ProgressBuffer

ProgressBuffer is a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) that targets Mac users. It is designed to drive artificial traffic towards a promoted fake search engine. The application also displays the behavior of adware by delivering unwanted advertisements to users.

The most common tactic used by PUPs is to hide the fact that they are going to be installed on the computer several menu layers deep inside the installation process of another more popular or useful, freeware program. This dissemination method is called bundling, and it alone is enough of a reason to consider these applications as PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs).

No matter how ProgressBuffer got inside a Mac system, it will modify certain browser settings and keep overriding them every time the affected users attempt to restore them to their previous state. The homepage, new page tab, and the default search engine will be changed to start opening ProgressBuffer Search. This is considered a fake search engine because it simply lacks the most basic functions of one - it cannot produce any search results on its own. Instead, every search query initiated in the affected browser will be redirected through search.yahoo.com for the actual results.

The easiest way to deal with ProgressBuffer is to use a professional anti-malware program to remove any traces of the application from your Mac device.