PUPs - No Virus But Just As Nasty

Updated Oct. 27th, 2013

The latest and fast growing trend of cyber crime against the unsuspecting user of a Windows PC is a new breed of malware, so called PuP programs (Potentially Unwanted Program).

These programs technically are not viruses; that is why anti virus programs don't find them - although there are some special programs for geeks and technicians that can clean this stuff from your computer.

You can easily check your computer for at least a few the most commonly encountered names.

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Set "View by" in the right top corner to Small Icons and 
3. Open Programs and Features

You find names of PuPs that I have encountered in this list. Warning: The list is long, by it's very nature incomplete and it keeps growing almost every week. Please be aware that spelling, capitalization, prepended or appended numbers or syllables and inserted or omitted spaces are common and still denote the "main offender" as worthy of removal.

The somewhat good news: Many of these pieces of trouble can be uninstalled, that is removed, from right there in the Programs and Features window where you just found them.

The really BAD news: Even if you uninstall them successfully there will be leftovers in web browsers and other important locations in the operating system.; especially Google Chrome seems to be likely to retain some of that. These leftover entries can be numerous, affect functioning of web browser(s) and significantly hamper the computer; they can only be removed with some specially written very detail oriented clean-up programs.

Well, you know who can help, don't you?

Please remember: Toolbars are forbidden, no matter who promises what, no matter how tempting the name and no matter who made the tool bar! If you find any toolbars remove them right away.

If you find folders with names from random letters or numbers like for example:
         pgmfkblbflahhponhjmkcnpjinenhlnc
you have a clear indicator of malicious software. You know who can help, don't you?

If you wonder how all this stuff got on the computer then please read the explanation  here.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

PUPs - The List

This is the list of PuPs that I have encountered; it is not comprehensive and it is growing almost daily...

Update February 12th 2014: This list now is 313 entries long and the malware programmers create new names every day. Keeping this list up-to-date has become increasingly time consuming and I will in the future add only well descriptive new names. 

This list makes sense only as part of this article on PuPs.

