Trovi PUP on Mac Browsers
Trovi is the name of a potentially unwanted application that may have ended up on your Mac. Trovi exhibits a lot of signs and behaviors typical for browser hijackers - a sub-category of potentially unwanted apps.
Once installed on a Mac, Trovi can affect any browser the user is running, whether that is MacOS's own Safari, Chrome or Firefox. Trovi will change your browser's homepage and the browser's default search engine with its own. This is done without the user's consent and in the majority of cases manually changing your home page back will not work. On the browser's next launch, it will be swapped out without your consent again.
Additionally, the pages generated in Trovi search results may display advertising that is not on the original page, if you simply use Bing - the engine Trovi redirects its searches through. You should also keep in mind that the Trovi platform has access to your search queries, which should not be submitted to anything but the search engine you like to use under normal circumstances.
In most cases Trovi will also be found under your browser's extensions menu. The fact that you do not remember allowing or installing Trovi in there should not be too surprising. Similar potentially unwanted applications end up on your computer without your consent or knowledge, most commonly through the use of bundle installers.
Bundle installers or bundlers are software packages that may contain a legitimate application that is bundled together with less desirable ones. Those may include all sorts of potentially unwanted applications similar to Trovi. The bundle installer's express install route never discloses to the user what extra items are piggy-backing along with the main application you may have originally wanted.
This is why it is very important to always watch out when installing applications from free download website and to always read the fine print and opt for custom install, where the entire contents of the bundle installer should be disclosed. This will usually allow you to opt out of any components you don't recognize and don't want.
Of course, the best solution is to only download and install applications from trusted sources, such as the official website of an app's developer or publisher and the App Store.
