How to uninstall UpgradeFilter app/extension from Mac (Virus removal guide)

What is UpgradeFilter

According to security experts, UpgradeFilter is a malicious application that falls under the category of Adware. Adware is not as dangerous as such as a computer virus or Ransomware, but its presence can bring numerous pop ups and/or unwanted ads. Actually developers of adware is associated with some third-party ad networks and by showing advertising to users they make profit for yourself. These advertisements not only bother your browsing experience but also redirect your browser to shady web-pages.

The worst is, the UpgradeFilter app can analyze the location and which Internet web pages you visit, and then present advertisements to the types of content, goods or services featured there. Adware makers can gather and sell your browsing information and behavior to third parties. Therefore it is very important to follow the few simple steps below immediately. The guide will allow you to remove UpgradeFilter as well as get rid of annoying advertisements. What is more, the step-by-step guide below will help you delete other malicious apps such as toolbars and browser hijackers which can be installed onto computer along with the adware software.

How does UpgradeFilter get on your MAC system

Adware usually come bundled with freeware . So, when you installing free software, carefully read the disclaimers, choose the Custom or Advanced installation type to watch for additional applications that are being installed, because some of the programs are potentially unwanted applications and adware.

Threat Summary

Name	UpgradeFilter, UpgradeFilter 1.0 app
Type	adware, PUP (potentially unwanted program), Mac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names	ApplicUnwnt, Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload, Adware/Adload!OSX, Osx.Adware.Cimpli, MacOS.Agent-MT, Adware.MAC.Generic, OSX.Trojan.Gen and Program:MacOS/Vigram.A
Distribution	Freeware installers, torrent downloads, shady pop-up ads and fake updaters
Symptoms	Every time you perform an Internet search, your internet browser is redirected to another website, you experience tons of of unexpected ads, unexpected application installed without your consent, new add-ons suddenly installed on your browser, your Mac settings are being modified without your request, fast Internet but slow browsing speeds.
Removal	UpgradeFilter removal guide

How to Remove UpgradeFilter adware (removal tutorial)

As with uninstalling adware, malware or PUPs, there are few steps you can do. We advise trying them all. If you do only one part of the guidance, then it should be run malicious software removal utility, because it should delete adware software and stop any further infection. But to completely get rid of UpgradeFilter adware you’ll have to at least reset your web browser settings like search engine by default, newtab and home page to default state, delete all unwanted and suspicious apps, and remove adware software by malicious software removal tools. Certain of the steps below will require you to close this web page. So, please read the steps carefully, after that bookmark it or open it on your smartphone for later reference.

To remove UpgradeFilter, execute the following steps:

1. Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device
2. Check the list of installed apps
3. Remove UpgradeFilter related files and folders
4. Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes
5. Remove UpgradeFilter from Safari, Chrome, Firefox
6. How to stay safe online

Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device

UpgradeFilter can make changes to the Mac system such as malicious changes to browser settings, and the addition of malicious system profiles. You need to check the system preferences, find and remove malicious profiles and ensure your settings are as you expect.

Click Apple menu ( ) > System Preferences.

In System Preferences, select Profiles. if there is no Profiles in the list of preferences, that means there are no profiles installed on the Mac device. If there is Profiles in the list, then click on it, then select a profile related to UpgradeFilter.

To delete a malicious profile, click on the minus button ( – ) located at the bottom-left of the Profiles screen.

Check the list of installed apps

Check the list of installed applications on your Mac computer and delete all unknown and recently installed software. If you see an unknown program with incorrect spelling or varying capital letters, it have most likely been installed by malicious software and you should clean it off first with malware removal utility like MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM).

Make sure you have closed all browsers and other applications. Next, remove any undesired and suspicious applications from computer using the Finder.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

Look around the entire list of applications installed on your computer. Most probably, one of them is the UpgradeFilter . Choose the dubious program or the application that name is not familiar to you and uninstall it.

Drag the suspicious program from the Applications folder to the Trash.

Most important, don’t forget, select Finder -> Empty Trash.

Remove UpgradeFilter related files and folders

Now you need to try to find UpgradeFilter related files and folders, and then delete them manually. You need to look for these files in certain directories. To quickly open them, we recommend using the “Go to Folder…” command.

UpgradeFilter creates several files, these files must be found and removed. Below is a list of files associated with this unwanted program.

