“ProtocolAgent will damage your computer”
“ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” is what is known as a typical browser hijacker, only this one is particularly after the browsers installed on Mac computers. Thus, “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” can target Safari, Chrome, Firefox and most popular types of browsing programs.
After “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” has been installed in your macOS, it will automatically embed itself in the main web browser you have and immediately begin to make changes to it. This is done in order to facilitate the generation of various sponsored messages directly on the screen of the infected device during users’ browsing sessions. Hence, why you have likely been experiencing a flood of popups, banners, box messages, and various other kinds of ads, regardless of what websites you visit. Furthermore, you may have also come to experience page redirects to different sponsored web addresses trying to sell you something – that too is the result of “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer”’s activity on your computer.
What’s more, browser hijackers are also known to replace the default search engine in your browser with a new one. And they may also set it as your new browser homepage. And the only way you will be able to return to your original settings is if you remove “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” from your OS. This is a bit of a tricky task, as applications of this type rarely offer an obvious removal solution. Instead, users often have to go through many a workaround in order to thoroughly uninstall the pesky ad-generating tool.
But we have already done that job for you and we’ve described the process for you to follow in the free removal guide below.
“ProtocolAgent will damage your computer.” on Mac
“ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” for Mac is a tool used for the promotion of various products, services and web addresses. Usually, software like “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” for Mac is involved in common online business models like Pay Per Click.
In other words, every time you click on any of the displayed popups or other ads generated by this software, its developers will earn some small amount of revenue. Hence, why browser hijackers like this make their advertising campaigns so aggressive and why oftentimes users are left no choice but to click on the invasive promotional materials.
What is “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer”?
Many users confuse browser hijackers like “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” with viruses and malicious programs. But luckily, “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” is not malicious and it cannot harm or corrupt your computer in any way.
That’s not to say that “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” is entirely trustworthy either. In fact, the constant generation of online ads and page redirects is a worrisome factor. And that is because as a result of it all you may end up being exposed to genuine threats such as Trojans, ransomware, and other types of viruses and malware. For this reason, we generally recommend trying to avoid clicking on any online ads and simply just removing their source altogether.
The “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” app
The “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” app is usually added to the installation managers of other software, usually some form of freeware. This is the only way that hijackers like the “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” app actually stand a chance of being installed on users’ computers.
SUMMARY:
Name | ProtocolAgent will damage your computer |
Type | Browser Hijacker |
Detection Tool |
Remove ProtocolAgent will damage your computer on Mac
The following instructions will allow you to remove “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” in two ways:
- The manual instructions will allow you to remove it on your own by downloading 2 software suites which will show you the folders the threat is located in. Installing, scanning, and deleting everything will require 1-2 hours of your time, depending on your speed and the threat itself.
Note: If “ProtocolAgent” has an in-built ability to restore itself on a restart, the manual steps will not prevent that. We recommend the automatic removal. - Download SpyHunter for Mac (one of the apps used in the manual instructions), scan with it, and if you decide to use the program, it will likely require about 15-20 minutes. This, however, requires an active subscription for SpyHunter, which means either to use the trial version or purchase the software.
Removal instructions:
1. Download EtreCheck from the Appstore and scan for any “ProtocolAgent” unsigned files. Delete them. (You can skip this step altogether and download and scan with Spyhunter instead if you don’t want to double-check things).
2. Download and install Spyhunter for Mac. Scan for any malicious files.
3. The app will show you which files are infected. Either use SpyHunter to delete them for you (the automatic removal) or do it manually, which means tracking down each detected location by yourself and deleting the file.
4. In most cases start with /private/var/root/Library/Application Support/.”ProtocolAgent”/”ProtocolAgent”
5. In Finder press Shift+Command+G to open the Find window.
6. Search for the /var directory. Then proceed and look for the /root folder inside.
7. It will most likely be locked and you will need additional permissions to meddle with it.
8. Press command+I and scroll to sharing and permissions. Add your user name to permissions.
9. Now you should be able to access the /root folder and proceed and locate the /Library folder inside it. Proceed to do the same until you are inside the /Application Support folder.
10. It is possible that the folder you look for is hidden, if that is the case use command+shift+. to locate and find the file you want to delete.
11. Delete the “ProtocolAgent will damage your computer” file.
12. If none of this helps, try the steps in this guide.
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