StudyGeneral Mac Adware - How to remove

StudyGeneral is an adware trojan that infects macOS devices and hijacks browser search engine settings. With StudyGeneral, your search queries are sent to AnySearchManager, Yahoo, or another site. StudyGeneral’s goal is to lead you to specific sites, inflate their traffic, and thus make them more profitable. In the long run, this could result in other infections.

Although it’s a bit complicated, StudyGeneral can be removed manually from your Mac. A combination of manual and automatic removal is recommended.

Details on StudyGeneral:

Classification	Adware, browser hijacker.
Infection symptoms	Browser search settings can’t be changed, web searches are hijacked,network settings can’t be changed.
How StudyGeneral spreads	Gets bundled with free apps, is downloaded by malicious sites.
Removing StudyGeneral	Find the malware with an antivirus app (Combo Cleaner, others), remove malicious profiles, apps, and browser extensions, block unwanted notifications, make sure that your online accounts are protected.

What is StudyGeneral?

Adware

StudyGeneral is malware made to manipulate your internet access. Results of a StudyGeneral infection include:

• pop-up ads and redirects in the browser,
• malicious sites appearing often,
• being unable to change browser settings (default search engine) and network settings (SOCKS proxy) because they revert with each reboot of your Mac,
• pop-ups with StudyGeneral asking to access your network,
• pop-ups that hijack your mouse cursor,
• slow internet connection,
• malfunctioning browsers, email apps, and other online apps.

StudyGeneral may be described as a search helper or a browser enhancer, but it’s nothing more than a malicious piece of adware. It messes with your searches and opens sites that show suspicious ads. StudyGeneral forces your browser to open sites that are affiliated with its creators. It makes those sites more money.

Trojan

Trojan describes how StudyGeneral spreads. Trojans are malware that tricks people into installing it themselves.

For example, StudyGeneral may be installed as a Flash Player update. A fake one, promoted on a fake Adobe website by a fake warning that “Flash Player may be out-of-date”. These sites trick people into thinking that their Flash Player needs to be updated and download a malware-filled installer. That’s how StudyGeneral and other trojans infect Macs.

It’s strange, as Flash Player is barely used anymore, but scammers keep using it as part of a scam. When they’re not using Flash, malicious sites may simply tell people that they must install something to proceed.

Bundling is another explanation for StudyGeneral’s infection. Free apps sometimes install junkware and unwanted programs. They get paid by the makers of these unwanted apps to bundle them and install them on as many computers as possible. Some free app download sites also do this.

Bundling can be done well, but it’s often abused to distribute adware and other malware.

How to remove StudyGeneral

Manually removing StudyGeneral is complicated because there are a few files hiding in system folders that you may need to remove. If this is your first time, it might take you a while. That’s why it’s advisable to have an antivirus app scan your Mac first. The scan results should tell you what malware is on your device and where it’s located. We recommend Combo Cleaner, but any reputable app will do a good job. In addition, you should scan your Mac after removing all the malware and rebooting your computer. This will help you make sure that your device is clean of StudyGeneral and any other infections.

If you have problems with the following steps, try rebooting your Mac in safe mode, where unnecessary apps do not run. This will stop StudyGeneral from running and interfering with the removal process. Reboot your Mac and then hold the Shift key pressed down until the login screen shows up. Safe mode lasts only until you reboot your Mac or turn it off.

Profiles manage your Mac’s settings. They can be used to manage a computer remotely. StudyGeneral abuses profiles to change your browser’s settings. Go to System Preferences -> Profiles. Select StudyGeneral’s profiles and press the minus button to remove them.

StudyGeneral exists as an app and a browser extension. Open your Applications folder in Finder, find StudyGeneral, and drag it to Trash. Follow the instructions in the bottom section to remove StudyGeneral from browser extensions. If StudyGeneral doesn’t show up in the Applications folder, check the antivirus scan results to see where it is.

Files in your Library folders are used to store application settings. StudyGeneral left some of its own files there. These should be deleted. Open Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder. Type or paste in these folder names:

• /Library/LaunchDaemons
• /Library/LaunchAgents
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents
• ~/Library/Application Support

Look for files that have “StudyGeneral” in the name. Be on the lookout for similarly named files, such as DisplayProgram, SearchSystem, QuestSearch, QuickLookSearches, StudyDisplay, LookUpLauncher, and others. You can probably see a pattern in these names. These are all part of the same adware family. Most importantly, delete the installer that infected your Mac in the first place. If it’s not yet deleted, it should be in your Downloads folder.

If you’re getting any unwanted web notifications (little pop-ups in your browser), check this article on how you can block them.

Finally, consider that the StudyGeneral browser extension has access to your data on the websites that you visit. And this includes usernames, passwords, email addresses, etc. Hopefully, StudyGeneral did not take them, but just make sure that 2-step verification is turned on for all of your important accounts. It can save you from hackers by alerting you when someone tries to log in from a new device.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove browser extensions

How to remove StudyGeneral Mac 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 StudyGeneral Mac 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 StudyGeneral, 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 StudyGeneral Mac Adware from Google Chrome on Mac:

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