Should I remove ClearThink?
What percent of users and experts removed it?
83% remove it17% keep it
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #8,621
United States Rank #8,666
Reach 0.0452%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 7.52 days
221.79 days >
Average installed length: 116.53 days
Versions
| Version | Distribution |
| 2014.09.23.182523 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.23.134035 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.23.094022 |
0.45% |
|
| 2014.09.23.054025 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.23.014022 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.22.214018 |
0.56% |
|
| 2014.09.22.174018 |
0.67% |
|
| 2014.09.22.121917 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.22.041915 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.22.001915 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.21.201914 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.21.161913 |
0.45% |
|
| 2014.09.21.121913 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.21.081912 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.21.041911 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.21.001911 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.20.201910 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.20.161909 |
0.56% |
|
| 2014.09.20.121909 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.20.081908 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.20.003338 |
0.45% |
|
| 2014.09.19.203301 |
0.34% |
|
| 2014.09.19.163329 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.19.123314 |
0.79% |
|
| 2014.09.19.083256 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.19.003347 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.18.203302 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.18.163324 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.18.123247 |
0.34% |
|
| 2014.09.18.043243 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.17.203242 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.17.163315 |
0.34% |
|
| 2014.09.17.083241 |
0.56% |
|
| 2014.09.17.043239 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.17.003304 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.16.163321 |
0.56% |
|
| 2014.09.16.123227 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.16.083225 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.16.043223 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.16.003536 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.15.163557 |
0.45% |
|
| 2014.09.15.123517 |
0.56% |
|
| 2014.09.15.083517 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.15.013036 |
0.34% |
|
| 2014.09.15.003600 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.14.215736 |
0.11% |
|
| 2014.09.14.181755 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.14.163556 |
0.67% |
|
| 2014.09.14.083510 |
1.46% |
|
| 2014.09.14.003537 |
0.22% |
|
| 2014.09.13.221520 |
0.11% |
|
| 246 versions |
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ClearThink
What is ClearThink?
ClearThink is an advertising supported (adware) extension that runs in the context of the user's web browser as well as a process in the background. This adware program is typically bundled by a third-party download manager which bundles potentially unwanted software offers in order to monetize installs. Once running, the software is designed to deliver advertisements to the browser in a number of common formats such as banner, text hyper-links, inline text ads and/or transitional. These ads are not affiliated with nor endorsed by the underlying website on which they appear. Many banners are either injected in the header or footer of the web page or simply replace any legitimate ads the web site already has. Many of the advertisements are considered malvertising since they promote products that could cause harm to the user's PC. A typical promotion is for additional software downloads (including adware and bundlers) as well as price comparison and search ads. In some cases, ad placements may contain links to further information about the ad (by clicking the "About this Ad".)
Overview
The most used version is 2014.09.14.083510, with over 39% of all installations currently using this version. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. It adds a Browser Helper Object (BHO) to Internet Explorer. The main program executable is ClearThink.FirstRun.exe. Typically most users end up uninstalling this just after a few days. The software installer includes 18 files and is usually about 6.71 MB (7,030,733 bytes).
- Possible malware installed by this program
- Loads into the web browser
- Adds a background Windows Service
- Installed as part of a co-bundle
- Injects advertisements unassociated with the underlying web page
- Generally known to have a low reputation
- The experts agree, you should remove it!
Warning, multiple anti-virus scanners have detected possible malware in ClearThink.
