xscBrwse Ads

Posted: March 24, 2016

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:	14,935
Threat Level:	8/10
Infected PCs:	768

First Seen:	March 28, 2016
Last Seen:	September 21, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

xscBrwse is a browser extension that may generate extra advertising content. Although not sufficiently invasive to be classifiable as being threatening, xscBrwse does include telltale characteristics that can make its presence difficult to identify or remove. Casual PC users should use security products with anti-adware capabilities for deleting xscBrwse and eliminating its Web-surfing side effects.

An Extension that won't Take No for an Answer

Companies design the business models of most advertising programs with the full knowledge that their services may not be desirable for a majority of PC users normally. Most adware developers respond to this knowledge by making it difficult to see when their products are installed, or, in extreme cases, difficult to remove. However, developers who don't take care about how invasive their software installers become can damage their brands, much like xscBrwse.

xscBrwse is a Chrome extension that, until recently, was hosted for download at the Chrome Web Store. Some PC users also have experienced xscBrwse installations from other sources, such as unannounced bundles with ActivTrak, an employee monitoring app. However it might arrive, xscBrwse may modify Chrome to display additional advertisements, which it may insert in HTML page elements, load as separate pop-ups, or redirect you towards from other pages.

Complaints by users have caused xscBrwse advertisements to be pulled from the Chrome's store website, although ActivTrak's company has issued no official statement regarding this adware, other than providing generic uninstall instructions that most PC users have reported as being ineffective.

Excising xscBrwse Advertisements from a Browser

Although xscBrwse has distributed itself in at least two versions, each displaying mildly different behavior, most samples of xscBrwse are consistent for including some form of uninstall-blocking function. xscBrwse advertisements may exploit system administrator access rights to block all users from uninstalling it, or use the Windows Group Policy settings for forcing a fresh install after any uninstall attempt. Chrome users still can identify xscBrwse as being present by looking for its extension entry in Chrome's settings.

The significant difficulties in removing xscBrwse, unlike the behavior of most extensions, may require using dedicated anti-adware applications in response. Be sure to verify any removal attempts by scanning your PC a second time, and consider taking other steps in Chrome, such as erasing your Web-browsing cache. Although xscBrwse is unclassifiable as a threat, the advertisements from xscBrwse may expose you to other threats not covered in this article.

Like many adware samples malware experts see, xscBrwse may represent a potential security problem for users of the currently most popular Web-browsing program. However, it also showcases a dilemma for employers: that trying to keep an eye on your workers can come with additional, unspoken costs.

xscBrwse Ads

Threat Metric

An Extension that won't Take No for an Answer

Excising xscBrwse Advertisements from a Browser

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