Browsebit

Posted: December 2, 2013

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Ranking:	10,403
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	1,780

First Seen:	December 2, 2013
Last Seen:	September 9, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Browsebit is a browser add-on that modifies your browser for loading new advertising content, such as pop-ups or injected banners. Currently estimated to be from the same family as other Superweb LLC adware, Browsebit is installed through multiple-program bundles that may try to market Browsebit as a beneficial product. However, like most types of adware malware researchers come across, Browsebit has shown no signs of providing positive functions, and its advertisements do constitute a security and performance problem that never should be ignored. Accordingly, Browsebit's removal should be considered the best possible responsible reaction to seeing 'Ads by Browsebit' or other Browsebit symptoms troubling your Web browser, no matter what you were trying to install in the first place.

Just a Bit of the Problem with Browsebit

Browsebit uses the non-consensual traffic from its browser changes to provide click-thrus for third party advertising affiliates, and, as such, is essentially the Internet equivalent of an infomercial channel. Without any notable features associated with non-advertising functions, Browsebit doesn't give you much of any reason to keep Browsebit installed, but that installation in the first place may very well occur automatically. Browsebit and most other adware programs of its ilk tend to use bundled methods of installation, which malware researchers have seen attached to the installers of many programs, both reputable and disreputable – and even, in particularly dishonest cases, modified updates for products like Chrome or Flash.

Although its business model is unsavory, Browsebit's actual browser changes are completely in line with the typical functions of other adware and other Potentially Unwanted Programs that usually are structured as browser plugins, extensions or add-ons. Some of the symptoms of a Browsebit problem that malware researchers consider notable are:

Automatic pop-up and pop-under advertising windows (or tabs, for browsers that support that feature).
Modifications to preexisting Web pages to force them to load new banners, hyperlinks or other advertisement-based content.
Problems with using site interfaces or accessing Web content that may be partially or wholly blocked by Browsebit's modifications.

Browsebit also may monitor your online browsing history, although no highly confidential information may be gathered. Instead, Browsebit uses information such as what search terms you use to organize its choices of advertisements or the sites you stopover.

Taking the Leading Browsebit out of the Jaws of Your Browser

As a generic adware program that doesn't have normal product features or normal installation methods, Browsebit isn't particularly different from other brands of adware already out on the 'market,' such as Illoxum, Bizzybolt, BrowseSmart, Storimbo and WonderBrowse. However, the fact that Browsebit and other adware programs are continually being released and re-released does make it more obvious than usual that updating your security software is very necessary for catching bundled installers for such adware before their traps can be sprung.

Using specialized anti-adware utilities for deleting Browsebit also is suggested as a rule of thumb. However, if Browsebit is installed through a source you can't identify (as opposed to a bundle with another recently-installed product), your PC may be infected with any of several other threats known to include adware in their payloads. In that case, using general anti-malware tools to disinfect your PC of any potential threats is even more important than removing Browsebit immediately.

Adware programs, it should be noted, may not intend to attack your online safety, but often do so incidentally. Phishing attacks and drive-by-download attacks often are distributed via adware-based advertisements, and malware experts consider the elimination of unintentional exposure to unsafe content to be one of the basic foundations of your computer's security.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following directories were created:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dgmeibealennhkjilfddmbndnkhohgjl%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings\dgmeibealennhkjilfddmbndnkhohgjl

The following URL's were detected:

browsebit