Utrack.pw

Utrack.pw is a Web traffic analytics website that provides services allowing webmasters to monitor the quantity of visitors a Web page receives. Utrack.pw's services aren't illegal or harmful to your computer, but malware experts have linked Utrack.pw to periodic browser hijacking and adware campaigns. These unwanted programs may redirect you to undesirable or harmful Web content. All cases of your browser loading Utrack.pw automatically are scenarios worthy of scanning your PC with all appropriate anti-malware and anti-adware solutions.

Tracking the Trouble with Utrack.pw

Utrack.pw is a Palauan website that offers general Web traffic features, including referral anonymity and outgoing URL tracking, for third-party webmasters. These features predominantly may be used by advertisers and advertiser affiliates for collecting data on who views their advertisements. While malware experts previously saw little reason to show an interest in Utrack.pw or the uTrack company, recent browser hijacking campaigns have provided new reasons for looking back at this website.

Utrack.pw hijackers began being reported in meaningful numbers in the first week of August 2015. These PC threats may use general settings changes to launch automatic browser redirects towards Utrack.pw and a wide range of other advertising-related domains. Malware experts could verify the compatibility of at least some variants of Utrack.pw browser hijackers with the Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers. For now, non-Windows browsers don't appear to be targeted.

Symptoms of having your browser hijacked include being redirected to Utrack.pw (or other sites, like ilividnewtab.com) from new tabs, as well as additional redirects triggering randomly. Malware researchers found these redirects triggering inconsistently, and may be accompanied by other performance issues, such as system freezes.

Telling Utrack.pw to Make Tracks out of Your Web Browser

Utrack.pw hijackers have no known associations with the iLivid Download Manager or other PUPs that install themselves with your consent, but include some unwanted features. Most PC users report of Utrack.pw hijackers installing themselves automatically or without any visible components, with the exact means of distribution still under investigation. Malware experts have not yet connected the August Utrack.pw hijacking campaign to firmly identified threats, and most anti-virus products may fail to identify any threats on a compromised machine.

Utrack.pw hijackers should be removed by scanning your PC with anti-adware and anti-malware utilities that are using threat databases inclusive for Potentially Unwanted Programs. If, after removing the original program, your browsers continue to load Utrack.pw, you should reset all settings and wipe your browser's cache. Although Utrack.pw hijackers may use general system modifications, similar to those of the more toxic DNS Changer, they also may make individual changes that are specific to each browser.

Because Utrack.pw advertisements may portray misleading Web content, such as update hoaxes, or even distribute threats unintentionally, any contact with Utrack.pw should be undertaken with full browser security kept firmly in mind.