UniversalWebResults Adware - How to remove

UniversalWebResults is a malicious app that attacks macOS devices. UniversalWebResults shows malicious ads on your screen, causes search redirects, and it might interfere with the functioning of your online apps. Worse, UniversalWebResults comes with other malware and is difficult to remove. To get rid of UniversalWebResults, you might need to use an anti-malware tool and/or manually delete certain files and settings. In addition, it’s important to find out how UniversalWebResults got installed so that you can avoid a repeat of the infection.

About UniversalWebResults:

Classification	Trojan, adware.
How UniversalWebResults affects your Mac	Changes browser and network settings, causes search redirects and malicious pop-up ads, prevents its own removal.
How adware spreads	Advertised on unreliable websites, disguised as legitimate software.
Removing UniversalWebResults	Make backups of your files, remove UniversalWebResults with an anti-malware tool (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, etc.), Delete suspicious files, settings, apps, and browser extensions.

Issues caused by UniversalWebResults

UniversalWebResults is Mac adware. It’s not a virus but it’s dangerous enough:

• UniversalWebResults changes your browser settings to change your default search engine. You might notice Anysearchmanager or another ad-filled site delivering your internet search results.
• A few minutes into browsing, UniversalWebResults causes a lot of dangerous pop-ups to appear in your browser: fake virus detections, fake giveaways, and other scams.
• Because of the changes that UniversalWebResults makes to your Mac’s settings, there might be issues with the network and with connecting to certain websites.
• Some malicious apps refuse to be removed: the changes and fixes that you make revert with the next reboot of your Mac.

The malicious ads that UniversalWebResults shows are not just annoying, but also dangerous: many of them lead to scam sites and try to trick you into typing in your full personal information, download malware, etc. This way, UniversalWebResults can indirectly cause some financial issues.

UniversalWebResults’ main goal appears to be making money by showing you ads. That the ads happen to be malicious is just a consequence of UniversalWebResults’s owners not caring about the safety of those ads.

Deservedly, UniversalWebResults is detected by antivirus programs as Adload, AdWare, Cimpli, Trojan, and simply Malware (VirusTotal link).

How adware gets installed

The label “trojan” being used for UniversalWebResults indicates how this adware gets installed: by pretending to be a legitimate app and tricking people into downloading and installing it manually. UniversalWebResults may be disguised as an Adobe Flash Player, a macOS update, or another trusted application. Sites that do this are malicious and have nothing to do with the companies whose names are being used. Still, they’re so well made that they look very believable.

These malicious sites get advertised online, especially on pirating sites (like free movie streaming sites). You can use ad-blockers to avoid some of the malicious ads. But keep in mind that some ads still manage to slip through, so it’s still important to be careful. Be careful of what sites you visit and what you click on. Don’t download files from unknown websites and don’t run installers without scanning them first.

For example, here’s a fake installer scanned on VirusTotal. It is detected as Adware and Shlayer, a very widespread trojan that affects macOS devices. Although some people still insist that Macs do not need anti-malware apps and scanners, if you find yourself often dealing with infections, consider getting one. Anti-malware apps can, for example, block malicious websites, thus saving you from a scam. They can also detect and warn you about potentially unwanted and poor reputation applications.

How to remove UniversalWebResults

First, it’s important to remember that UniversalWebResults might not be the only infection on your Mac. So, these instructions also apply for finding and removing other malware, such as HermesLookup, SmartWebSearch, and StockCommon. Also, if you manually delete files, be careful to not delete legitimate files. Make backups before deleting stuff and don’t empty your Bin until after you’re sure you didn’t delete any legitimate items.

To most easily find and remove UniversalWebResults, have an anti-malware app do it. Apps like Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, and others can be used to check your device and to remove malicious items. Anti-malware tools don’t always work perfectly, but when they do, they can save a lot of time.

To manually delete UniversalWebResults, boot your Mac in safe mode. Start it and hold Shift until you see the text “Safe Boot” in the corner of your screen. Safe mode is meant for troubleshooting – it stops unnecessary apps from running automatically. To exit safe mode, just reboot your Mac again.

Open System Preferences:

• Go to Profiles and remove suspicious items from there. These might be all of your profiles.
• Click on Users & Groups -> Login Items and, once again, remove suspicious items like UniversalWebResults.
• Go to Network -> Advanced -> Proxies and deselect SOCKS proxy if it is selected (unless you set it up yourself, of course).

Open Finder, then choose Go in its menu and click on Go to Folder. Type or paste in the names “/Library/LaunchAgents”, “/Library/LaunchDaemons”, and “~/Library/LaunchAgents”. In each of these folders, look for items (files and folders) with “UniversalWebResults” in their names. Delete them.

Remove UniversalWebResults the malicious app by finding it in your Applications folder and dragging it to the Bin, as its Uninstaller doesn’t work. Also, check the instructions in the following section to remove the UniversalWebResults browser extensions. Check all of your web browsers.

Delete the file that initially infected your Mac, too. It might be named “Player”, “Flash”, or something similar. Don’t let it reinfect your Mac.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove suspicious extensions

How to remove UniversalWebResults 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 UniversalWebResults 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 UniversalWebResults 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 UniversalWebResults Adware from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to UniversalWebResults Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove UniversalWebResults Adware from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything UniversalWebResults 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.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to UniversalWebResults 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.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset 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.