OperativeField Adware - How to remove

OperativeField is Mac adware. It causes issues with the web browser – redirects searches, injects ads, and logs user data. Because of the deceptive ways that OperativeField infects Macs, there might be other infections that were downloaded at the same time. To delete OperativeField, its files need to be found and deleted, its app and extension need to be removed, and certain system and browser settings need to be changed.

About OperativeField:

Type of threat	Adware, browser hijacker.
Infection symptoms	The browser redirects internet searches, too many ads and redirects interfere with internet browsing, apps on the Mac crash, freeze, and start by themselves.
How adware gets installed	Bundled with free app installers, uploaded online disguised as a trusted app.
Removing OperativeField	Detect and delete malicious apps with anti-malware tools (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, others) and manually, find and restore system and browser settings that OperativeField had hijacked.

How OperativeField affects a Mac

Ads and a lower Mac

OperativeField is adware like SearchRange, DataSearchLauncher, and many others. It changes how the browser works by changing some settings and installing a browser extension. It logs browsing data to spy on the user. OperativeField may promote Safe Finder, Anysearchmanager, Searchbaron, Searchmarquis, or another shady website.

Unsurprisingly, OperativeField is detected as adware by multiple security scanners, as you can see on this Virustotal.com page. If your macOS is up-to-date, it should detect OperativeField and show a message saying something like “OperativeField will damage your computer. You should move it to the Trash”. The problem is, even if you do move OperativeField to the Trash, it might return. It burrows itself into the Mac to make itself really difficult to delete.

What OperativeField does is redirect the victim to promoted websites, inject ads into the browser, log their browsing data for the benefit of advertisers, and it might even download and install more malware. It can also cause some technical issues that are probably unintended, such as disabling the internet connection, crashing unrelated apps, and slowing down the Mac.

Dishonest installation

Most likely, OperativeField was downloaded in a fake software update. Or it came inside a free installer for another app. Deceptive ads and unsafe websites can lead to adware infections.

One common way that malware like OperativeField spreads is in ads on movie and TV show-streaming sites. Ads show up that say that you need to update your Flash Player. They download malicious files that are disguised as the Adobe software. The victims do not even realize that the software they’re installing is made by malicious actors, decorated with logos and images stolen from a reputable company.

How to remove OperativeField

Delete malicious files

OperativeField remove can turn out to be a long and somewhat complicated process. Especially if your anti-malware app isn’t able to recognize all the malicious files right away and you have to find and delete them manually. It’s still doable, it’s just that it’s easy to miss some stuff.

Scan your Mac with an anti-malware app, like Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, and others. You might be told to reboot your Mac in safe mode, which you can do by holding the “Shift” button down while booting up the Mac.

Did this solve the OperativeField issues? Did your browser stopped redirecting and do you not get unwanted pop-ups anymore?

Although anti-malware apps try hard, they’re not always perfect. If they fail to help you, you may need to get your hands dirty.

• Open Finder -> Go -> Computer. Type in “OperativeField” and look at what comes up. If there are files with “OperativeField” in their names, like com.OperativeField.plist and com.OperativeFieldDaemon, you can delete them.
• Open Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder. Go to the folders ~/Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchAgents, ~/Library/LaunchDaemons and /Library/LaunchDaemons, ~/Library/Application Support and /Library/Application Support. Look for files and folders with the same date added as OperativeField. Check the names of these files. Delete those that do not seem to belong to any of your legitimate apps.

Be careful. If you delete a legitimate, non-malware file, you could lose some data needed by your legitimate apps.

Restore settings

OperativeField messes with your web browser. To solve that, a few system settings need to be checked.

Open System Preferences -> Profiles. Select those items that you or your administrator did not create and delete them.

Open System Preferences -> Network -> Advanced -> Proxies. Is SOCKS ticked? If yes and if you did not set it up, untick it and save. Even though SOCKS proxies are useful, some malicious apps use it to hijack traffic.

Open your browser Settings/Preferences -> Extensions. Is there anything suspicious here? Remove browser extensions that you did not install yourself. Review your browser settings.

With all this done, OperativeField should be wiped from your Mac.

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