AddBlockNWatch

Posted: April 22, 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.

Ranking:	7,040
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	23,653

First Seen:	April 25, 2014
Last Seen:	October 16, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

AddBlocknWatch is an adware program that is self-described as a utility for blocking streaming movie advertisements, though its real features are intended to deliver new advertisements through your Web browser. Because of poor business practices, including some basic functions designed to block its deletion, AddBlocknWatch is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Program. Deleting AddBlocknWatch and other PUPs is recommended for keeping your browser's performance optimized, and malware researchers also encourage it for increasing your personal protection from advertisement-based PC threats.

AddBlocknWatch: a High Cost for Advertisement-Free Media

AddBlocknWatch is one of multiple adware programs that theme themselves as assistants that enhance your Web browser's streaming media content by removing unwanted third-party advertisements. However, while AddBlocknWatch does not provide any advertisement-blocking functions, AddBlocknWatch does indulge in the hypocrisy of injecting new advertisements into your Web browser. Chrome appears to be most widely affected by AddBlocknWatch, even though malware experts anticipate other Windows browsers also being at risk. Advertising-related symptoms of AddBlocknWatch include:

Pop-up windows for AddBlocknWatch advertisements may trigger automatically on random websites.
The injection of hyperlinks for affiliated advertisements into unrelated websites, usually as modifications to any preexisting text content.
YouTube may be targeted specifically and modified to display additional advertisements, which may load alongside or prior to YouTube videos. In some cases, improper installation of AddBlocknWatch even may block YouTube from displaying its streaming media content.

There are no verifiable benefits to using AddBlocknWatch, contrary to the implications in its name. Malware experts also frequently tie an exposure to adware advertisements to other PC security problems, which is why removing AddBlocknWatch and all similar adware is encouraged, by default. Repeated exposure to AddBlocknWatch advertisements may subject your PC to several attacks, fraudulent software updates or other hoaxes designed to harvest information.

Watching AddBlocknWatch's Advertisements Leave Your Browser

AddBlocknWatch has been known to use semi-randomized names for itself, and may be installed through bundling applications like Installerex. If you insist on procuring software downloads from risky sources, which malware experts certainly wouldn't recommend, you also should consider scanning downloaded files before opening them. Most security products with robust anti-adware functions also should be able to identify the adware bundlers that may be used to install AddBlocknWatch.

AddBlocknWatch does not display an entry within the Control Panel and will try to block the removal of its main advertising components. With these unnecessary difficulties showing clear evidence of software without any interest in its users' well-being, malware researchers see no problems in recommending the use of all trusted anti-malware and anti-adware utilities for removing AddBlocknWatch. Even though AddBlocknWatch does not have the typical attack-based features of a Trojan or other threatening software, history has shown that it does not require intentionally illegal software to endanger a PC.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

search.optimum.icu/?q