• /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.UpgradeFilter.system.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.UpgradeFilter.service.plist
• /Library/Application Support/.(RANDOM)/System/com.UpgradeFilter.system
• ~/Library/Application Support/.(RANDOM)/Services/com.UpgradeFilter.service.app

Some files created by UpgradeFilter are hidden from the user. To find and delete them, you need to enable “show hidden files”. To do this, use the shortcut CMD + SHIFT + . Press once to show hidden files and again to hide them. There is another way. Click Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal. In Terminal, paste the following text: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

Press Enter. Hold the ‘Option/alt’ key, then right click on the Finder icon in the dock and click Relaunch.

Click on the Finder icon. From the menu bar, select Go and click “Go to Folder…”. As a result, a small window opens that allows you to quickly open a specific directory.

Check for UpgradeFilter generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/LaunchAgents

This will open the contents of the “/Library/LaunchAgents” folder. Look carefully at it and pay special attention to recently created files, as well as files that have a suspicious name. Move all suspicious files to the Trash. A few examples of files: com.machelper.plist, search.plist, com.UpgradeFilter.service.plist, com.google.defaultsearch.plist, , com.net-preferences.plist, macsearch.plist and installapp.plist. Most often, potentially unwanted programs, browser hijackers and adware create several files with similar names.

Check for UpgradeFilter generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/Application Support

This will open the contents of the “Application Support” folder. Look carefully at its contents, pay special attention to recently added/changed folders and files. Check the contents of suspicious folders, if there is a file with a name similar to com.UpgradeFilter.system, then this folder must be deleted. Move all suspicious folders and files to the Trash.

Check for UpgradeFilter generated files in the “~/Library/LaunchAgents” folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
~/Library/LaunchAgents

Proceed in the same way as with the “/Library/LaunchAgents” and “/Library/Application Support” folders. Look for suspicious and recently added files. Move all suspicious files to the Trash.

Check for UpgradeFilter generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Carefully browse the entire list of files and pay special attention to recently created files, as well as files that have a suspicious name. Move all suspicious files to the Trash. A few examples of files to be deleted: com.installapp.system.plist, com.UpgradeFilter.system.plist, com.macsearch.system.plist, com.search.system.plist and com.machelper.system.plist. In most cases, potentially unwanted programs, adware software and browser hijackers create several files with similar names.

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

Manual UpgradeFilter removal requires some computer skills. Some files and system entries that created by the adware can be not completely removed. We suggest that run MalwareBytes to scan the Mac device. Moreover, this application will allow you to remove PUPs, adware, browser hijackers and toolbars that your MAC system can be affected too.

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware can be downloaded from the following link.

When the downloading process is finished, close all windows on your Apple Mac. Further, open the saved file. Follow the prompts.

The MalwareBytes Anti Malware will automatically run and you may see its main window as shown on the image below.

Next, click the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for the UpgradeFilter adware. Depending on your MAC, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a threat is found, the count of the security threats will change accordingly.

When finished, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will open a list of all items found by the scan. Next, you need to press the “Quarantine” button.

The MalwareBytes Anti Malware will delete UpgradeFilter and move the selected items to the Quarantine.

Remove UpgradeFilter from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

If you are still seeing UpgradeFilter adware that won’t go away, you might have malicious plugins installed on your browser. Check your internet browser for unwanted extensions using the steps below.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
In the top-right corner, expand the Google Chrome menu. In the menu go to ‘More tools’, then ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to get rid of UpgradeFilter adware by reset Chrome settings.	Click on ‘menu’ button and select ‘Add-ons’. Go to ‘Extensions’ tab. To uninstall an add-on, click on ‘Remove’ button next to it. If you are still experiencing problems with UpgradeFilter adware software removal, you need to reset Firefox browser.
Safari
On the top menu select ‘Safari’, then ‘Preferences’. Select ‘Extensions’ tab. Select an extension you want to delete and click ‘Uninstall’ button next to it.

How to stay safe online

By installing an ad-blocking program like AdGuard, you are able to block malicious web sites, stop autoplaying video ads and remove lots of distracting and unwanted ads on webpages.

AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link.

Once the downloading process is done, run the downloaded file. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen.

Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick guidance. Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will allow you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you launch your computer, AdGuard will run automatically and stop intrusive popup advertisements, block harmful and misleading web-sites.

To sum up

Once you have complete the tutorial above, your MAC system should be free from the UpgradeFilter adware, other malicious apps and browser extensions. The Chrome, Safari and Firefox will no longer redirect you to various unwanted web sites and online ads. Unfortunately, if the tutorial does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help here.