| ClearThink.FirstRun.exe (844f0a6b166a17f0797a93531344b7a5) has been flagged by the following 14 scanners: |
| Anti-Virus software | Version | Detection |
| Avira AntiVir |
7.11.167.196 |
APPL/BrowseFox.Gen |
| AVG |
2015.0.3371 |
Generic |
| Baidu-International |
4.0.3.14825 |
Adware.MSIL.BrowseFox.bG |
| ESET-NOD32 |
8.10270 |
a variant of MSIL/BrowseFox.G |
| K7 AntiVirus |
13.183.13054 |
Trojan |
| K7GW |
13.183.13043 |
Trojan ( 0049c6b11 ) |
| Kaspersky |
14.0.0.3352 |
not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.MSIL.Kranet |
| Kingsoft AntiVirus |
331020.49267 |
Win32.Troj.Generic.a.(kcloud) |
| Malwarebytes |
v2014.08.25.12 |
PUP.Optional.Sambreel.A |
| McAfee |
5600.7027 |
Artemis!844F0A6B166A |
| McAfee-GW-Edition |
7.7027 |
Artemis!844F0A6B166A |
| Panda Antivirus |
14.08.25.12 |
Trj/Chgt.B |
| Qihoo-360 |
1.0.0.1015 |
HEUR/Malware.QVM03.Gen |
| TrendMicro-HouseCall |
7.2.237 |
Suspicious_GEN.F47V0810 |
| ClearThinkBHO.dll (dc68b0d753f207fe622641eb1828a973) has been flagged by the following 40 scanners: |
| Anti-Virus software | Software version | Detection |
| Lavasoft Ad-Aware |
12.0.163.0 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| Agnitum Outpost |
5.5.1.3 |
Riskware.Agent! |
| AhnLab-V3 |
2015.04.07.02 |
Win-PUP/BrowseFox.Gen |
| ALYac |
1.0.1.4 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| avast! |
8.0.1489.320 |
Win32:BrowseFox-ET [PUP] |
| AVG |
15.0.0.4321 |
BrowseFox.F |
| Avira |
3.6.1.96 |
ADWARE/BrowseFox.Gen2 |
| AVware |
1.5.0.21 |
Yontoo (fs) |
| Baidu-International |
3.5.1.41473 |
Adware.Win32.BrowseFox.BO |
| Bitdefender |
7.2 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| Bkav FE |
1.3.0.6379 |
W32.HfsAdware.8A69 |
| Clam AntiVirus |
0.98.5.0 |
Win.Adware.Swiftbrowse-941 |
| Comodo Security |
21677 |
Application.Win32.BrowseFox.JM |
| Cyren |
5.4.16.7 |
W32/S-7bed2e86!Eldorado |
| Dr.Web |
7.0.12.3050 |
Trojan.Yontoo.1742 |
| Emsisoft Anti-Malware |
3.0.0.600 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN (B) |
| ESET-NOD32 |
11435 |
a variant of Win32/BrowseFox.O potentially unwanted |
| Fortinet FortiGate |
5.0.999.0 |
Riskware/BrowseFox |
| F-Prot |
4.7.1.166 |
W32/S-7bed2e86!Eldorado |
| F-Secure |
11.0.19100.45 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| G Data |
25 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| Jiangmin |
16.0.100 |
Adware/Agent.aakf |
| K7 AntiVirus |
9.202.15507 |
Trojan ( 004a011f1 ) |
| K7GW |
9.202.15505 |
Trojan ( 004a011f1 ) |
| Malwarebytes |
1.75.0.1 |
PUP.Optional.ClearThink.A |
| McAfee |
6.0.5.614 |
BrowseFox |
| McAfee-GW-Edition |
v2015 |
BrowseFox |
| MicroWorld-eScan |
12.0.250.0 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| NANO AntiVirus |
0.30.10.952 |
Trojan.Win32.BPlug.dfogbn |
| nProtect |
