Home Malware Programs Adware PhraseFinder

PhraseFinder

Posted: April 24, 2015

Threat Metric

Ranking: 3,696
Threat Level: 2/10
Infected PCs: 47,039
First Seen: January 29, 2015
Last Seen: October 17, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows

PhraseFinder is classified an adware infection that is known to affect users' web browsers. Typically, adware applications are distributed by being bundled with other free programs and installs as browser plugins. The PhraseFinder app is known to be a part of the InfoAtoms browser extension and capable of displaying a variety of advertising materials. Ads by PhraseFinder are in the web browsers and based on users' online preferences such as frequently visited websites, search queries, etc. Ads by PhraseFinder may also underline words on web pages that you visit so when the user hover their mouse over them, they stretch. Regardless of their shape and as appealing as the ads may seem, computer security experts advise users not to trust or click them. Instead, it is recommended to utilize a proper anti-malware tool to remove the infection.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:



C:\Program Files (x86)\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.11\Service\pfsvc.exe File name: pfsvc.exe
Size: 278.6 KB (278608 bytes)
MD5: 0c6ad72704a1cfd566cb8034532bd87a
Detection count: 9,542
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.11\Service\pfsvc.exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: July 21, 2022
%PROGRAMFILES%\phrasefinder_1.10.0.9\service\pfsvc.exe File name: pfsvc.exe
Size: 278.6 KB (278608 bytes)
MD5: 0308f10788d1f21d84ce4c008e94adec
Detection count: 9,521
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %PROGRAMFILES%\phrasefinder_1.10.0.9\service\pfsvc.exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: January 29, 2023
%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.12\Service\pfsvc.exe File name: pfsvc.exe
Size: 278.6 KB (278608 bytes)
MD5: b7dd04710c63175b8c6e496d627c2c38
Detection count: 3,232
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.12\Service
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: January 6, 2020
c:\windows\system32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_11.sys File name: pfnfd_1_10_0_11.sys
Size: 58.23 KB (58232 bytes)
MD5: 13eae7201961a9e9734aa4cd8bafee5b
Detection count: 1,070
File type: System file
Mime Type: unknown/sys
Path: c:\windows\system32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_11.sys
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: July 21, 2022
c:\windows\system32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_12.sys File name: pfnfd_1_10_0_12.sys
Size: 58.23 KB (58232 bytes)
MD5: 9474bf8e80a8af75687db013a72b992b
Detection count: 279
File type: System file
Mime Type: unknown/sys
Path: c:\windows\system32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_12.sys
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: August 5, 2022
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_8.sys File name: pfnfd_1_10_0_8.sys
Size: 52.72 KB (52728 bytes)
MD5: a252f82cc58c917d0c114a57269c3a0b
Detection count: 173
File type: System file
Mime Type: unknown/sys
Path: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_8.sys
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: January 29, 2022
c:\windows\system32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_12.sys File name: pfnfd_1_10_0_12.sys
Size: 52.72 KB (52728 bytes)
MD5: c300efcabb86cf8997f131bc4dbd1329
Detection count: 108
File type: System file
Mime Type: unknown/sys
Path: c:\windows\system32\drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_12.sys
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: March 27, 2022
%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.8\Service\pfsvc.exe File name: pfsvc.exe
Size: 278.6 KB (278608 bytes)
MD5: a9b322c0ea5bd22028adcaa0d89b32b8
Detection count: 73
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.8\Service
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: April 19, 2016
%PROGRAMFILES%\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.8\Service\pfsvc.exe File name: pfsvc.exe
Size: 278.6 KB (278608 bytes)
MD5: 30e6dd03cbd5b55f5ba58b812cd739f4
Detection count: 30
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %PROGRAMFILES%\PhraseFinder_1.10.0.8\Service
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: April 19, 2016

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

Regexp file mask%WINDIR%\system32\Drivers\pfnfd_1_10_0_[RANDOM CHARACTERS].sys
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