This post provides details on the malicious Mac process called Maftask (Maf-Task), explains what it has to do with Spchlpr, Hlpradc, hiprade, helperamc and helpermcp viruses, and includes removal steps.

1. Best Malware Removal For Mac 2018
2. Best Malware Removal For Mac Reddit
3. Malware Removal For Mac Os X 10.6.8

Update: October 2019

Malwarebytes for Mac scans and removes viruses, adware, ransomware, and other Mac malware, so you are protected and your Mac keeps running like a Mac. May 13, 2013  As viruses become more common on Mac systems, the number of tools for detecting and removing them has also increased. Mac Malware Remover for Mac is. Following the rules above will protect your Mac from most viruses. But if you have already identified an issue and see annoying pop-ups, don’t worry. We will explain how to remove adware from a Mac. You can try to remove a virus manually. For this, you have to find all the supporting files of the malware software and delete them.

Underestimating the capabilities and complexity of Mac malware is a slippery slope. The threat actors who zero in on the Apple ecosystem are becoming increasingly tech-savvy, and their malicious code can assume different shapes to evade detection and prevent termination. Mac Auto Fixer, one of the fairly sophisticated samples from that category, injects its tentacles deep inside a host system and sprinkles concomitant files and processes in order to persevere. Some victims fail to notice these extra fragments of the infection, but those who look for them typically spot an executable file named “maftask” or 'maf-task'. It is listed among the running processes in the contaminated Mac’s Activity Monitor, and another entry “com.techyutil.maftask.plist” is going to end up in the LaunchDaemons.

So, the actual culprit’s name is Mac Auto Fixer, and it’s embodied on the system level as the Maftask process – no wonder some users refer to the latter as the troublemaker. The conspicuously misbehaving application is a mix of a rogue optimization tool and pseudo security software. It pretends to find a bevy of macOS performance issues as well as privacy and malware problems, thus attempting to persuade the victim that purchasing its license is certainly on their to-do list. It boasts sleek GUI design and triggers trustworthy-looking system scans over and over.

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Maftask may re-infect your Mac multiple times unless you delete all of its fragments, including hidden ones. Therefore, it is recommended to download Freshmac and scan your system for these stubborn files. This way, you may reduce the cleanup time from hours to minutes. Download Now_{Learn how Freshmac works. If the utility spots malicious code, you will need to buy a license to get rid of it.}

The reports enumerate hundreds of items that should supposedly be deleted or fixed at once, including duplicates, unnecessary login items, failed downloads and memory issues. To top it all off, the Maftask virus will state there is too little available space left and urge the user to have memory released in one click.

The pseudo scanning activity of Mac Auto Fixer (Maf-task) malware is accompanied by numerous popups that further pressure the user into taking immediate action. The alerts typically mention the number of threats and issues spotted in specific system areas and recommend the victim to sort them all out by registering the full version of the program. The infection can also impact the web surfing facet of Mac usage by rerouting traffic to spoof warning pages. Long story short, Maftask deploys a great deal of brainwashing to dupe and intimidate the owner of the infected computer into coughing up a registration fee. Therefore, following those annoying prompts is a bad idea because most of the problems are phony and the only real adversary is the alleged Mac performance booster itself.

Another massive surge of Maftask infections after the original outbreak of the Mac Auto Fixer malware took root in early October 2019 and has been a consistently serious concern ever since. According to the victims’ reports, this twist in the dodgy campaign is accompanied by malicious activity of the following processes:

• hlpradc
• spchlpr
• hiprade
• helperamc
• helpermcp
• ummhlpr
• sspchlpr
• APMHelper
• smbstrhlpr
• MapsAndDirections-1668307
• ProntoApp
• WebSocketServerApp
• FocusReportingService
• CellularService
• EasyConverter-955179
• freeForm-959837
• macalive
• tonictasks
• mohip
• source.app

The main symptom is an emergence of popup alerts saying, “maftask will damage your computer. You should move it to the Trash”, where the name of the perpetrating executable can be either one of the five above-mentioned harmful processes (“[harmful process name] will damage your computer”). By the way, Spchlpr is the name of the binary used by Similar Photo Cleaner, a notorious fake optimization tool for Mac.

It’s worth mentioning that all of these incidents have one thing in common: they co-occur with an upgrade to macOS Catalina 10.15, the latest release of the operating system. These alerts may be a response of the brand-new macOS version to the viruses that ran undetected prior to the installation of Catalina on pre-infected computers. The good news is that Apple appears to be improving the malware identification features of their platform, but the infected users are stuck with the annoying alerts anyway.

The Maftask virus penetrates into a Mac by means of tricky installation clients. Their nasty gist boils down to combining benign apps with harmful ones under a single umbrella. The regular program is the only one clearly indicated in the setup wizard, while the Mac Auto Fixer baddie lurks down in its settings that you have to spend time toggling. In summary, Maftask is a component of a dangerous and obnoxious Mac scareware, so it should be treated accordingly. Continue reading this entry to learn how to remove the pest.

Maftask malware manual removal for Mac

The steps listed below will walk you through the removal of this potentially unwanted application. Be sure to follow the instructions in the order specified.

