A Full Mac Auto Fixer review
Contents
Mac Auto Fixer (by PCVARK) is an untrustworthy Mac optimization tool which is known to display deceptive self-promoting messages. The software has earned a bad reputation because of dishonest and scaring marketing tactics, including online pop-up ads urging to update Flash player or ungrounded statements that Mac is infected with 3 viruses. The aim is to trick the user to install the said optimization tool to fix these issues.
Upon installation of Mac Auto Fixer, the software runs Maftask process and performs a system scan automatically. Shortly enough, it informs about detected issues on the system, including privacy, security and smart cleaner areas. Be careful as this application might display fake positive detections and try to trick you into purchasing a 2-year license worth 118 Euros.
Be aware that Mac Auto Fixer is NOT from Apple, and its creator is a quite infamous developer PCVARK. In fact, if you visited the official applications website, you’d find it hard to find the developer’s name anywhere. Typically, legitimate software developers clearly state their company name on the official website. It is yet another sign to remove Mac Auto Fixer from your Mac OS X.
Promises that can hardly be fulfilled
The official website, Mac-AutoFixer presents it as a “terrific” cleanup utility for Mac, which can clean junk files, infections and other threats. It even calls itself number 1 maintenance tool for Mac systems and identifies itself as a way ahead of other available tools, which is obviously a lie.
Furthermore, the official website praises the application as capable of preventing adware, ransomware, Trojans, phishing codes, etc. These statements are deceptive as this software isn’t capable of doing that at all. In fact, there are that many Trojans or ransomware for Macs even available yet.
We decided to try and download the installation file on Windows. Consequently, Windows Security immediately identified it as a threat (see the image below). According to the report, Mac Auto Fixer was detected as Misleading:Win32/Lodi, category – Potentially Unwanted Software, and details – This program displays deceptive product messages.
Threat Summary
Name | Mac Auto Fixer |
Type | Mac scareware, adware |
Related files and processes | Maftask |
Detection name | Misleading:Win32/Lodi (Windows Security), Adware.MAC.Generic.12496 (Bitdefender), MacOS:AMC-DK [PUP] (Avast), Adware.MAC.Generic.12496 (B) (Emsisoft) |
Behavior | Displays deceptive product-promoting information. |
Distribution | Software bundling, online pop-up ads |
Removal methods | Remove Mac Auto Fixer from Macbook manually or automatically |
Things to know if you cannot remember installing this tool
Mac Auto Fixer mostly travels in software bundles, or in other words, software packs that suggest installing extra software at the same time. We recommend you to be very careful about apps you decide to install on your computer and only choose trustworthy download sources.
As mentioned earlier, you might also run into MacAutoFixer via deceptive pop-up ads online, which display flashy warnings about outdated software or possible viruses on your computer.
If you ever get a pop-up that looks like this, then close the window and ignore it, or even better – check your computer for suspicious programs that might be opening these pop-ups for you. In case you run into them while browsing shady websites, stay away from them in the future.
FAQ
Mac Auto Fixer is a deceptive tool, but it can’t be called a virus. It isn’t malicious, but it can employ dishonest techniques such as fake warnings, pop-ups and scary messages about your computer system to trick you into thinking that you need paid software license to save your computer immediately.
Mac Auto Fixer is NOT a recommended tool for Mac OS maintenance because it tends to display false positive scan results and pop-up messages that do not reflect your computer’s health state at all. If you are interested in legitimate software, check out the reviews section on our website.
Remove Mac Auto Fixer from Macbook Air, Pro, or iMac
Mac Auto Fixer removal can be completed using legitimate Mac maintenance programs such as INTEGO, but it can be eliminated manually as well.
Remove Mac Auto Fixer using INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Mac (includes scanning for iOS devices). The one-of-a-kind security suite provides VirusBarrier X9 real-time protection against Mac and Windows-based malware, removes existing threats and scans for malware in popular e-mail clients. Includes NetBarrier X9, an intelligent firewall for home, work and public connections.
Please follow the given tutorial carefully to uninstall all components of the described scareware successfully.
OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND
Keep your Mac virus-free with INTEGO, an exceptional antivirus with an option to scan other iOS devices. The VirusBarrier X9 offers 24/7 real-time protection against Mac and Windows malware, includes intelligent firewall (NetBarrier X9) for protecting your incoming/outgoing connections at home, work or public hotspots and more.
INTEGO antivirus is one of the leading security products for Mac that includes VirusBarrier X9 and NetBarrier X9 features allowing detection of viruses, ransomware, adware, browser hijackers, Trojans, backdoors and other threats and blocks suspicious network connections. If any detections are found, the software will eliminate them. Learn more about the software's features in its full review.
GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more.
Mac Auto Fixer Removal Tutorial
To remove the unwanted program from your Mac, use these instructions below to uninstall associated applications from your Mac computer. Then scroll down for instructions how to clean each affected web browser individually.
Remove Mac Auto Fixer from Mac
- Click on Finder.
- Go to Applications folder.
- Look for suspicious applications you can't remember installing. Right-click them and select Move to Trash.
