Remove unwanted proxies:

1. 1. In System Preferences, click Network, Advanced, Proxies.
   2. If a proxy is set without your permission, uncheck it and click OK.

(Optional) Delete malicious files

Some malicious apps leave behind dangerous files in your Library folders. Delete files related to AphroditeResults Adware.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go -> Computer.
3. In the search box, type in AphroditeResults and variations of it.
4. Delete the files that are found and that seem to be related to AphroditeResults Adware.

Remove browser hijackers

How to remove AphroditeResults Adware from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall AphroditeResults and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to AphroditeResults Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopHow to remove AphroditeResults Adware from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find AphroditeResults on the extensions list and click on the recycle bin icon next to it.
• Click on 'Chrome' button at the top left corner. Select 'Preferences' on a drop-down menu box.
• Find 'Search' options on Settings tab. If your search engine is changed, click 'Manage Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• On the same page find 'Show home button' checkbox and change your homepage.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to AphroditeResults Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• On the 'Preferences' menu window, scroll down to the bottom and find 'Reset settings' button. Click it.
• Confirm your selection and click 'Reset' on the following window.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program. Top

How To remove AphroditeResults Adware from Firefox on Mac OS:

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press cmd+Shift+A on your keyboard).
• Go through Extensions list, remove everything AphroditeResults Adware related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
• Enter “about:preferences” in URL bar and hit enter.
• Open Search settings tab.
• If your search engine is changed, click 'Default Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Preferences-> General. Enter a preferable URL to the home page field.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to AphroditeResults, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.