2015-04-07.01 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| Panda Antivirus |
4.6.4.2 |
Trj/CI.A |
| Qihoo-360 |
1.0.0.1015 |
HEUR/QVM30.1.Malware.Gen |
| Sophos |
4.98.0 |
Generic PUA PE |
| Symantec |
20141.2.0.56 |
Trojan.Gen.2 |
| Tencent |
1.0.0.1 |
Trojan.Win32.Qudamah.Gen.15 |
| Trend Micro |
9.740.0.1012 |
TROJ_GEN.F0C2C00LP14 |
| TrendMicro-HouseCall |
9.700.0.1001 |
TROJ_GEN.F0C2C00LP14 |
| Vba32 AntiVirus |
3.12.26.3 |
AdWare.Kranet |
| VIPRE Antivirus |
39132 |
Yontoo (fs) |
| Zillya |
2.0.0.2128 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.Win32.2679 |
| updateClearThink.exe (f3d7aff378ff30a74922042e9f400cc8) has been flagged by the following 35 scanners: |
| Anti-Virus software | Software version | Detection |
| Lavasoft Ad-Aware |
12.0.163.0 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| Agnitum Outpost |
5.5.1.3 |
Riskware.Agent! |
| AhnLab-V3 |
2014.11.14.00 |
PUP/Win32.SwiftBrowse |
| Antiy-AVL |
1.0.0.1 |
GrayWare[AdWare:not-a-virus,HEUR]/MSIL.Kranet |
| AVG |
15.0.0.4189 |
Generic.C34 |
| Avira |
7.11.185.104 |
ADWARE/BrowseFox.Gen7 |
| AVware |
1.5.0.21 |
Yontoo (fs) |
| Baidu-International |
3.5.1.41473 |
Adware.Win32.BrowseFox.bH |
| Bitdefender |
7.2 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| CAT-QuickHeal |
14.00 |
AdWare.MSIL.r3 (Not a Virus) |
| Comodo Security |
20075 |
ApplicUnwnt |
| Dr.Web |
7.0.10.8210 |
Trojan.BPlug.250 |
| Emsisoft Anti-Malware |
3.0.0.600 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN (B) |
| ESET-NOD32 |
10722 |
a variant of Win32/BrowseFox.H |
| Fortinet FortiGate |
5.0.999.0 |
Adware/Kranet |
| F-Secure |
11.0.19100.45 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| G Data |
24 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| IKARUS anti.virus |
T3.1.8.3.0 |
PUA.BrowseFox |
| K7 AntiVirus |
9.185.14007 |
Trojan ( 0049f7ad1 ) |
| K7GW |
9.185.14007 |
Trojan ( 020000001 ) |
| Kaspersky |
12.0.0.1225 |
not-a-virus:AdWare.Win32.SwiftBrowse.q |
| Kingsoft AntiVirus |
2013.4.9.267 |
Win32.Troj.Generic.a.(kcloud) |
| Malwarebytes |
1.75.0.1 |
PUP.Optional.ClearThink.A |
| McAfee |
6.0.5.614 |
BrowseFox.c |
| McAfee-GW-Edition |
v2014.2 |
BrowseFox.c |
| MicroWorld-eScan |
12.0.250.0 |
Adware.SwiftBrowse.CN |
| Panda Antivirus |
4.6.4.1 |
Trj/Chgt.F |
| Qihoo-360 |
1.0.0.1015 |
Win32/Virus.Adware.e4c |
| Sophos |
4.98.0 |
Browse Fox |
| Symantec |
20141.1.0.330 |
Trojan.Gen.2 |
| Tencent |
1.0.0.1 |
Win32.Trojan.Falsesign.Eehb |
| Trend Micro |
9.740.0.1012 |
TROJ_GEN.R0C1C0EJ914 |
| TrendMicro-HouseCall |
9.700.0.1001 |
TROJ_GEN.R0C1C0EJ914 |
| VIPRE Antivirus |
34774 |
Yontoo (fs) |
| Zillya |
2.0.0.1982 |
Backdoor.PePatch.Win32.51902 |
View all 89 all detections
ClearThink has been found to be bundled with 3rd party software. If you have not purposefully installed this, you should be safe uninstalling it.
