Mario Forever Toolbar

Posted: November 18, 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.

Ranking:	10,940
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	478

First Seen:	November 18, 2013
Last Seen:	September 28, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Mario Forever Toolbar is a browser hijacker and Potentially Unwanted Program that is installed with Mario Forever, a gaming application featuring everyone's favorite plumber (and not, it should be noted, endorsed by Nintendo). While its associated product may seem harmless enough, the Mario Forever Toolbar may conduct changes to your browser that hijack your homepage and default search engine, and, in many cases, may be installed along with several other PUPs. Malware experts currently recommend shoving the Mario Forever Toolbar down a pipe straight to your Recycle Bin and using anti-malware products as required to complete the deletion of this toolbar and any other software tied to the Mario Forever Toolbar.

When a Platformer is the Platform for a Browser Hijack

While online games are a very popular way of distributing PUPs, adware and browser hijackers (mostly to children), it's not often that malware experts get a chance to see a browser-hijacking toolbar being distributed through a game that directly violates copyright. The Mario Forever Toolbar, as a product not endorsed by Nintendo, technically is illegal – although the chance of Nintendo bothering to prosecute such a small product is limited. The Mario Forever Toolbar usually is installed through a bundle with its associated game, Mario Forever, a quick and loose emulation of the earliest Mario Brothers games.

Installing Mario Forever may be something you or your child would do willingly, but uninstalling it or the Mario Forever Toolbar is a little more difficult than getting the Mario Forever Toolbar on your hard drive in the first place. Interestingly, malware researchers have confirmed that multiple methods are used to prevent you from deleting the Mario Forever Toolbar or files associated with the Mario Forever Toolbar (such as its original installer). In the meantime, while you're trying to get rid of the Mario Forever Toolbar, it may redirect your online searches to Conduit and also may hijack your homepage in a similar fashion.

Stomping a Would-Be Hijacker Flatter Than a Turtle

Like other Conduit toolbars of which malware researchers have had lengthy acquaintances, the Mario Forever Toolbar is a danger to your PC due to its intent of depriving you of the ability to control your own Web browser. The Conduit.com website and its associated search functions aren't deliberately threatening to your computer, but Conduit.com is unlikely to take the same extensive security standards for its visitors into account that are traditional for reputable search engine companies. Considering the potential consequences of allowing a Mario Forever Toolbar to hijack your browser indefinitely, removing the Mario Forever Toolbar and any software that comes with the Mario Forever Toolbar should be the default response – no matter how much you may love video games.

Since the Mario Forever Toolbar is associated with PUP-distributing platforms that tend to install multiple types of Potentially Unwanted Programs automatically, you never should assume that the Mario Forever Toolbar is the only unwanted software on your computer. Appropriate means of removing the Mario Forever Toolbar should take this into account and use system-scanning anti-malware tools that can detect adware and other PUPs without any problems.

Mario Forever Toolbar

Threat Metric

When a Platformer is the Platform for a Browser Hijack

Stomping a Would-Be Hijacker Flatter Than a Turtle

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