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

What is KeyWright

KeyWright is an Adware application that targets Mac platform. Adware can make big problem to your Apple. Adware also known as ‘adware software’ is a type of malicious software which shows lot of unwanted ads in form of pop-ups, discount offers, banners, push notifications or even fake alerts on the web-browser. KeyWright can seriously affect your privacy, your computer’s performance and security.

Another reason why you need to remove KeyWright is its online data-tracking activity. It can install a component that enables its developer to track which web-pages you visit, which products you look at upon those pages. They are then able to choose the type of ads they show you. So, if you had the adware on your MAC, there is a good chance you have another that is collecting and sharing your confidential data with third parties, without your knowledge.

In this article we will discuss how can you remove KeyWright and get rid of unwanted ads from the MAC manually or with free adware removal tools.

How does KeyWright get on your MAC system

The majority of adware is bundled with freeware or even paid applications that Web users can easily download online. The setup files of such apps, in many cases, clearly display that they will install optional software. The option is given to users to stop the install of any third-party applications. So, in order to avoid the install of any adware software: read all disclaimers and install screens very carefully, select only Custom or Advanced installation mode and uncheck all bundled software in which you are unsure.

Threat Summary

Name	KeyWright
Type	adware software, PUP (potentially unwanted program), Mac virus, Mac malware
Detection Names	Osx.Adware.Cimpli, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, MacOS.Agent-MT, ApplicUnwnt, OSX.Trojan.Gen, Adware.MAC.Generic, Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload and Adware/Adload!OSX
Distribution	Freeware installers, fake software updaters, torrent downloads and malicious popup advertisements
Symptoms	Your browser is redirected to web sites you did not want, pop up advertisements won’t go away, unwanted application installed without your knowledge, an unwanted addon appears in your web-browser, your web browser home page has modified and you are unable to change it back, fast Internet but slow browsing speeds.
Removal	KeyWright removal guide

How to Remove KeyWright (removal steps)

When the adware software gets installed on your Apple Mac without your knowledge, it is not easy to uninstall. In most cases, there is no Uninstall application that simply remove the KeyWright adware software from your MAC system. So, we recommend using well-proven free specialized utility like MalwareBytes. But the best solution to remove KeyWright adware software will be to perform several manual steps, after that additionally run antimalware tools.

To remove KeyWright, execute the following steps:

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

Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device

KeyWright 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 the System Preferences icon ( ) in the Dock, or choose Apple menu ( ) > System Preferences.

In System Preferences, click Profiles, then select a profile related to KeyWright.

Click the minus button ( – ) located at the bottom-left of the Profiles screen to remove the profile.
Note: if you do not see Profiles in the System Preferences, that means there are no profiles installed on your Mac device, which is normal.

Check the list of installed software

In order to remove KeyWright you need to do is to delete unknown and questionable programs from your MAC system using the Finder. When removing potentially unwanted programs, adware and browser hijackers, check the list of installed apps and try to find questionable applications and remove them all. Pay special attention to recently installed programs, as it’s most probably that KeyWright сame along with it.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

Very carefully look around the entire list of applications installed on your machine. Most likely, one of them is the KeyWright adware. Once you’ve found a dubious, unwanted or unused program, right click to it and select “Move to Trash”. Another solution is drag the program from the Applications folder to the Trash.

Don’t forget, choose Finder -> “Empty Trash”.

Remove KeyWright related files and folders

Now you need to try to find KeyWright 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.

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

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

Some files created by KeyWright 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 KeyWright 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: installapp.plist, com.google.defaultsearch.plist, , com.KeyWright.service.plist, com.net-preferences.plist, macsearch.plist, com.machelper.plist and search.plist. Most often, adware software, browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs create several files with similar names.

Check for KeyWright 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.KeyWright.system, then this folder must be deleted. Move all suspicious folders and files to the Trash.

Check for KeyWright 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 KeyWright 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.machelper.system.plist, com.macsearch.system.plist, com.KeyWright.system.plist and com.search.system.plist. In most cases, adware, PUPs and browser hijackers create several files with similar names.

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

We recommend using MalwareBytes. You may download and install MalwareBytes Free to detect and delete KeyWright related software from your Mac. When installed and updated, the malware remover automatically identifies and deletes all security threats present on the Apple Mac.

1. MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) can be downloaded from the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
   20983 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: September 10, 2020
   
2. After the download is finished, please close all software and open windows on your MAC OS. Run the downloaded file. Follow the prompts.
3. The MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will run and display the main window.
4. Further, click the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes Free application will scan through the whole MAC system for the KeyWright adware. When a threat is found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is complete.
5. As the scanning ends, MalwareBytes Free will display a screen which contains a list of malicious software that has been detected.
6. Review the report and then click the “Remove Selected Items” button.
7. Close the Anti Malware and continue with the next step.

Remove KeyWright from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

If you are still getting KeyWright adware software, then you can try to remove it by removing harmful extensions.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
In the top right hand corner, click on ‘three vertical dots’, and this will open up the main menu on Google Chrome. 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 KeyWright 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 KeyWright 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

If you want to remove annoying ads, internet browser redirects and popups, then install an ad-blocker program like AdGuard. It can block unwanted ads and pop-ups, stop web-pages from tracking your online activities when using the Safari, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. So, if you like surf the Internet, but you do not like intrusive ads and want to protect your MAC OS from harmful web-sites, then the AdGuard is your best choice.

Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard on your computer from the following link.

When the downloading process is complete, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen. Follow the prompts.

Each time, when you launch your MAC OS, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop annoying pop-up advertisements, block malicious and misleading webpages.

Finish words

Once you have removed the adware using this few simple steps, Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari will no longer redirect display any unwanted ads. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step guidance does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help here.