- After moving all suspicious apps to Trash, right-click the Trash bin in Mac's Dock and select Empty Trash.
Remove using INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Mac (includes scanning for iOS devices). The one-of-a-kind security suite provides VirusBarrier X9 real-time protection against Mac and Windows-based malware, removes existing threats and scans for malware in popular e-mail clients. Includes NetBarrier X9, an intelligent firewall for home, work and public connections.
/Library/Application Support/maf. Then check /Library/LaunchAgents folder for any remains of the potentially unwanted application and drag them to Trash. Empty the trash afterward.
Remove Mac Auto Fixer from Safari
Uninstall suspicious Safari extensions
- Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top left corner. Select Preferences in the menu that appears on the screen.
- Now, go to Extensions tab. Look at the left to see all installed extensions, click on suspicious ones and hit that Uninstall button as shown in the picture. Confirm your choice by clicking Uninstall again. Repeat until you get rid of all unwanted extensions.
Change Safari Homepage and default search engine
- In Preferences, open the General tab. Here, check what URL is set as your homepage. Delete it and type in whatever URL you want to set as your Safari Start Page.
- Next, go to the Search tab. Here, choose what Search engine you want to set as default.
- Next, click on Manage websites... then Remove all... and then Done.
Remove push notifications on Safari
Some suspicious websites can try to corrupt your Safari by asking to enable push notifications. If you have accidentally agreed, your browser will be flooded with various intrusive advertisements and pop-ups. You can get rid of them by following this quick guide:
- Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top-left corner of the screen to select Preferences;
- Go to Websites tab and navigate to Notifications on the left side toolbar.
Reset Safari
- Click on Safari > Clear History...
- Then choose to clear All history and hit Clear History button to confirm.
- Go to Safari > Preferences and then open Privacy tab.
- Click Manage Website Data... then Remove All. To finish, click Done.
- Finally, clear Safari cache. In Safari Menu, click Develop > Clear Cache.
Remove Mac Auto Fixer from Google Chrome
Remove suspicious Chrome extensions
- Open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into address bar and press Enter.
- Here, look for suspicious extensions, and Remove them.
- Don't forget to confirm by pressing Remove in the confirmation pop-up.
Change Start Page settings
- In Chrome address bar, type chrome://settings and press Enter.
- Scroll down to the On startup section. Check for suspicious extensions controlling these settings, and Disable them.
- Additionally, you can set browser to Open a specific page or set of pages via these settings. Simply choose this option, click Add a new page, enter your preferred URL (f.e. www.google.com) and press Add.
Change default search settings
- In Chrome URL bar, type chrome://settings/searchEngines and press Enter. Make sure you type searchEngines, not searchengines. Additionally, you can go to chrome://settings and find Manage search engines option.
- First, look at the list of search engines and find the one you want to set as default. Click the three dots next to it and select Make Default.
- Finally, look through the list and eliminate suspicious entries. Right-click the three dots and select Remove from the list.
Remove push notifications from Chrome
If you want to get rid of the annoying ads and so-called push-notifications viruses, you must identify their components and clean your browser. You can easily remove ads from Chrome by following these steps:
- In Google Chrome, press on Menu (upward arrow) in the top-right corner of the window.
- Select Settings.
- Go to Privacy and Security > Site Settings.
- Open Notifications.
- Here, go to the Allow list and identify suspicious URLs. You can either Block or Remove by pressing on the three vertical dots on the right side of the URL. However, we suggest the Block option, so the site won't ask you to enable the notifications if you ever visit it again.
Reset Google Chrome browser
- The final option is to reset Google Chrome. Type chrome://settings in the URL bar, press Enter and then scroll down until you see Advanced option. Click it and scroll to the bottom of the settings.
- Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Click Restore settings to confirm.
Remove Mac Auto Fixer from Mozilla Firefox
Remove unwanted add-ons from Firefox
- Open Firefox and type about:addons in the URL bar. Press Enter.
- Now, click on Extensions (in the left section).
- Click Remove next to every suspicious browser add-on that you can't remember installing.
Change Firefox Homepage
- In Firefox address bar, type about:preferences and hit Enter.
- Look at the left and click the Home tab.
- Here, delete the suspicious URL and type or paste in the URL of a website you'd like to set as your homepage.
Alter preferences in Firefox
- Type about:config in Firefox address bar and hit Enter.
- Click I accept the risk! to continue.
- Here, type in the URL which has taken over your browser without your knowledge. Right-click each value that includes it and choose Reset.
Remove annoying push notifications from Firefox
Suspicious sites that ask to enable push notifications gain access to Mozilla's settings and can deliver intrusive advertisements when browsing the Internet. Therefore, you should remove access to your browser by following these simple steps:
- In Mozilla Firefox, click on Menu (the three horizontal bars) on the top-right corner of the window, then choose Options.
- Click on Privacy and Security, then scroll down to Permissions section.
- Here, find Notifications and click Settings button next to it.
- Identify all unknown URLs and choose to Block them. Click Save Changes afterward.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
- In Firefox, type about:support in the address bar and press Enter.
- Click on Refresh Firefox...
- Click Refresh Firefox again to confirm.
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Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.
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