WiseConvert Toolbar

Posted: November 16, 2012

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:	6,599
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	4,490

First Seen:	November 16, 2012
Last Seen:	October 10, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The WiseConvert Community Toolbar is an add-on that claims to include a range of generically helpful web-browsing features, but some of its unmentioned features have forced SpywareRemove.com malware researchers to classify WiseConvert Community Toolbar as a PUP and browser hijacker. Like similar Conduit Community-based toolbars, the WiseConvert Community Toolbar redirects you to sites of its own preference (such as Search.conduit.com), and takes control of your browser's settings to do so. Some victims of WiseConvert Community Toolbar infections even have been unable to navigate away from the primary WiseConvert Community Toolbar page – effectively blocking them off from the rest of the web. Anti-malware applications of good repute always should be used to delete WiseConvert Community Toolbar, which shouldn't be considered a benevolent add-on or a program that can do anything but hinder your PC.

Why It's Unwise to Allow WiseConvert Community Toolbar to Get Its Hands on Your Browser

WiseConvert Community Toolbar is one of a large family of ever-expanding browser add-ons from the Conduit community. Similar toolbars include the Vuze Toolbar (unaffiliated with the P2P application that shares its name) and the FLV Runner Toolbar, all of which behave similarly to the WiseConvert Community Toolbar. WiseConvert Community Toolbar may offer links to popular sites and a modest collection of online search and social networking-related functions, but SpywareRemove.com malware experts also have spotted extras in WiseConvert Community Toolbar that aren't noted in its marketing.

WiseConvert Community Toolbar will:

Lock your homepage to search.conduit.com or related Conduit sites without your permission.
Redirect your online searches to go through its preferred search engines.
Refuse to allow you access to any web browser settings that would allow you to reverse the two attacks outlined above.

These attacks are common to low-level PC threats (such as browser hijackers and Potentially Unwanted Programs) and are minor, but definite dangers to your computer's web-browsing safety. SpywareRemove.com malware research team also recommends against following links from sites promoted by the WiseConvert Community Toolbar, which has been known to link to highly disreputable websites (including some potential infection vectors).

How to Convert WiseConvert Community Toolbar from a Nuisance to a Deleted Pest

The WiseConvert Community Toolbar, as is often true of PUPs, has been found to resist the deletion methods that would allow you to get rid of most normal browser add-ons. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers suggest the usage of anti-malware applications as required to delete all of WiseConvert Community Toolbar's components. Partially-deleted WiseConvert Community Toolbar infections may cause other issues, of which, unusual pop-up alerts have been observed frequently.

Unfortunately, SpywareRemove.com malware experts have found the WiseConvert Community Toolbar to be compatible with most browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and the ubiquitous Internet Explorer. However, so far, the WiseConvert Community Toolbar only is compatible with Windows, and other operating systems can be considered safe from the WiseConvert Community Toolbar's Conduit-promoting brand of harassment.

Technical Details

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\..\..{RegistryKeys}Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UrlSearchHooks\{ecce0073-a837-45a2-95b9-600420505f7e}Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{46008e0d-47ac-4daa-a02a-5eb69044431a}Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{ecce0073-a837-45a2-95b9-600420505f7e}Software\wow6432node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UrlSearchHooks\{ecce0073-a837-45a2-95b9-600420505f7e}Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{46008e0d-47ac-4daa-a02a-5eb69044431a}Software\wow6432node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{ecce0073-a837-45a2-95b9-600420505f7e}

Additional Information

The following directories were created:

%PROGRAMFILES%\WiseConvert%UserProfile%\AppData\LocalLow\WiseConvert