Home Malware Programs Bad Toolbars iWin Toolbar

iWin Toolbar

Posted: July 22, 2013

Threat Metric

Ranking: 13,334
Threat Level: 1/10
Infected PCs: 728
First Seen: July 22, 2013
Last Seen: September 26, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows

iWin Toolbar Screenshot 1The iWin Toolbar is a browser add-on that provides minor features in return for changing your homepage and search engine to sites of its own preference – currently, Search.Conduit.com and affiliated websites. Like all Conduit browser add-ons, malware experts don't consider iWin Toolbar to be particularly advantageous for your browser and recommend removing the iWin Toolbar unless you have a very specific reason for wanting the iWin Toolbar installed. Since iWin Toolbar has a history of trying to prevent its deletion and even may prevent some browsers from launching at all, anti-malware products should be used to remove iWin Toolbar safely in lieu of the usual toolbar-removal services of your Web browser.

The iWin Toolbar: Their Advertisers Win, Your Browser Loses

The iWin Toolbar is one of the newer Potentially Unwanted Programs to be related to the Conduit Ltd company, with no major purpose besides redirecting Web traffic to Conduit-affiliated websites. While iWin Toolbar may provide some trivial functions related to desktop notifications and website alerts, these small benefits are outclassed by iWin Toolbar's locking your homepage and default search engine to Conduit.com and related sites. These sites use numerous add-ons identical to the iWin Toolbar to promote content favorable to pay-per-click revenue strategies and similar methods of profiting off of Web traffic – whether it's consensual or artificial. iWin Toolbar usually is installed through other applications that aren't related directly to iWin Toolbar or Conduit Ltd, such as compromised installers for media players, free online games and other popular software.

An improper installation of the iWin Toolbar also may have some other undesired side effects. SpywareRemove.com malware experts considered the most troublesome one to be the iWin Toolbar's potential for blocking Internet Explorer via mishandled DLL module errors. These errors messages will continue to keep you from using IE or any other affected browser until the iWin Toolbar is removed – which isn't necessarily easy even when the iWin Toolbar isn't fully installed.

A Win You Can Be Sure of Securing Against an Unwanted iWin Toolbar

Unless you have very well thought-out reasons for keeping an iWin Toolbar on your PC, you usually should remove the iWin Toolbar as soon as possible after its changes to your desktop and browsers are noticed. Normal browser add-ons can be removed easily enough through your browser's normal add-on management interface, but the iWin Toolbar has been confirmed to avoid removing itself when asked and may include system changes that affect multiple programs, rather than a single brand of Web browser. To make sure that you've removed the iWin Toolbar and any changes associated with the iWin Toolbar entirely, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers encourage using a strong anti-malware product to scan your computer.

Freeware programs from suspicious sites remain the major infection vector for the iWin Toolbar and other Conduit add-ons. SpywareRemove.com malware experts also must emphasize the colorful variety of brand names associated with related PUPs, such as the IsoBuster Toolbar, the KeyBar Toolbar, Value Apps, Internet Helper, the Vuze Toolbar and the FLV Runner Toolbar. These Potentially Unwanted Programs may provide varying benefits, but always are defined largely by their malicious behavior – browser redirects and resistance against all standard uninstallation methods.

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