InitialConnection mac virus (Free Guide)

What is InitialConnection mac virus?

InitialConnection is a mac virus that can spam users with ads and even install malware

Adload can cause a lot of different symptoms like ads and malware installations

InitialConnection is a mac virus and it belongs to the Adload malware family. It can cause various symptoms – changed browser settings, like the homepage, new tab address, search engine and/or an increased amount of commercial content, like pop-ups, banners, redirects, and other types of spam.

People affected by this infection are forced to browse only through selected channels which raises many user privacy and security concerns. Mac viruses act as adware^[1] and browser hijackers combined. However, adware designed to infect mac machines is much more aggressive than adware created for Windows-based systems.

It can run scripts in the background and install PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),^[2] and even malware without the users' knowledge. That is why it is so important to eliminate this intruder immediately. Doing nothing about this could cause serious damage to your system.

Adload in general

We previously wrote about many other mac viruses, like ActiveAnalyzer, ThinDev, FocusAhead, etc. They all look very similar with an icon of a magnifier inside a green, teal, or grey background. The main file of the virus can be found in the “Applications” folder.

Many people fail to notice the intruder until it has already started making changes. This happens because Adload is capable of bypassing Apple's own security system XProtect.^[3] However, the infection is also difficult to get rid of because of various evasion techniques.

For example, Adload can generate multiple files disguised as normal system files and scatter them across the machine in different folders. That is why it is best to avoid such intruders as much as possible. Unexperienced users find it difficult to remove Adload, and most of the time professional security tools are required.

Distribution methods

Mac viruses are commonly installed without the user's knowledge. These viruses often take on the appearance of another, more innocuous program. Oftentimes, cybercriminals will use social engineering to make it appear as though the user needs to update their software – even when that isn't true. A good example of this is Flash Player. Even though HTML5 has replaced Flash Player since 2020, many users still fall for prompts telling them they need to update their Flash Player in order to access media content.

Another popular way to spread mac adware is via “cracked” software^[4] sites and Torrent pages. They provide the perfect environment for malicious programs to thrive. You can never be sure if the programs you're downloading are safe, and this activity is also illegal- which could lead to some serious consequences down the line.

Mac virus can be hard to remove because of evasion techniques

How to avoid Adload infections?

Google “How to stop my computer from getting viruses” and you will get more than 16 million results. Turns out, a lot of people have this problem. So what's the solution? Form good habits while using your device: only download updates from official sources, don't click on pop-ups or redirects, and only use official app stores and developer sites. It might cost you some money upfront but it will save you in the long run by keeping your system running smoothly.

Another crucial element that goes often unconsidered is keeping your operating system and software updated. Hackers will exploit vulnerabilities in software to deliver malicious programs. To prevent this, developers release security patches that fix these holes periodically – it is important to download these updates as soon as they become available.

Remove the InitialConnection mac virus

Manual removal may be a race against time. With launch agents, daemons, and cronjobs, it can sometimes take several attempts because they can manage to re-write deleted components back. You should not do this yourself unless you know what you are doing and what kind of files you need to delete.

Some of the files can have a .plist extension, a standard settings file, also known as a “properties file,” used by macOS applications. It contains properties and configuration settings for various programs. The app also uses different persistence techniques and drops many files across the system, complicating browser extension and application removal.

To keep your mind at peace, we recommend using professional anti-malware tools SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes, which can detect unwanted programs and eradicate them. You also do not know if the virus installed any additional malicious programs, so this is the safest way to ensure the system is clean.

If you still want to try and delete it manually, proceed with these steps:

• Open Applications folder
• Select Utilities
• Double-click Activity Monitor
• Here, look for suspicious processes related to adware and use Force Quit command to shut them down
• Go back to the Applications folder
• Find InitialConnection in the list and move it to Trash

If you are unable to shut down the related processes or can't move the app to Trash, you should look for malicious profiles and login items:

• Go to Preferences and select Accounts
• Click Login items and delete everything suspicious
• Next, pick System Preferences > Users & Groups
• Find Profiles and remove unwanted profiles from the list

There are likely to be more .plist files hiding in the following locations – delete them all:

• Select Go > Go to Folder.
• Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
• In the Application Support folder, look for any suspicious entries and then delete them.
• Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.

The manual elimination process might not always result in total virus removal. Therefore, we still strongly suggest you perform a scan with security software.

Remove the browser extension added by adware

An extension to your browser is also added by InitialConnection which starts performing all sorts of unwanted tasks. It possibly collects sensitive data and sends it to tracking servers. Some of the data that could be exposed is – IP address, user name, macOS version, browser versions, computer ID, items in the “Applications” folder, a list of agents, daemons, and system configuration profiles.

It would help if you removed the add-on as soon as possible after the dangerous files are eliminated from your system. You can delete cookies and cache automatically with the help of FortectIntego. It will also fix any damaged files and system errors, so you should notice an improvement in the machine's performance.

If you prefer doing this yourself without additional help, here are the instructions. You will find guides for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox at the bottom of this article:

1. Click Safari > Preferences…
2. In the new window, pick Extensions.
3. Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.

Cookies and website data:

1. Click Safari > Clear History…
2. From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
3. Confirm with Clear History.

The simplest and quickest solution to this is completely resetting Safari:

• Click Safari > Preferences…
• Go to Advanced tab.
• Tick the Show Develop menu in the menu bar.
• From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.