Macgrader

Macgrader is a piece of software that can be detected as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program). As the name suggests, Macgrader is designed to run on Mac systems. The reason any software would be classified as a PUP is that it probably doesn’t do what it is supposed to. Some PUPs are disguised as useful tools with the purpose of fooling users into downloading and installing them. The innumerable bunch of supposed optimizers for Mac or PC are very common examples of such PUPs. While the developers may advertise them as powerful utilities that allow Mac users to significantly improve the performance of their machines, they usually don’t do anything. At best, such tools may perform the same tasks as the native utilities provided by Apple.

Other PUPs don’t even try to present themselves as anything useful. They just rely on freeware bundles to propagate. Such applications are often packaged alongside free software. In most cases, such PUPs are installed as optional components to a bundle. This is the reason why users should always make sure to check advanced or custom installation options if they are adamant about installing bundled software.

PUPs are a separate category from malware. PUPs don’t pose any serious threat to the security of a system. Even so, most anti-malware software will detect them and suggest their removal. Even if an application isn’t a threat, it may be better to get rid of it. There is no reason to keep applications that aren’t useful.