AssistiveConsole

AssisitiveConsole is a dubious application, designed for the sole purpose of monetizing its presence on the user's Mac systems through intrusive methods. The application has been equipped with the capabilities of both adware and browser hijackers. As a result, the affected users will be subjected to a significant increase in the unwanted advertisements encountered on the device, while also having their Web browsers modified to now open a promoted page.

Understandably, the chances of users downloading and installing an application such as AssistiveConsole willingly are practically non-existent. The creators of these programs also are aware of this fact and that is why they spread them via underhanded distribution methods, such as bundling and fake software installers. The extensive reliance on such manipulative tactics classifies these applications as PUPs.

The advertisements generated by AssistiveConsole should be approached with caution. Users who engage with the pop-ups, banners, surveys, and in-text links delivered by the PUP risk being redirected to con pages, phishing sites or other suspicious destinations. At the same time, the browser hijacker part of AssistiveConsole will start modifying the settings of the Web browsers installed on the Mac. More specifically, users will notice that their browsers' homepage, new tab page, and default search engines may now be set to open an unfamiliar address.

When it comes to browser hijackers, they are most often used as vehicles promoting a fake search engine - one that cannot produce any results on its own. The user's search queries will be redirected to either a legitimate engine or taken through a redirect chain. If it is the second case, users may be shown low-quality results filled with sponsored ads that were generated by a dubious engine.

In summary, PUPs are intrusive applications that should be removed as soon as possible. Especially when you take into account that these applications also are known for spying on users' browsing activities. The entire browsing history, clicked links, and initiated searches may be combined with numerous device details (IP address, geolocation, browser type and more) and transmitted to a remote server continuously.