WatchItNoAds

Posted: February 12, 2014

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.

Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	44

First Seen:	February 12, 2014
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

WatchItNoAds is a Potentially Unwanted Program with a questionable feature set that has come to become associated with undesirable performance issues, unwanted installations and other problems that are common to PUPs. Seemingly one of a string of new add-ons designed to target Chrome for generating advertising revenue, WatchItNoAds is no more benign than any of its probable clones, and malware experts have no hesitation about encouraging the deletion of WatchItNoAds wherever WatchItNoAds is detected. Since the full breadth of WatchItNoAds's functions may change with automated updates to the add-on, you should treat WatchItNoAds as nothing less than a security risk to your browser until WatchItNoAds is removed.

The Price Paid by Your Browser When You're Looking for Unsafe Entertainment

WatchItNoAds is estimated to be part of a recent family of adware and other browser add-ons that are using fake streaming media sites and plugins as installation points for themselves. This family often is installed with more than one type of PUP, most of which may be designed to modify your browser (for displaying advertisement, as well as other purposes). Malware experts also have seen some cases, albeit relatively rarely, of unwanted programs from WatchItNoAds's family being installed along with threats.

While WatchItNoAds doesn't modify your browser to add a toolbar, WatchItNoAds is visible as an installed add-on. However, your browser's add-on management settings will not allow you to delete or disable WatchItNoAds, which may cause major performance issues (such as poor loading times and crashes) while WatchItNoAds is installed. Like other members of its family, malware experts only have seen WatchItNoAds modify the Chrome Web browser, with Internet Explorer, Firefox and other brands being unaffected – for now.

Watching WatchItNoAds be Removed from Your Browser

WatchItNoAds and similar add-ons – such as Shopdruopp, ExstraCoupon and RoboSavEr – have no benefits to your browser, although advertisements loaded through them are not always threatening. Overall, considering the poor business practices surrounding WatchItNoAds and its clones, there's substantial danger in allowing WatchItNoAds to modify Chrome, and malware experts advise removing WatchItNoAds, and any other programs installed with WatchItNoAds. As is so often the case, PC users who don't make a habit of frequenting sites that offer fake movies or other forms of illegitimate entertainment are at substantially less risk of being compromised by WatchItNoAds and related PC threats.

A painless removal of WatchItNoAds requires either an expert in PC security or the features of an appropriate anti-adware/anti-malware product. Because WatchItNoAds may be installed with other programs and is of a family that's fairly rapidly-evolving, any system scans performed with the latter should use the most extensive options available and the latest threat databases. The risks of allowing WatchItNoAds to stay on your PC may include more than just poor performance from Chrome, despite the dearth of other, visible symptoms of its being installed.

WatchItNoAds

Threat Metric

The Price Paid by Your Browser When You're Looking for Unsafe Entertainment

Watching WatchItNoAds be Removed from Your Browser

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