• Open up the Utilities folder as shown below

• Locate the Activity Monitor icon on the screen and double-click on it

• Under Activity Monitor, find the entry for maftask, select it and click Quit Process

• A dialog should pop up, asking if you are sure you would like to quit the maftask executable. Select the Force Quit option

• Click the Go button again, but this time select Applications on the list. Find the entry for Maftask on the interface, right-click on it and select Move to Trash. If user password is required, go ahead and enter it

• Now go to Apple Menu and pick the System Preferences option

Click Next to select your default browser. Windows for mac download torrent. Windows 10: A Chrome window opens after everything is done. Windows 8 & 8.1: A welcome dialog appears.

• Select Accounts and click the Login Items button. The system will come up with the list of the items that launch when the box is started up. Locate Maftask / Mac Auto Fixer there and click on the “-“ button

Best Malware Removal For Mac 2018

Use automatic tool to uninstall Maftask virus from your Mac

When confronted with malicious code like the Maftask virus on Mac, you can neutralize its toxic impact by leveraging a specially crafted system utility. The Freshmac application (read review) is a perfect match for this purpose as it delivers essential security features along with must-have modules for Mac optimization.

This tool cleans unneeded applications and persistent malware in one click. It also protects your privacy by eliminating tracking cookies, frees up disk space, and manages startup apps to decrease boot time. On top of that, it boasts 24/7 tech support. The following steps will walk you through automatic removal of the Maftask infection.

1. Download Freshmac installer onto your machine. Double-click the Freshmac.pkg file to trigger the installer window, select the destination disk and click Continue. The system will display a dialog asking for your password to authorize the setup. Type the password and click Install Software.

2. Once the installation has been completed, Freshmac will automatically start a scan consisting of 5 steps. It scans cache, logs, unused languages, trash, and checks the Mac for privacy issues.

3.The scan report will then display your current system health status and the number of issues detected for each of the above categories. Click the Fix Safely button tto remove junk files and address privacy issues spotted during the scan.

4. Check whether the Maftask issue has been fixed. If it perseveres, go to the Uninstaller option on Freshmac GUI. Locate an entry that appears suspicious, select it and click Fix Safely button to force-uninstall the unwanted application.

Best Malware Removal For Mac Reddit

5. Go to Temp and Startup Apps panes on the interface and have all redundant or suspicious items eliminated as well. The Maftask malware shouldn’t be causing any further trouble.

FAQ

In most cases, you can close the Maftask process by going to the Activity Monitor from your Mac’s Utilities screen, selecting the unwanted entry and clicking the ‘Quit Process’ button. On a confirmation dialog, select the ‘Force Quit’ option to terminate the stubborn executable. Keep in mind, though, that Maftask will most likely reappear on your running processes list unless you apply the appropriate malware removal procedure.

To get rid of Maftask for good, you need to uninstall the underlying fake system utility called Mac Auto Fixer that relies on the offensive binary in question. Aside from closing the malicious process in the Activity Monitor, remove the core program from your Applications and Login Items as explained in the guide above. Consider emptying the Trash when done.

Hlpradc is a malicious process used by a rogue application called Advanced Mac Cleaner or one of its variants. The affiliated scareware programs that are known to utilize this executable include Mac Ads Cleaner and Mac Adware Cleaner. Although the names differ, the behavior and objectives of these apps are nearly identical. They all report numerous security and performance issues on a Mac and try to dupe the victim into purchasing their license. Obviously, if you discover ‘hlpradc’ among the processes running on your Mac computer, be sure to terminate it immediately and proceed with removing the associated harmful app.

Helperamc/helpermcp is an entity mentioned on macOS security alerts stating that it will damage your computer and recommending you to move it to the Trash without delay. These notices are being mostly reported by people who have just installed macOS Catalina 10.15 released in October 2019. It appears that this build of the operating system has introduced a new approach to handling suspicious software previously installed on the Mac. If it cannot verify the app publisher, it will most likely trigger an alert like that.

It turns out that ‘helperamc(helpermcp)’ is a process launched by a phony system utility or adware program once it infiltrates a Mac. Unfortunately, the victims are unable to delete it by simply clicking the ‘Move to Trash’ button on the system popups mentioned above. Instead, those infected should leverage an antimalware tool to sort out the problem, or search for ‘hiprade’ on their hard drive and erase all the detected files manually. It’s recommended to empty the Trash afterward.

Spchlpr is an executable file of an aggressive pseudo optimizer called Similar Photo Cleaner. The telltale sign of this malware’s activity comes down to recurrent system scans and popup alerts that raise red flags on serious disk space issues due to large and unused images stored on the computer. However, the infection concocts all of these problems in order to pressure the victim into buying its full version, which will supposedly unlock the cleanup feature. Be advised that these notifications about memory improvement potential are a bluff.

Malware Removal For Mac Os X 10.6.8

Speaking of the ‘spchlpr’ process, it is merely one of the symptoms of the malware attack. To remove Similar Photo Cleaner junk from your Mac, you need to stop this executable first and then get down to eradicating the rest of the culprit’s components.