Helper_update

Helper_update is a deceptive application that masks its true purpose - the delivery of intrusive advertisements on the Mac systems it is present on. Adware and other similar applications do not wait for users to install them willingly. In the vast majority of cases, they enter the Macs unnoticed via underhanded delivery tactics, such as bundling or hiding inside fake installers/updaters for more popular programs. Helper_update in particular has been observed to spread by pretending to be an installer for the Adobe Flash Player. As a result, the application also is classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program).

The application establishes itself as a login item on the system, ensuring that it will be started on every system boot. Users also might see a Terminal window related to the application every time they start their Mac devices. In addition, their browsing experience may suffer drastically, due to the incessant advertisements generated by Helper_update. The advertisements could include various clickbait messages designed to lure users into engaging with them. Then, via forced redirects, the advertisements could lead to dubious websites conducting online schemes, promoting additional PUPs, or displaying other questionable behavior. 

Helper_update can have additional troublesome aspects. The application also may act as a browser hijacker, taking control over specific browser settings and then preventing the user from making further changes. It also can try to spy on the browsing activities on the device. This is a common aspect observed in most PUPs. They monitor the user's browsing history, search history, visited sites, etc., and then upload the gathered information to a remote server. The operators of the PUP can then decide how to exploit the received data with one distinct possibility being to offer it for sale to third parties.