Web Layers

Posted: July 1, 2015

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:	237

First Seen:	June 5, 2015
Last Seen:	October 28, 2022
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Web Layers, or Web Layers 3.0.0, is an adware program that injects its advertisements into your browser for generating Web traffic-based revenue. Even though advertising browser injection isn't a crime, malware experts have seen suspicious business practices from Web Layers and related adware utilities that call its safety into question. Unless circumstantial reasons dictate otherwise, most PC users should consider removing Web Layers with an anti-adware tool or equivalent security product.

All the Layers of a Web Attack

Web Layers is a recent variant of the Ads by Name adware, and like other variants from that source, may inject its advertising content directly into your browser. Since the Web pages hosting Web Layers' advertisements may not format themselves with the intention of showing these advertisements, Web Layers may inadvertently block navigation menus or other Web content. These issues are along with those that one can associate with most adware programs, such as increased Web loading times, poor browser stability and, occasionally, the loading of threatening advertisements that could harm your computer.

Nonetheless, all of these problems are secondary to the last one malware experts verified as an aspect of Web Layers' distribution model. Along with more ordinary installation techniques, Web Layers also may be distributed in bundles with unofficial Adobe Flash updates. These updates may be found circulating on already-compromised advertising networks unaffiliated with Adobe, and may detect your software as being outdated regardless of its version. Similar techniques also have been used by threatening software, particularly Trojan downloaders and various families of fake system cleaners.

Wiping Off Your Browser's Extra Layer of Advertisements

Along with interfering with the native display of your browser's Web content, Web Layers also may be a source of outright attacks against your PC. Even though its behavior is inadequate for justifying its classification as a threat, Web Layers is rated as a Potentially Unwanted Program whose removal usually will be beneficial. Anti-adware programs of any competence should have no issues in deleting Web Layers, which has been circulating for at least two years, using a well-known extension template.

Web Layers also may show how even non-threatening products may use similar methods to compromise your computer as a third-party would favor. Always double-check your sources for patches prior to installing them, and verify that any reports of outdated software are accurate. Failing to do so may allow both adware like Web Layers and genuinely threatening software to gain access to your PC without providing any meaningful updates for Flash. You can avoid the majority of fake software updates by the simple precaution of installing patches from official channels, such as a company website or via an official update manager. In all cases, installing 'patches' delivered through a random advertisement network rarely is a safe way to update anything on your computer.

Technical Details

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\..\..{RegistryKeys}Software\Web LayersSOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Web LayersSYSTEM\ControlSet001\services\eventlog\Application\Update Web LayersSYSTEM\ControlSet001\services\eventlog\Application\Util Web LayersSYSTEM\ControlSet001\services\Update Web LayersSYSTEM\ControlSet001\services\Util Web LayersSYSTEM\ControlSet002\services\eventlog\Application\Update Web LayersSYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\eventlog\Application\Update Web LayersSYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\eventlog\Application\Util Web LayersSYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Update Web LayersSYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Util Web Layers

Additional Information

The following directories were created:

%PROGRAMFILES%\Web Layers%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\Web Layers