FractionElement

Analysis of the FractionElement app has confirmed that it is intrusive adware belonging to the AdLoad adware family. Apps of this family target Mac users and try to generate profits for their operators by running intrusive advertising campaigns. Typically, they are also classified as PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) due to the questionable distribution methods they employ. It is common for PUPs to be included in shady software bundles as items preselected for installation or to be injected into fake installers/updates.

The consequences of having FractionElement present on your Mac could range from annoying to potentially risky. Although PUPs are not considered to be malware as they do not pose a direct threat to the system they are installed on, they may still lead to increased privacy and security risk. For example, users could be presented with various advertisements promoting scam websites, fake giveaways, phishing schemes, shady adult pages, dubious online gaming/betting platforms, and more. If users decide to interact with the shown ads, they may trigger redirects to even more untrustworthy destinations.

Users should keep in mind that many PUPs are capable of spying on their browsing activities. Information, such as the user's browsing history, search history, clicked URLs, IP address, geolocation, and more could be captured and transmitted to the PUP's operators. Some of these apps, however, are even capable of extracting data from browsers' autofill data. The information they could obtain could range from banking details to payment data, account credentials, debit/credit card numbers, and other confidential details.