Program details
Displayed publisher: ClearThink
URL: useclearthink.com/support
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\ClearThink
Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\ClearThink\ClearThinkuninstall.exe
Estimated size: 6.71 MB
Files installed by ClearThink
| Program executable: | ClearThink.FirstRun.exe (Malware detected) |
| Name: | FirstRun |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\ClearThink\ClearThink.FirstRun.exe |
| MD5: | 844f0a6b166a17f0797a93531344b7a5 |
Additional files:
-
(Malware detected) ClearThinkbho.dll - ClearThink
-
ClearThink.FirstRun.exe - FirstRun
-
7za.exe (by Igor Pavlov) - 7-Zip (7-Zip Standalone Console)
-
ClearThinkUn.exe
-
ClearThinkUninstall.exe
-
(Malware detected) updateClearThink.exe
Behaviors exhibited
Internet Explorer BHO
- ClearThinkBHO.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'ClearThink 1.0.0.6' with the class of {7e6d4e3e-fc66-4036-9799-ce5c625c4c56}.
Service
- updateClearThink.exe runs as a service named 'Update ClearThink' (Update ClearThink).
How do I remove ClearThink?
You can uninstall ClearThink from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program ClearThink, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove ClearThink.
- If for some reason uninstallation fails, please install Microsoft's uninstall fixer utility which will help fix problems with programs that can't be uninstalled at support.microsoft.com.
How do I reset my web browser?
If your web browser homepage and search settings have been modfied by ClearThink you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Open Internet Explorer and click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
- Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset. Select the Delete personal settings check box if you would also like to remove search providers, Accelerators and home pages. When Internet Explorer finishes applying default settings, click Close, and then click OK.
- The changes will take effect the next time you open IE.
Mozilla Firefox
- At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to the Help sub-menu and select Troubleshooting Information.
- To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. It will close and be reset.
- When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Finish and Firefox will open.
Google Chrome
- Open Chrome and click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
- Select Settings. In the "Search" section, click Manage search engine. Check if (Default) is displayed next to your preferred search engine. If not, mouse over it and click Make default. Mouse over any other suspicious search engine entries that are not familiar and click X to remove them.
- When the "Show Home button" checkbox is selected, a web address appears below it. If you want the Homepage button to open up a different webpage, click Change to enter a link.
- Restart Google Chrome.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 43%
Win 8.1 0%
|
|
HOW IT RUNS
Windows Service? Yes
(Installs a service)
|
|
USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 83%
Keep it 17%
|
|
Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
51.74% |
|
| Windows 10 |
37.60% |
|
| Windows XP |
5.95% |
|
| Windows Vista |
4.71% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
21.53% |
|
| Windows 8.1 |
20.52% |
|
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
15.22% |
|
| Windows 7 Professional |
9.70% |
|
| Windows 8 |
5.98% |
|
| Microsoft Windows XP |
5.86% |
|
Geography
43.18% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
43.18% |
| Brazil |
10.63% |
| France |
5.55% |
| United Kingdom |
2.92% |
| Germany |
2.63% |
| Italy |
2.54% |
| Canada |
2.07% |
| MA |
1.98% |
| India |
1.88% |
| Poland |
1.79% |
| Saudi Arabia |
1.51% |
| Russia |
1.22% |
| Netherlands |
1.22% |
| Australia |
1.13% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Hewlett-Packard |
26.35% |
|
| Acer |
21.62% |
|
| Dell |
16.39% |
|
| ASUS |
10.47% |
|
| Toshiba |
7.94% |
|
| Samsung |
6.59% |
|
| Lenovo |
4.73% |
|
| GIGABYTE |
3.38% |
|
| Intel |
0.84% |
|
| American Megatrends |
0.84% |
|
| Sahara |
0.84% |
|
Common models |
| HP Pavilion g6 Notebook P... |
3.76% |
|
| HP 2000 Notebook PC |
3.38% |
|
| HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... |
3.38% |
|
| HP Pavilion 15 Notebook P... |
2.63% |
|
| Samsung RV411/RV511/E3511... |
2.26% |
|
| ASUS All Series |
2.26% |
|
About Yontoo Technology
Yontoo, a subsidiary/alias of ad-hijacker Sambreel, is a publisher of ad-supported web browser extensions designed to inject and display advertisements within the browser.
Publisher URL: www.yontoo.com