CoordinatorMedia Malware - How to remove

The malware CoordinatorMedia changes your browser and network settings in order to force you to visit certain websites. It results in browser redirects, pop-up ads, and an unstable internet connection. So some effort is needed in removing CoordinatorMedia, but it’s possible to do manually, as well as with an anti-malware application.

In short about CoordinatorMedia:

Classification	Adware, browser hijacker, trojan.
How CoordinatorMedia affects a Mac	Changes network and browser settings, changes browsers’ default search engine, refuses to be removed.
How it gets installed	Bundled with free apps, downloaded with fake apps and fake software updates.
How to remove CoordinatorMedia	Find and remove malware with an anti-malware app (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, etc.), delete the related files, app, and browser extension.

CoordinatorMedia malware

CoordinatorMedia is not a normal app. It sneaks into Macs against people’s knowledge. If you have CoordinatorMedia on your Mac but don’t remember installing it, there are a couple of possibilities:

• CoordinatorMedia could have been bundled with a free app as an optional offer. It would have been installed together with that free app and you may not have realized this until after it happened.
• You may have downloaded a fake app, most likely a fake software update, that installed CoordinatorMedia and other adware. Fake software updates are a common scam used for spreading malware.

Once CoordinatorMedia is installed, it changes network settings and browser settings. You may notice your browser (at least Safari) changing its default search engine to Yahoo or another, more obscure site.

Scammers and cybercriminals do this to hijack your traffic and to force you to visit their sites. This makes them a bit of money, in a roundabout way.

Malicious apps similar to CoordinatorMedia include GlobalToolboxSearch, SearchVirtualInfo, StudyDisplay, DisplaySuccess, StudyGeneral, QuestSearch, and others.

To make sure it’s always running, CoordinatorMedia includes itself into startup apps, sets a profile, and drops some files into your system folders. This means that trying to remove CoordinatorMedia or change the settings that it hijacked (such as the System Preferences -> Network -> Advanced -> Proxies) reverts every time you log on your Mac. Removing CoordinatorMedia requires a few more steps than a normal app.

How to remove CoordinatorMedia

The quickest way to get rid of CoordinatorMedia may be to use an anti-malware program to scan your Mac. Generally, Macs don’t need antivirus apps, but if you experience pop-up ads, browser redirects, and other issues, a scan with Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, or another reputable program wouldn’t hurt.

If you want to remove CoordinatorMedia manually (or if your antivirus app fails at this), the checklist is a bit long, but don’t be intimidated. It’s all very doable.

First, use safe mode. Restart your Mac and then hold the Shift button while the screen is blank. Let go of the button when the screen shows Apple’s logo or the login screen. Safe mode stops unnecessary programs from running. Great for troubleshooting.

Open System Preferences (should be down in your Dock) and look for Profiles. Open it. Select the profiles that have “CoordinatorMedia” in their name and delete them (press the minus button at the bottom). Profiles force certain settings on your Mac. They can be useful, but plenty of Macs have no profiles at all and work just fine.

Check your Downloads folder for any suspicious files and delete those. If the download date is the same as when CoordinatorMedia showed up for the first time, or if the file is named something like Flash Player, or if it was detected by your antivirus scan, then delete it.

Additionally, you may want to delete some of CoordinatorMedia’s files that it left in your Library folders. Open Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder and copy in these folder names:

• /Library/LaunchDaemons
• /Library/LaunchAgents
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents
• ~/Library/Application Support

Don’t delete the files from these folders unless you’re sure they belong to CoordinatorMedia (or other malware). You could delete some settings from your legitimate apps, which would be annoying.

Remove the CoordinatorMedia app from your Applications folder. Look for CoordinatorMedia’s extension in your web browser settings. Browser extension removal instructions are below.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove browser extensions

How to remove CoordinatorMedia Malware from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall CoordinatorMedia Malware 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 CoordinatorMedia, 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 CoordinatorMedia Malware from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find CoordinatorMedia Malware 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 CoordinatorMedia, 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 CoordinatorMedia Malware 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 CoordinatorMedia Malware 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 CoordinatorMedia Malware, 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.