OperationPage Adware - How to remove

OperationPage (or OperationPage 1.0) is a malicious browser extension and app that manipulates browser settings to fill it with ads and to redirect it to affiliated sites. OperationPage spreads via malicious ads by showing fake update warnings, which means that people install it themselves without realizing that it’s malware. Unfortunately, removing OperationPage is not always easy  – this malware can be quite persistent.

About OperationPage:

Type of threat	Trojan, adware.
How OperationPage affects Macs	It changes how browsers search the internet, it gets access to each webpage and can inject content and read data on them, after being uninstalled, it returns.
How adware trojans get installed	Advertise online as Flash Player and other widely trusted programs, display on unsafe sites, infect old or small sites with malicious redirects.
Removing OperationPage	Find and remove malware with automatic tools, such as Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, and others, check system and browser settings yourself and delete suspicious entries.

What is OperationPage

OperationPage is a browser extension that gets access to your data on all the websites that you visit. It can also be found as an app. OperationPage features in configuration profiles, where it forces web browsers to change their search settings. In other words, OperationPage is malware.

It spreads sites like SafeFinder, SearchMarquis, SearchBaron, and others. It can inject ads into any webpage and it can log the browser’s search history. If it’s deleted then it can come back – sometimes under a different name, like SearchMasterDaemon, PromoteMethod, LookWebResults, and many others – all using the same white on blue-green magnifying glass icon.

MacOS warns users who have OperationPage installed that it can harm their computer, that it wants to make changes to their computer, or that it wants to accept network connections – warnings that should make users suspicious. Other times, OperationPage displays giant windows informing the user that it finished installation or that their Safari is up to date – fake windows that cover up real system warnings.

How adware spreads

Users who notice OperationPage installed on their Mac (Reddit.com, Reddit.com) usually want to remove it ASAP because it appeared on their computer uninvited and has quite intrusive permissions.

In general, victims of adware similar to OperationPage say that they didn’t install anything suspicious (or anything at all) and that they don’t know how the adware got on their computer. There are a few explanations for how this happens:

• OperationPage is probably part of Shlayer, a very common Mac trojan, or Bundlore, Adload, and other adware infections. OperationPage being a trojan means that it impersonates a trusted program to trick users to install it themselves. People might suspect nothing.
• Similarly, OperationPage could have been installed by a bundler without informing the user.
• Sometimes, malware lurks unnoticed for a long time. Malicious apps try to remain undetected so that they can use the victim’s computer for as long as possible. So, OperationPage might be an old problem that the user only discovered recently.

Shlayer is advertised online as a Flash Player update. Such malicious ads are shown by infected sites and by sites that just don’t care about the safety of their users. Shlayer even downloads and installs the official Adobe Flash Player while installing adware in the background. Be assured that OperationPage has nothing to do with Adobe – their name is just being abused by cybercriminals.

How to remove OperationPage

Scan your computer with an anti-malware app that you trust, like Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes. You might be asked to start your Mac in safe mode.

If an anti-malware scan does not remove OperationPage, then you can do a few things yourself:

• System Preferences -> Profiles. Select and delete all suspicious profiles.
• Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder. Navigate to /Library/Application Support, /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons, and the ~ variants and delete any files that are suspicious.
• Without question, any file that has “OperationPage” in its name needs to be deleted, including the app.
• Instructions for removing browser extensions can be found below.

You can find more information about how malware persists on Macs in this detailed article.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Restore browser settings

How to remove OperationPage Adware from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

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

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