CleanParameter

CleanParameter is adware and a browser hijacker that can display unwanted advertisements and redirect your browser's searches. It also may cause security warnings related to possible computer damage or harm network connection settings unintentionally. Users on macOS systems should remove CleanParameter with their choice of anti-adware solution and check for the possible presence of any related threats.

The Dirty Secrets behind CleanParameter

Users on Macs who act as if they're bulletproof to adware may receive more than a few surprises from a recent onslaught of programs advertising automatically. CleanParameter, like its cousins StandardBoost, TrustedAnalog, OperativeMachine, and SkilledObject, is a recent delivery vehicle for advertisements to macOS systems. It does this by tricking users into installing something they shouldn't: a 'Flash' update.

Although Adobe is no longer supporting Flash and recommends uninstalling it, the Adload family of Trojan downloaders still uses the Flash update theme for delivering adware to their targets. CleanParameter is similar to other payloads from Adload. It resets the user's search settings in browsers like Safari and Firefox and displays advertisements in different formats for generating pay-per-click revenue.

CleanParameter also is being referred to as 'CleanParameterd' by some sources. This secondary alias is a callback from a pop-up warning that CleanParameter often generates on macOS systems: 'CleanParameterd will damage your computer.' Malware experts also point out that many users trying to remove CleanParameter continue experiencing these warnings manually and also experiencing Internet connection problems. As one might expect, these issues are from some of CleanParameter's components remaining on the computer.

Cleaning Out All the Adware Alerts

CleanParameter is a useful parable of the risks of uninstalling software 'by hand,' which is sometimes necessary, but often detrimental for casual users. It also shows that the macOS environment remains under fire by non-consensual advertising profiteering models, which can endanger users as they surf the Web by loading tactics like fake updates. While malware experts don't recommend keeping unsupported software like Flash, users who plan to keep it never should install updates from non-approved sources.

Most Potentially Unwanted Programs like CleanParameter use installation methods that involve illicit or 'risky' downloads, such as torrents. Users can avoid them in preference for curated options like the Mac App Store. Using appropriate security services for scanning all downloads also should catch and block the Adload Trojan downloader that circulates CleanParameter and its relatives.

For most users, updated anti-adware programs will immediately remove CleanParameter and are preferable for uninstallation. Afterward, malware experts also suggest that users followup with comprehensive anti-malware scans as a precaution.

There's little that's clean and tidy about CleanParameter or other adware like it. Since no one would ask for advertisements without benefits, it slips into Macs when users aren't looking, and the results of its invasion are predictably detrimental.