Adware.GoonSquad

Posted: March 3, 2014

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:	10,418
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	1,281

First Seen:	March 3, 2014
Last Seen:	October 15, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Adware.GoonSquad, AKA Zip Performer, is a variant of Bprotector or BrowserProtect, an adware program that claims that it protects your Web-searching settings, but actually redirects your searches to advertising content. Since Adware.GoonSquad doesn't provide any beneficial features and includes some security risks, such as maintaining itself inside of the memory processes of other programs, malware researchers suggest removing Adware.GoonSquad from your PC for its safety. Usually, properly deleting Adware.GoonSquad will necessitate using PC security products that are able to delete Registry entries and other software components that Adware.GoonSquad will not remove itself.

The Goons that are More Than Happy to Burst into Your Browser

Adware.GoonSquad is a variant of one of the most well-known browser hijackers, BrowserProtect, which, itself, steals the name of a legitimate Firefox add-on to confuse its users. BrowserProtect and Adware.GoonSquad both modify your browser's settings to redirect you to unwanted websites, but always market these changes as supposed security benefits that can prevent your homepage or search engine from being hijacked. In a way, this is not false, but only because these Potentially Unwanted Programs already have performed hijackings of their own, forcing malware researchers to classify them as PUPs.

Adware.GoonSquad also includes functions for inserting its code into multiple processes, which normally is a characteristic of a threat that's trying to evade detection or deletion. You may be able to detect Adware.GoonSquad's components through unusual spikes in system resource usage, but, in most cases, browser-based side effects like redirects to advertising affiliates are the clearest symptoms.

The Zip Performer version of Adware.GoonSquad also includes some beneficial functions related to extracting file archives, such as ZIP files. However, since there are countless alternatives to Zip Performer that don't utilize browser hijacks as a matter of course, malware researchers can't recommend letting Adware.GoonSquad remain on your PC.

Kicking the Squad out of Your Search Engine's Saddle

Ideally, software products always would offer excellent benefits in exchange for only a necessary share of disadvantages, but programs like Adware.GoonSquad will continue to be seen, so long as questionable software developers can make money off of them. Since Adware.GoonSquad is more easily avoided and removed, and may be installed through manual methods that require your permission, you should look to your own browser behavior for keeping Adware.GoonSquad off of your PC. Unlike more legitimate software than itself, Adware.GoonSquad will place some of its components in system locations and try to prevent you from removing them all, which emphasizes preventative maintenance of your browser to keep its searches clean.

If you're unsuccessful at stopping Adware.GoonSquad from hijacking your browser or loading advertisements, malware experts would classify Adware.GoonSquad as a low-level security risk whose removal should be accomplished promptly. Using anti-malware programs for deleting Adware.GoonSquad will offer the most thorough removal of all its components and browser modifications, which casual PC users may find difficult to locate or uninstall with no assistance.

Adware.GoonSquad

Threat Metric

The Goons that are More Than Happy to Burst into Your Browser

Kicking the Squad out of Your Search Engine's Saddle

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