How to Remove the ‘Top Results’ Malware on Your Mac

There are many programs out there that promise to improve browsing experience on your Mac. While some are legit, others are simply malware. They will bombard you with ads, and worse install annoying and disruptive programs on your computer. The ‘Top Results’ malware falls in this category.

What Is the ‘Top Results’ Malware on a Mac?

‘Top Results’ is an adware that is advertised as a program meant to improve your browsing experience. Once installed on your Mac, you will start seeing pop ads, advertisements and other questionable content on the search results. This malware can appear genuine, especially because it promotes the use of Yahoo Search, which is a legitimate search engine.

But along with its service comes many unwelcome disruptions. The following are the telltale signs that the ‘Top Results’ malware has infected your Mac:

• An authorized change in your default search engine from say Google to Yahoo
• Pop ads that recommend more programs and services
• Redirections to sites that you are not interested in
• Installation of third-party software

For more general signs that your computer has been infected malware, check out this article.

How Did Your Mac Get Infected by the ‘Top Results’ Malware?

‘Top Results’ can infect your computer in many ways, but its conventional means of entry is by being bundled alongside free software. Often, a site will ask you to download a program, such as Adobe Flash player which is bundled together with the ‘Top Results’ malware. For any unsuspecting user, it can be darn difficult to tell when you are installing the program on your machine. Most people, in fact, only get to know of the ‘Top Results’ malware infection once it is already on their Mac.

The creators of ‘Top Results’ make money through pay-per-click ads that is why they are so aggressive at marketing the program. They also make it hard to remove for the same reason.

How to Remove the Top Results Malware on a Mac

If the ‘Top Results’ malware has infected your computer, your most natural reaction is to want to remove it. Removing ‘Top Results’ is, however, not easy. The reason is that the malware tends to be deeply embedded in your computer. It exists both as an application and as a browser extension. That is to say, it is easy to be hoodwinked that you’ve completely removed the program only for it to start bothering you again. This guide will offer detailed solutions that will help you remove the ‘Top Results’ adware from your Mac for good.

1. Use an Anti-malware Software

The best defense against malware on your computer will always be a reliable anti-malware software such as Outbyte Anti-Malware. The reason is simple, an anti-malware software scans your entire computer, locates and removes any suspicious programs no matter how well hidden they are. Removing malware manually might work, but there is always the chance that you might miss something. A good anti-malware program does not.

2. Delete Top Results Programs, Files and Folders

To delete, the ‘Top Results’ malware on your Mac, first navigate to the Activity Monitor and kill off any suspicious processes. Otherwise, you will be getting error messages when you try to delete it. To get to the Activity Monitor, take the following steps:

1. Open Finder.
2. Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.

On the Activity Monitor, look for the processes that are running. If any of them appears suspicious or unfamiliar, quit it. For further scrutiny of the process, you can highlight it with the mouse and right-click on it to see file location.

The Top Results malware can be found in the applications folder on your Mac, but not with the name that you might expect. You will, therefore, have to delete any suspicious software, such as “MPlayerX,” “NicePlayer” etc. that are installed without your knowledge.

After you have deleted any suspicious programs, you will also have to delete the adware-related files and folders. The following are the steps to take:

1. Using the Finder’s Go to Folder option, navigate to /Library/LaunchAgents folder. Inside this folder, look for any suspicious files that are associated with adware like Top Results. Examples of files of this nature include “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist” and “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”. To help with the identification, look for files with common strings.
2. Use Finder to navigate to the /Library/Application Support folder. Here, look for suspicious files, especially the ones related to applications that you deleted using the Applications app. Removing these will stop Top Results from resurfacing in the future.
3. Navigate to the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder and look for any suspicious files. Examples of suspicious files that are associated with the Top results malware include “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, “com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist” and “com.avickUpd.plist”. Move these files to the trash.

3. Uninstall Top Results Browser Extensions

After manually deleting the malware from your computer’s hard drives, you will also need to uninstall any Top Results browser extensions. Go the Settings > Extensions on the browser that you are using and remove any extensions that you are not familiar with. Alternatively, you can reset your browser to default as this will also remove any extensions.

4. Clean Your Mac with a Mac Repair Tool

To enhance your Mac’s security and performance, cleaning tools like Outbyte macAries claim to delete junk files and repair errors that could make your system vulnerable. Evaluate the tool’s features to ensure it meets your security requirements.

Wrapping up

In conclusion, to get rid of the notorious ‘Top Results’ malware, you need to use an anti-malware tool or to delete the applications that power the adware manually. It is also recommended to clean your computer with a Mac cleaning tool because that way, it becomes harder for an infection to go unnoticed.

If you would like to know more about the kinds of malware that infect Mac computers and what to do when your Mac gets infected, you should read this article.