FreshSkill

FreshSkill is an invasive adware application that tries to sneak its way onto users' Mac devices. It is typical for PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs), such as this one, to be included in suspicious software bundles or injected into fake installers/updates. After analyzing the application, cybersecurity researchers determined that it is another addition to the AdLoad adware family.

The main purpose of the AdLoad applications is to generate monetary gains for their operators via intrusive advertising campaigns. Once deployed on the Mac, FreshSkill will most likely follow this pattern and start delivering annoying advertisements. Users could be presented with clickbait messages leading to fake giveaways, phishing schemes, dubious age-restricted content and more. The advertisements also could contain offers for additional PUPs.

It is important to keep in mind that these dubious programs are oftentimes equipped with significant data-tracking capabilities. While installed on the device, the intruder programs can be continuously spying on the user's browsing activities and transmitting them to a remote server. The monitored data could include the browsing and search histories, as well as device details, such as IP address, geolocation, device type, browser type and more.