Widthie

Posted: August 31, 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.

Ranking:	7,932
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	19,931

First Seen:	August 31, 2015
Last Seen:	March 10, 2025
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Widthie is an extension that provides automatic information on the width of your browser's window. However, some PC users have reported having Widthie installed automatically, and Widthie may include additional, unwanted functions that may harm your Web-surfing experience. While malware experts caution against treating Widthie as a threat, if you've decided you have no interest in its specialized feature, you always should remove Widthie with an appropriate PC security utility.

The Wide Reach of PUP Installers

Widthie is an extension malware researchers only have seen being installed to the Chrome browser. Unlike many adware programs for Chrome that prefer to conceal their distribution methods, Widthie can be found as a legitimate product in the Chrome Web Store. However, at least one form of secondary distribution channel appears to be installing Widthie automatically. No matter how Widthie arrives, Widthie limits its features to Chrome without affecting other browsers or applications.

Widthie provides the highly-specialized feature of measuring the screen width of your browser windows automatically. The injected element providing this information doesn't include advertisements or other content that malware experts typically find in unwanted browser extensions. However, Widthie may monitor your Web-browsing activities for gathering information or have unexpected results on the display of other Web pages. The latter side effect may prevent some Web content from loading properly or being navigation-friendly, which may indirectly block your access to essential content, like menu bars.

Shrinking Widthie Back Down to Par

Although some users have informally reported Widthie for being 'spyware,' malware researchers have failed to find any evidence of Widthie's collecting passwords or other, equally protected information. However, even otherwise harmless PUPs like Widthie may degrade the performance and security of your Web browser. The presence of a Potentially Unwanted Program can be evaluated on a case by case basis, although Widthie's primary features may offer very limited reasons for justifying its use on a practical level.

A minority of Widthie users have experienced issues with its uninstall routine that prevent this extension from being deleted cleanly. PC security products with features for identifying PUPs, adware and browser hijackers also should be capable of removing Widthie from Chrome. In addition to observing its visually obvious side effects, you should be able to confirm Widthie's presence by finding its extension entry in Chrome.

Less than consensual install methods for Widthie extensions are being investigated by malware experts. The majority of such installers typically require that the PC user launch unrelated applications that hide their bundle install utilities within them. Although the files harboring Widthie may not name themselves accurately or honestly, a qualified PC security product should be able to identify them heuristically before Widthie ever gets a chance to modify Chrome.

Widthie

Threat Metric

The Wide Reach of PUP Installers

Shrinking Widthie Back Down to Par

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