84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Web Assistant?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
88% remove it12% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Bad
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #27,904
United States Rank #35,135
Reach 0.0056%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 211.42 days
1027.74 days >
Average installed length: 540.00 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
2.0.0.478 100.00%

Other programs by Perion Network

Web Assistant 2.0.0.478

What is Web Assistant?

Web Assistant installs into the IE and Firefox web browsers and provides advertisier supported searchs that changes and redircts default search results as well as DNS errors. Web Assistant becomes the browser's default search provider which changes all search requests as well as tracks your Internet surfing behavior in order display targeted advertising.

About  (from Perion Network)

Connect with YouTube in a click and watch popular videos anytime and from anywhere on the web. Wondering whether to wear galoshes or flip-flops? Get current weather reports and forecasts in just a click. Find what you need in just a click. Just type the word in the handy Search box and find exactly what you want. "Even...  Read more

Overview

Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. 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. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). The primary executable is named ExtensionUpdaterService.exe. A majority of users end up uninstalling this less than a week of it being installed. The setup package generally installs about 5 files and is usually about 1.1 MB (1,151,866 bytes). The installed file ExtensionUpdaterService.exe is the auto-update component of the program which is designed to check for software updates and notify and apply them when new versions are discovered.
  • Malware detected in the program
  • Integrates into the web browser
  • Adds a background Windows Service
  • Delivered through a thrid-party offer
  • Hijacks the browser's default search provider
  • The experts agree, you should remove it!
Warning, multiple anti-virus scanners have detected possible malware in Web Assistant.
ExtensionUpdaterService.exe (f4a9476aa49b69d28be439c64f96c714) has been flagged by the following 2 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareVersionDetection
nProtect 13.03.02.01 Trojan/W32.Agent.188760
ViRobot 2011.4.7.4223 Trojan.Win32.A.Agent.188760
Extension32.dll (48ab00973a5d97961a6a728bfe5ae9f2) has been flagged by the following 9 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
Bkav FE 1.3.0.4613 W32.Clodf1a.Trojan.5c3f
ESET-NOD32 9256 a variant of Win32/Toolbar.Perion.A
K7 AntiVirus 9.175.10750 Unwanted-Program ( 00454f261 )
K7GW 9.175.10750 Unwanted-Program ( 00454f261 )
Kingsoft AntiVirus 2013.4.9.267 Win32.Troj.Generic.a.(kcloud)
McAfee 5.600.0.1067 Artemis!48AB00973A5D
McAfee-GW-Edition 2013 Artemis!48AB00973A5D
Sophos 4.96.0 BitCocktail
TrendMicro-HouseCall 9.700.0.1001 TROJ_GEN.F47V0830
Extension64.dll (3f9c8f7072794cbbb00fdf9932aa4303) has been flagged by the following 2 scanners:
Anti-Virus softwareSoftware versionDetection
Sophos 4.94.0 BitCocktail
TrendMicro-HouseCall 9.700.0.1001 TROJ_GEN.F47V0905
       View all 13 all detections
Web Assistant has been found to be bundled with 3rd party software. If you have not purposefully installed this, you should be safe uninstalling it.

Program detailsProgram details

Displayed publisher: IncrediBar
URL: www.incredibar.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Web Assistant\
Uninstaller: "C:\Program Files\Web Assistant\unins000.exe"
Estimated size: 1.1 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Web Assistant 2.0.0.478

Program executable:ExtensionUpdaterService.exe (Malware detected)
Signed by:Bit Cocktail Ltd.
Path:C:\Program Files\Web Assistant\ExtensionUpdaterService.exe
MD5:f4a9476aa49b69d28be439c64f96c714
Bit Cocktail Web Assistant Updater is the software updater program which runs in the background of Windows and automatically starts up when your PC boots. It checks for software udpates and automatically downloads and installs them if...
Additional files:
  • Extension32.dll
  • Extension64.dll
  • (Malware detected) ExtensionUpdaterService.exe
  • InstallerHelper.dll
  • unins000.exe - Setup/Uninstall

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

2 Internet Explorer BHOs
  • Extension64.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Web Assistant' with the class of {336D0C35-8A85-403a-B9D2-65C292C39087} (Web Assistant Helper).
  • Extension32.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Web Assistant' with the class of {336D0C35-8A85-403a-B9D2-65C292C39087} (Web Assistant Helper).
Scheduled Task
  • unins000.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{83F493FF-E35C-4B6F-B50E-A8464A53EAD7}' (runs on registration).
Service
  • ExtensionUpdaterService.exe runs as a service named 'Web Assistant Updater' (Web Assistant Updater).

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

ExtensionUpdaterService.exe
Memory:8.8 MB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0356572694%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.02879158%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00686569%
0.015104% average
Switches/sec:9
70 average
I/O reads/min:0 Bytes
435.61 KB average
I/O writes/min:0 Bytes
105.02 KB average

How do I remove Web Assistant?

You can uninstall Web Assistant from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
  1. 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.
  2. When you find the program Web Assistant 2.0.0.478, 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).
  3. Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Web Assistant.
  4. 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 Web Assistant 2.0.0.478 you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 65%
Win 10 2%
 
HOW IT RUNS
Windows Service? Yes
(Installs a service)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 88%
Keep it 12%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 72.73%
Windows Vista 12.73%
Windows XP 12.73%
Windows 10 1.82%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 7 Home Premium 44.04%
Windows 7 Ultimate 15.60%
Microsoft Windows XP 12.84%
Windows Vista Home Premiu... 8.26%
Windows 7 Professional 6.42%
Windows 7 Starter 2.75%

Distribution by countryGeography

26.02% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 26.02%
  Germany 17.89%
  Spain 12.20%
  India 8.13%
  Italy 7.32%
  Argentina 4.88%
  Colombia 4.07%
  Brazil 3.25%
  Mexico 3.25%
  Malaysia 3.25%
  France 2.44%
  Canada 1.63%
  Poland 1.63%
  Uruguay 0.81%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Hewlett-Packard 23.53%
Acer 22.06%
Dell 13.24%
ASUS 13.24%
American Megatrends 5.88%
Lenovo 5.88%
Samsung 5.88%
Gateway 2.94%
Toshiba 2.94%
MSI 2.94%
Sony 1.47%
Common models
HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... 3.23%
ASUSTeK K72Dr 2.15%
ASUSTeK K54HR 2.15%
ASUSTeK K54L 2.15%
ECS H61H2-M2 2.15%
VIAK8M AWRDACPI 1.08%

About Perion Network

Perion Network, formerly IncrediMail, is a consumer software company that develops programs to "make people's online experience simple, safe and enjoyable".
Publisher URL: www.perion.com

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