HerculesLookup App - How to remove

HerculesLookup is a potentially unwanted app that causes a variety of problems on Macs: it causes browser redirects, unexpected new tab and search pages, it collects user info, and it may cause stutters or even crashes in some online apps.

HerculesLookup is advertising software and it spreads in adware bundles. They are advertised dishonestly, causing people to install them without realizing that they’re installing something harmful.

HerculesLookup in short:

Classification	Adware, trojan.
How HerculesLookup affects Macs	It causes changes to how search results appear and what ads appear, it collects user information, some websites might fail to load thanks to it, it may install more unwanted apps.
How it is installed	Promoted online with fake warnings and alerts.
How to remove HerculesLookup	Remove malware yourself and with anti-malware tools, like Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, and others, review and fix your System Preferences.

What is HerculesLookup?

Advertising software

HerculesLookup is a Mac infection that causes issues with web browsers and internet connection.

This malware makes changes to browser settings and to network settings. It injects ads into webpages and opens new webpages with advertised sites – it wants to get more people to visit affiliated sites so as to make more money from advertising. It also collects user data, such as search logs.

HerculesLookup causes Safari and other online apps to stutter and even crash. It adds itself to startup items so that it is always running. It creates new configuration profiles to make itself more difficult to remove.

Finally, HerculesLookup can cause a lot of issues:

• hijack your mouse cursor,
• cause stutters and beachballing,
• new unfamiliar apps being installed,
• internet connection not working.

MajorPanelSearch, WebNewSearch, DivisionInitiator, DivisionIndexer, PromoteQueue, IndexerInput, and other apps are very similar to HerculesLookup and they might get installed with it. If that happens, know that the removal instructions are the same for all of them.

A trojan

People don’t install HerculesLookup on purpose. In discussions online, Mac users say that they have no idea what this app even.

HerculesLookup gets installed with other programs, such as fake cleaners like Advanced Mac Cleaner. It’s included in these installers and there’s no warning before or during the installation that adware is going to be put on your Mac.

In general, adware bundles spread with the help of deceptive advertisements. Fake alerts about outdated Flash Player are very popular, despite the fact that Flash is getting retired and is no longer used by modern media players. Fake virus warnings are also used to spread malicious software to Macs.

How to remove HerculesLookup

HerculesLookup can be deleted by removing the app, the browser extension, and the related files. In addition, you should review your System Preferences to make sure that the damage that HerculesLookup has done to your settings is fixed.

Delete malicious files

Hold the Shift key on your keyboard to enter safe mode. This will stop HerculesLookup from running temporarily.

Look for malicious items on your computer. Remove the HerculesLookup app and browser extension.

You can use anti-malware tools like Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, and others. They check your files and apps and present you with the scan results. HerculesLookup should be detected as Adware, AdLoad, Trojan, Malware, Mughthesec (check this awesome blog post about it), and other names, as seen on this Virustotal.com page.

Anti-malware apps are helpful and but they’re not perfect. You can look for malicious files yourself in the ~/Library/Application Support, /Library/Application Support, ~/Library/LaunchAgents, and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders. Delete suspicious files with names like HerculesLookup, HerculesLookupDaemon, HerculesLookupP.plist, etc.

To go to these hidden folders, open Finder and in the Go menu, click the Go to Folder option.

Check your System Preferences

Open your System Preferences and remove all the references to HerculesLookup and changes made by this app:

• If the Profiles icon is there, click it and delete unknown profiles.
• Open Network -> Advanced -> Proxies. In the box to the right, proxies are configured that you did not configure yourself, deselect them and save.
• Click on Users & Groups -> Login Items and delete items that you don’t want to be opened/run when you start your Mac.

These settings are important. For instance, configuration profiles can force various settings to be changed every time you turn on your Mac.

If HerculesLookup was still installed, it would check these settings and “fix” them if it found that they’d been changed. But once HerculesLookup is deleted, it won’t touch your system preferences anymore.

To exit safe mode, simply restart your Mac.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Restore browser settings

How to remove HerculesLookup App from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

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

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