Adware.Instant Search Widget

Posted: April 22, 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:	6,147
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	2,220

First Seen:	April 22, 2014
Last Seen:	October 16, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Instant Search Widget is a search engine-accessibility add-on that makes way for you to execute a search on multiple sites via highlighting content. Potentially Unwanted Programs like the Instant Search Widget may offer similar, positive functions, but also may couple them with unwanted ones, such as the Instant Search Widget's predisposition for displaying extra browser advertisements. The inherent issues with the Instant Search Widget's choices in advertising methodology have caused malware researchers to recommend deleting an Instant Search Widget whenever its usefulness is in doubt.

The Instant Searches You can't Get out of Your Browser

The Instant Search Widget is an add-on with an extensive history for being distributed and installed automatically. Even though the Instant Search Widget's website marketing describes the Instant Search Widget as a seemingly positive product, at least some versions of the Instant Search Widget have been confirmed to block their removal, which makes any positive marketing claims for the Instant Search Widget somewhat suspicious. Malware researchers only have seen the Instant Search Widget on Chrome, with this add-on also being marketed at the Chrome app store as a free download. Similar products possibly cloned from the same code used by the Instant Search Widget also have been seen by the same company.

Instant Search Widget's marketed function is to bring up a text highlight-triggered search menu that references most major search engines. Malware researchers found no cases of the Instant Search Widget tampering with these results significantly or abusing them to redirect any browsers to corrupted sites. However, the Instant Search Widget also includes advertising functions that allow the Instant Search Widget to display pop-up windows, launch new advertisement tabs or inject advertisements into sites unrelated to them. As usual, these advertisements are not always screened for your safety and may be a source of contact with other PC threats.
Instant Search Widget also is noted for providing uninstall instructions on its website that may fail to remove its software, or the related browser modifications.

The Instant Cure-All for an Instant Search Widget

Contrasting with legitimate add-ons that try to keep themselves installed by adding user value, the Instant Search Widget is mostly known only for its attempts to block its deletion through the Chrome's add-on manager. However, reputable brands of security software with anti-adware features should suffice for removing an Instant Search Widget and any browser changes wrought by the Instant Search Widget. In the meantime, malware experts would recommend avoiding unnecessary contact with the Instant Search Widget's advertisements or unnecessary uses of its search features, to protect your PC from third-party security issues.

However, a dose of prevention is at least as worthwhile as a cure to the Instant Search Widget, which is estimated to use software bundle installers, similar to other Potentially Unwanted Programs. Scanning potential bundle-based files can let your security software detect an included installer for the Instant Search Widget, but malware researchers also recommend avoiding download sources most strongly associated with adware. Ultimately, there almost never is a good cause for installing software from a site that's at least as likely to harm your Web browser as it is to help it.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

https://feed.covideosearch.com/?q=https://vashoot.gotrackier.comsearch.onlinebars.xyz