FreeCause Toolbar

Posted: August 13, 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:	9,987
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	7,333

First Seen:	August 13, 2013
Last Seen:	October 15, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Freecause Toolbar is a Potentially Unwanted Program that modifies your browser settings to redirect you to Conduit Ltd-affiliated websites. Although the Freecause Toolbar can safely be described as more of a minor nuisance than a legitimate PC threat, the Freecause Toolbar does make its browser modifications without any easy way of disabling them and doesn't provide any benefits to you as a PC user. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have a habit of encouraging the prompt removal of any toolbar or add-on associated with the Conduit brand, and, unfortunately, must recommend removing the Freecause Toolbar similarly and with a good anti-malware product at the ready to ensure total deletion.

The Freecause Toolbar: Free to 'Help' You Pursue the Sites that It Wants You to See

Armed with the same desktop notifications and other questionable 'features' that are shared between most Conduit-based toolbars, the Freecause Toolbar is marketed as a beneficial product even though its functions largely are focused on redirecting Web traffic. Redirected searches are the issues most commonly experienced by PC users dealing with an unwanted Freecause Toolbar installation, which may incidentally block you from visiting other search engine-based websites. SpywareRemove.com malware experts don't classify most Conduit-brand sites as dangerous and have not noted any major direct attempts on the Freecause Toolbar's part to dismantle an infected PC's security. However, the Freecause Toolbar still doesn't provide any meaningful advantages and usually should be uninstalled, like any other Potentially Unwanted Program.

The Freecause Toolbar PUP and similar Conduit toolbars often are installed without your permission. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers previously have seen installation methods use freeware packages that modify your browser along with installing their unrelated applications. In some circumstances, you may be able to unselect an installation option for the Freecause Toolbar, and paying attention to the options made available to you while installing a new program always is advisable.

Getting Your Browser Freed from a Freecause Toolbar

Uninstalling the Freecause Toolbar through normal add-on deleting methods has the risk of leaving some of the Freecause Toolbar's browser changes on your PC, and SpywareRemove.com malware experts encourage the use of anti-malware utilities to minimize this risk. Contact with sites promoted by the Freecause Toolbar through its search redirects or other functions may not harm your computer directly, but using all relevant browser security features still is recommended.

The Conduit family of toolbars actually is vast enough to hold far more members than just the Freecause Toolbar. Search Assistant WebSearch, DivX Browser Bar, iWin Toolbar, From Doc to Pdf Toolbar, FreemakeTB Toolbar and Delta Search Toolbar are examples of related toolbars from the Freecause Toolbar's family that should be treated with identical caution. In the majority of cases, they also will display similar functions, particularly with regards to search engine redirects.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

%PROGRAMFILES%\Hawaiian Airlines Rewards Bar\Toolbar.dll

File name: Toolbar.dll
Size: 1.62 MB (1624576 bytes)
MD5: fdb6ca25ef2849148ee952265d31ef92
Detection count: 70
File type: Dynamic link library
Mime Type: unknown/dll
Path: %PROGRAMFILES%\Hawaiian Airlines Rewards Bar
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: August 13, 2013

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\..\..{RegistryKeys}Software\AppDataLow\Software\FCTB000100571Software\AppDataLow\Software\FreecauseSOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\FCTB000100571

Additional Information

The following directories were created:

%Appdata%\FCTB000100571%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\FCTB000100571