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 Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego 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.
Cool New Tab Theme is a malware-type application that is not recommended using due to affiliation with suspicious parties
Cool New Tab Theme is a malware-type application that is not recommended using due to affiliation with suspicious parties
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 Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego 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.
Cool New Tab Theme ads may trick people into downloading other PUPs
Cool New Tab Theme ads may trick people into downloading other PUPs
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 Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. 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.
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. It is a hassle when your website is protected from suspicious connections and unauthorized IP addresses.
The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address. If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for server or network manager that need to monitor connections and activities. This is how you bypass some of the authentications factors and can remotely use your banking accounts without triggering suspicious with each login.
VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world. It is better to clock the access to your website from different IP addresses. So you can keep the project safe and secure when you have the dedicated IP address VPN and protected access to the content management system.
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various circumstances, malware is also one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. Potentially unwanted programs may clear files that keep the application from running smoothly.
More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, or images get locked. Ransomware is the one that is focused on such functions, so your device gets useless without access to needed data. Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for such recovery in the system.
In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.