Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus (Easy Removal Guide) - Tutorial
Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus Removal Guide
What is Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus?
Cool New Tab Theme is a potentially unwanted Safari and Chrome extension that may generate sponsored ads and make people visit suspicious websites
Cool New Tab Theme is an application that attracted the attention of cybersecurity experts because of controversial performance. Although it is represented as a handy tool for enhancing Safari and Chrome look and performance on Mac devices, it has been found that this extension is an active participant in affiliate marketing. In other words, it seeks to gain access to Mac machines to present their users with sponsored content and, therefore, generate income.
The application has been assigned to the adware and potentially unwanted program (PUP) categories of cyber infections. Nevertheless, the reference Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus prevails on forums and cybersecurity-related blogs. The reason for that is simple – this extension usually gets installed without asking for permission directly and subsequently starts initiating rather aggressive advertising activities. Apart from sponsored ads and links positioned everywhere online, the PUP[1] may be taking advantage of in-built browser cookies to harvest personally non-identifiable information like IP address, search terms, or click.
| Name | Cool New Tab Theme |
| Type | Adware |
| Sub-type | Potentially unwanted program (PUP) |
| Compatibility | The extension is aiming at Mac machines running Chrome or Safari web browsers |
| Symptoms | Chrome and Safari web browsers feature altered background wallpaper, an unfamiliar new tab is installed out of nowhere, the search ends up on suspicious third-party websites, Push Notification offers are frequently displayed, loads of pop-up ads, etc. |
| Is it dangerous? | No. If you prefer this new tab on your Mac, you are free to use it. Nevertheless, it carries the name of a potentially unwanted program to acknowledge people that the new tab may generate suspicious third party content and possibly expose them to shady sites |
| How can I remove it? | Mac OS can be cleaned from malware either with the help of anti-malware or manually. More information on both options is provided below |
| Malware damage | Mac system can be compromised by Mac malware in a very negative way. Not only intrusive browser-based extensions can be installed, but also useless files among legitimate Mac system files and libraries. Cached system logs can eventually end up with slowdowns. Thus, use FortectIntego scan regularly |
People can find the Cool New Tab Theme Mac extension download on sources like Mac App Store or third-party download sites. However, direct download is a rare case because this PUP is most actively spread via software bundled as a constituent of freeware.
The so-called Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus supposedly adds useful additional features to Chrome and Safari, including appealing background images, the new search that shows personally-adapted results, and more. However, the functionality of this tool is controversial. It may load nice background and change it from time to time, enable some quite useful quick access links, or display some eye-catching ads.
Anyway, trust the content that this new tab delivers is not recommended because it may be linked to misleading third party websites involved in malware distribution or collection of personal information. In many cases, this application travels bundled with browser hijackers like CapitaSearch, Mazy Search, or Blast Search. These hijackers are extremely intrusive as they can enable the “Managed by your organization” setting on Chrome to restrict users from deleting the search or performing Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus removal.
Another thing why NoVirus.uk[2] and other security experts recommend people to remove Cool New Tab Theme virus from Mac are related to privacy infringement. This new tab may be recording your web browsing-related information continuously. Third-party advertisers seek to prepare personal ads and, therefore, increase the click on sponsored ads. For this purpose, they take advantage of add-ons, toolbars, and plug-ins that inject cookies, gather browser-based data, and share it with advertisers. Usually, the following details are targeted:
- IP address
- search queries
- clicks
- time spent on certain sites
- viewed commercial content
- technical web browser's details, etc.
Luckily, Cool New Tab Theme removal is not a mission impossible. It's not a virus, so you can find its files and components manually during the analysis of the web browser's settings. Disable the extension, add-on, notifications, and other questionable browser entries. At best, reset the web browser's settings.
However, keep in mind that this Mac malware infiltrates machines via a freeware bundle, so it's very likely that there are more PUPs running in the background. For this purpose, we recommend you to remove Cool New Tab Theme adware from the system using a professional AV tool. Besides, a scan with FortectIntego is advisable to restore the system's settings that might have been damaged by malware.
Official websites and freeware bundles are the main PUP distribution source
Applications distributed on official sources and reliable download sites can also be deceptive. Therefore, do not trust persuasive descriptions that render various claims that eventually turn out to be false. Before downloading any application, read its reviews, make a small research online to find out that it hasn't been included in the database of cybersecurity websites.
Besides, IT professionals warn about software-bundling, which is a legitimate way to spread several apps in one package. However, the vast majority of the bundles contain potentially unwanted programs that disrupt the user's web browsing activities and initiate aggressive advertising activities. To prevent PUP installation with freeware, you should always:
- Read Privacy Policy, EULA, and Terms of Use documents attentively;
- Never select Quick or Recommended installation setup;
- Opt for Advanced or Custom installation options;
- Carefully read all the terms and deselect every additional component.
Get rid of the Cool New Tab Theme Mac app manually or automatically
Although this Chrome and Safari extension[3] may offer supposedly useful services, in reality, it's a deceptive tool that cannot improve anything. It can alter web browser's settings in an inconvenient way, deliver sponsored content, and trick you into downloading other PUPs. Luckily, the Cool New Tab Theme removal can be initiated quite easily.
The easiest way to uninstall Cool New Tab Theme extension from Mac is to run a full scan with a professional anti-malware. AV tool will check every location of the machine and delete all dangerous or potentially dangerous entries quite easily. If, however, you prefer manual removal, eliminate all suspicious programs from Apps folder and then check the following locations for related files:
- /Library/LaunchAgents
- /Library/Application Support
- /Library/LaunchDaemons
After that, you can proceed with the instructions below. Before that, open the Activity Monitor and check whether there is no Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus related processes running. Disable each of them.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Cool New Tab Theme Mac virus. Follow these steps
Delete from macOS
Instructions to uninstall Cool New Tab app from Mac OS X:
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
If this questionable application settled down on Chrome, we recommend resetting the browser this way:
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Cool New Tab Mac virus can alter Safari's settings and make the web browsing inconvenient. To fix that, follow these steps:
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Cool New Tab Theme Mac registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting browser plugins
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
If this free guide helped you and you are satisfied with our service, please consider making a donation to keep this service alive. Even a smallest amount will be appreciated.
- ^ Chriss Hoffman. PUPs Explained: What is a “Potentially Unwanted Program”?. HowTi Geek. Technology related news.
- ^ SECURITY AND SPYWARE NEWS. NoVirus. Virus and spyware news.
- ^ Liam Tung. Google to Apple users: We're beefing up malware protection for Chrome on macOS. ZDnet. Business security news.