Bundled Software Uninstaller

Posted: November 5, 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.

Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	3

First Seen:	November 5, 2013
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Bundled Software Uninstaller is a Potentially Unwanted Program often found as a component of Somoto-brand PUPs like BetterInstaller. Ironically, while Bundled Software Uninstaller is distributed as a tool for helping you uninstall Somoto products and other browser-based PUPs, Bundled Software Uninstaller has a history of using improper uninstallation techniques that fail to remove both itself and any associated software completely. Although malware researchers don't consider Bundled Software Uninstaller a major hazard for your PC's security, they do suggest deleting Bundled Software Uninstaller with a good anti-malware program for the sake of optimizing your PC's performance.

When an Uninstaller that Doesn't Work is Half Your Problem

As you'd assume from its name, the Bundled Software Uninstaller rarely is found alone, and usually is part of a multiple-program bundle that uses the Bundled Software Uninstaller as a separate uninstallation utility. Current versions of Bundled Software Uninstaller often lack any publisher or installation information that would be displayed by a reputable program, and Bundled Software Uninstaller also gives no clues as to which programs Bundled Software Uninstaller is meant to uninstall. Since malware researchers have seen Bundled Software Uninstaller accompanied by various PUPs, like the Babylon Toolbar or Better Installer, and also by programs without any visible components whatsoever, the difference in identifiable symptoms between two Bundled Software Uninstaller infections may be significant.

However, most versions of the Bundled Software Uninstaller are tied to the proliferation of adware and browser hijackers, which are known for characteristics such as:

Resetting your browser's homepage.
Redirecting any online searches to third party sites.
The addition of new toolbars for your browser.
New advertisements displayed through injected links, pop-up windows, et cetera.

Even though Bundled Software Uninstaller isn't responsible for these functions, its presence usually may coincide with them – and its supposed uninstallation functions will not do anything to remove the associated programs.

Real Uninstall Solutions for Fake Uninstallers

Bundled Software Uninstaller and PUPs related to Bundled Software Uninstaller are not high-level PC threats capable of the same types of problematic attacks as a Trojan or rootkit, but still should be considered overall negatives to your PC's performance and safety. Because Bundled Software Uninstaller and other PUPs may be resistant to all normal software removal methods, malware researchers find it best to use anti-malware products as they're needed for deleting Bundled Software Uninstaller and any other products associated with Bundled Software Uninstaller.

In some cases, Bundled Software Uninstaller is installed in formats that are protected by administrator account privileges. The abuse of this security feature may be overcome through various basic security tricks. At the simplest level, you always should try to log in to your administrator account before scanning to remove Bundled Software Uninstaller. In cases where this is insufficient, other methods involving the transfer of a file's 'ownership' can be used, with the details dependent on your operating system.

Aliases

Win32:Somoto-K [FireEye]W32/SomotoBetterInstaller.A!EldoradoAPPL/Somoto.Gen2 [K7AntiVirus]Adware.Somoto.17AdInstaller.Somoto [SUPERAntiSpyware]

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:

BetterInstaller.exe

File name: BetterInstaller.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Bundled software uninstaller

File name: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Bundled software uninstaller
Group: Malware file

C:\Users\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Bundled software uninstaller

File name: C:\Users\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Bundled software uninstaller
Group: Malware file

C:\Users\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Bundled software uninstaller\biclient.exe

File name: C:\Users\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Bundled software uninstaller\biclient.exe
MD5: c66293ccd7cbe84b1b8f393ca5e4e6d7
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

betterinstaller.somotoinc.com

One Comment

Bill says:

February 27, 2014 at 7:50 am

Works good removed 133 threats were avast mcafee avg found nothing