Geneio broke Safari

dimitryvin · Jul 5, 2013

So I was messing around on the web and managed to install Geneio on my Mavericks installation. 1 minute after noticing it was a complete peice of crap, I promptly uninstalled it using the uninstall found in the Applications folder.

Though now every time I start up Safari, it immediately crashes. I've spent a few hours trying to fix the issue but it keeps on coming back.

Has anyone has this issue?
I've added the error log to the post.
Thanks in advance.

Shrink · Jul 5, 2013

dimitryvin said:
So I was messing around on the web and managed to install Geneio on my Mavericks installation. 1 minute after noticing it was a complete peice of crap, I promptly uninstalled it using the uninstall found in the Applications folder.

Though now every time I start up Safari, it immediately crashes. I've spent a few hours trying to fix the issue but it keeps on coming back.

Has anyone has this issue?
I've added the error log to the post.
Thanks in advance.

Malware Issues[edit]

In May 2013, a malicious installer distributed by Genieo partner Softonic[5] was found by security software company Intego. The installer masquerades as a necessary update to Adobe Flash Player and attempts to install Genieo.app without user interaction. Dynamic libraries are added to the Safari browser which intercept searches intended for Bing and Google.[6]
Other versions of Genieo for Mac have also been offered as 'codecs' required for video playback[7]. Testing carried out on Genieo for Mac in June 2013 found that it left active software behind, after using the supplied uninstaller; which required detailed manual removal,[7] and was implicated in causing Safari to crash on opening.[8]
As of June 2013, Genieo is detected as malware not only by Intego (mentioned above), but also by the Russian anti-virus firm Dr. Web.[9]

I'm not very knowledgeable about these issues, but I wonder if a Clam X scan might help remove undesirable crap left behind.

GGJstudios can help you...he's one of the very knowledgable folks here when it comes to dealing with this stuff. If he doesn't reply when he comes online, you might PM him and ask for help.

dimitryvin · Jul 5, 2013

I just ran a Clam X scan but it didn't fix the problem. I deleted the files it came up with, restarted OS X, but the issue persisted.

Shrink · Jul 5, 2013

dimitryvin said:
I just ran a Clam X scan but it didn't fix the problem. I deleted the files it came up with, restarted OS X, but the issue persisted.

I'm really sorry that Clam X didn't work. Being a techno-boob, that's all I got. Perhaps someone more knowledgable than (which is just about anybody

) will chime in.

Sorry... and good luck!

Silvereel · Jul 5, 2013

It's hard to give any specific advice, since I don't know anything about Geneio or your problem, but have you tried going into your library and searching for any remnants of that app? If you click the menu bar and go to 'go' while holding alt, you will see the option to access the library.

From there, take a look around. Look around and see if you see a folder for the app causing the problem. If it's truly malicious, it could be labeled falsely, of course, but it's a start. If you don't see anything right away, take a look around the Application Support folder, and see if you can find anything there. Wish I had more, but good luck

rocknblogger · Jul 5, 2013

Try this:

1. Launch Activity Monitor and change My Processes at the top to All Processes, then make sure Genieo is not running. If it is, quit the process before proceeding.
2. Launch Finder and search for Genieo. You can narrow the search to specific folders or search your whole Mac. Searching File Name vs Contents usually provides better results.
3. Click the + button below the search term to add criteria
4. Click the search criteria drop-down and select Other, then System files
5. Click the dont include and change to include
6. Sort by name, kind, date, etc. to identify components of the app, such as folders, .plist files, cache files. etc.
7. Delete all files and folders related to the app.

Dont empty your Trash until youve determined that everything is working OK, in case you need to restore something you deleted by accident.
A reboot might be necessary to completely remove some apps.

EDIT: I learned this from GGStudios. He has some excellent guides around here but I'm on my iPad using Tapatalk hence I can't find all the links.

dimitryvin · Jul 5, 2013

rocknblogger said:
Try this:

1. Launch Activity Monitor and change “My Processes” at the top to “All Processes”, then make sure Genieo is not running. If it is, quit the process before proceeding.
2. Launch Finder and search for Genieo. You can narrow the search to specific folders or search your whole Mac. Searching “File Name” vs “Contents” usually provides better results.
3. Click the + button below the search term to add criteria
4. Click the search criteria drop-down and select “Other…”, then “System files”
5. Click the “don’t include” and change to “include”
6. Sort by name, kind, date, etc. to identify components of the app, such as folders, .plist files, cache files. etc.
7. Delete all files and folders related to the app.

Don’t empty your Trash until you’ve determined that everything is working OK, in case you need to restore something you deleted by accident.
A reboot might be necessary to completely remove some apps.

EDIT: I learned this from GGStudios. He has some excellent guides around here but I'm on my iPad using Tapatalk hence I can't find all the links.

This fixed the problem! Thank you very much. After adding the criteria you mentioned it step 4/5, a few genieo files came up. I simply deleted them, never emptied trash or restarted, on Safari booted up perfectly. Thanks again, was getting really annoyed with Chrome.

rocknblogger · Jul 5, 2013

dimitryvin said:
This fixed the problem! Thank you very much. After adding the criteria you mentioned it step 4/5, a few genieo files came up. I simply deleted them, never emptied trash or restarted, on Safari booted up perfectly. Thanks again, was getting really annoyed with Chrome.

You're welcome. From now on don't ever install anything that edits Safari in any way. If you've never heard of the app your considering do some research first.

Glad in all worked out for you

Gwaredd · Feb 7, 2014

A link for permanently removing "Genieo"

dimitryvin said:
This fixed the problem! Thank you very much. After adding the criteria you mentioned it step 4/5, a few genieo files came up. I simply deleted them, never emptied trash or restarted, on Safari booted up perfectly. Thanks again, was getting really annoyed with Chrome.

If anyone else is or has been plagued by Genieo there is a list of files that need to be completely removed. The gentleman who posted his initial message was not in a position to list all the files. So here is a link which does just that along with excellent guidelines on how to rid one's self of this nasty bugger.

http://www.thesafemac.com/arg-genieo/

Following these steps will solve the problem for good.

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