1clickdownload

24x7 Help

adawaretb

AdpeakProxy

Advanced System Protector

alotToolbar

ammyy

Amonetize

Anti-phishing Domain Advisor

aol toolbar

apn

apnupdater

AppGraffitti

Application Updater

Ask Search

Ask Toolbar

Ask Web Search

ask.com

AskPartnerCoBrandingTool

AskPartnerNetwork

AskSearch

AudioToAudioToolBar

AVG SafeGuard toolbar

AVG Security Toolbar

avg-sitesafety-plugin

AvgToolbar

AVS4You

Babylon

BabylonToolbar

Backupstack

BatBrowse

BearShare

bearshare applications

BearShareMediaBar

bearsharemusicboxtoolbar

BigFiah Games

BingBar

BitGuard

Blekko

blekko toolbars

blekkotb

Body Media Sync

boost_interprocess

Browser Helper Objects

Browser Manager

browserconnection

BrowserMngr

browsersafeguard

Buzzdock

BuzzdockTease

caphyon

chatsessionplugin

ChromeHelper

ChromeHelper

Claro / iSearch

CleanUp

Common Files\spigot

CommunityToolbar

Conduit

conduitsearchscopes

contextmenunotifier

CouponPrinter

coupons

Coupons Amazing

cr_installer

crossrider.com

CrossriderApp

custominternetsecurityimpl

datacontrol

DataMngr

DealPly

DealPlyLive

Default_Page_URL

defaulttab

defaulttabbrowser

DefaultTabSearch

DefineExt

Delta

Delta Search

DeskBarEnabler

Distromatic

Dogpile

driver robot

driver-soft

DriverCure

DriverUpdate

DropDownDeals

DynConIE

EasyCopyND

eBay.lnk

escort

eSupport.com

Extreme Flash Player

F3PopularScreenSavers

Facemoods

Fast Free Converter

feedmanager

file scout

File Type Helper

Findgala

FirefoxHelper

FirefoxHelper

FirstRowSportApp.com

firstsearch

Fkash Player Pro

FLEXnet

FocusInteractive

Free Offers from Freeze.com

Free Ride Games

Freecause

FreeRIP

Freeze.com

FromDocToPDF

Funmoods

funwebproducts

GamePlayLab

genericasktoolbar

Globasearch

GreatArcadeHits

HiDefMedia

Highlightly

historykillerscheduler

HotspotShield

I Want This

Ibryte

ibrytedesktop

IBUpdaterService

iecookiesmanager

IeHelper

IeHelper

iLivid

iLividIEHelper

ilividsetupv1.exe

Iminent

Inbox

inbox toolbar

InstallCore

InstallIQ

InstallServices64\

InternetHelper3.6

InternetUpdater

InternetUpdaterService

ironsource

isafe

iwon

LaunchApp

LCTaskAssistant

LessTabs

Level Quality Watcher

LinkSicle

LyricSing

MapIt

MapsGalaxy

mediabar

MetaStream

metastreamctl

MixiDJ

Mobogenie

MocaFlix

Music Toolbar

my-web-search

mybabylon

MyBabylontb

MyPC Backup

MyScrapNook

Mysearchdial

MyWebSearch

mywebsearch bar

OnlineMapFinder

OpenCandy

optimizer pro

OptimizerPro

ParetoLogic

pc cleaners

PC Health Kit

PC Health Kit

Pc Performar

pc speed maximizer

pchealthboost

pcpro

pdfforge

PerformerSoft

PIP

playbryte

PlayFizz

priam

priam_bho

pricegong

pricesparrow

Privitize

Prod.cap

Protector

protector_dll

protectorbho

pseudotransparentplugin

QwixLinx

RadioBeta

radiorage

Re-Markable

RebateGiant

RebateInformer

Recipehub

RegClean Pro

Registry Mechanic

ReMarkIt

roboot

roboot64

RoyAlCoupon

savesenselive

SaveValet

ScorpionSaver

ScreenSaverInstaller

scripthelper

Search Bar

Search Page

SearchAssistant

SearchPlzBar

SearchProtect

searchprovidermanager

SearchQmMdiaBar

Searchqu

Searchqu Toolbar

SearchquMediaBar

SearchScope

SearchSettings

SearchYa

SecondStepInstaller

selectrebates

SevereWeatherAlerts

shop to win

Shopping

shopping sidekick

shoppingbho

ShopToWin

shopwithshelly

Site Ranker

SmartBar

Snap Do

SocialBit

SocialPrivacy

Softonic

SoftonicDownloader

software assist

Software Update Utility

solid savings

Sparktrust

SpeedAnalysis

speeddial

SpeedMaxpc

speedupmypc

SpeedyPC

spigot

SPUpdater

Start Page

StartNow Toolbar

StartSearch

StatusWinks

Strongvault

supreme savings

Swag Bucks

SwiftBrowse

Systweak

Tarma installer

tbcommonutils

tbdownloadmanager

tbhelper

TelevisionFanatic

thirdpartyinstaller

TidyNetwork

toolbar

Toolbar Cleaner

toolbar3

toolbarbroker

TotalRecipeSearch

Translate Genius

Trymedia

Uniblue

URLSearchHooks

utorrentcontrol

V9

ValueApps

Video downloader

VideoDownloadConverter

videodownloadconverter search scope monitor

ViewpointMediaPlayer

viprotocol

VirtualBee

visi_coupon

VisualBee

vProt

w3i

Wajam

WajamUpdater

Weather_Notifications

WeatherBlink

WeatherNetwork

Web Assistant

web-search

WebCake

WebSteroids

WeCareReminder

WeDownloadMgr

Wheather Alerts

WhiteSmoke

wincert

Wincore MediaBar

WinPcap

wiseconvert

WordOv

YahooPartnerToolbar

Yontoo

yontooieclient

Zoom_Downloader

Zugo

---------------- End of List

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Video vs. Privacy

A few times customers have asked why they can't watch videos on some web sites. Mostly they suspect Firefox to be the reason because they can see the video clip in Internet Explorer or Google Chrome just fine.

It is not Firefox that blocks the videos, it is something that I install in Firefox that causes this effect. Please bear with me.

Regularly I advise my customers to use Firefox to "go to the Internet", that is for every day web browsing. And I set Firefox up in a way that

1. Advertisements from commercial advertisement servers are blocked.
2. Google and Yahoo search results warn from known potentially dangerous web sites.
3. Google's pervasive tracking is minimized
4. Facebook's pervasive tracking is minimized
5. Local weather conditions are displayed without installing PUP software.
   (PUP stands for Potentially Unwanted Programs; see Wikipedia about mal-ware.)

Much of Google's and Facebook's tracking is done by small programs embedded in many, many web sites. These small programs send information about every step you do on the web to Google, Facebook and third parties, to companies that secretly want to collect this information about you. It is like Big Brother is watching all the time!

Numbers  3 and 4 above are blocking this "secret" transfer of information about what you do on the Internet. Quite a few web sites are programmed in a way that the video is only shown when this communication to the third parties has happened!

All the aforementioned leaves us to decide:

Is this video more important to me than my privacy? (See below.)

If you are NOT on Facebook related content mostly the blocking effect comes from the program behind above number 3; it is called Google Disconnect. When Google Disconnect is active (when you are on a web page that wants to send information to Google) you see in your browser's address bar a red dot with Google's "g" in it. If Facebook Disconnect is active you see a blue dot with Facebook's "f" in it. Here is what it looks like (look for the red oval):

If you decide FOR watching the video then just click on the red "g" dot and then click "Unblock x Google requests" where "x" is the number of requests. The web page will reload and you can watch the video.

And naturally Google (and/or Facebook) will know about your interest in this video.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Cybercrime

If you ever wondered about the how and why of virus programs, cyber crime and all that nasty stuff then please take 18 minutes out of your busy schedule and watch this video.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Social Media and Teenagers

I ran across a link to a blog post that may be a good read if you have teenagers of any sex. The post was written to a girl but it equally applies to boys.

This lady says it in a really nice and polite way. Most teenagers just don't believe it, but whatever they put out there will stay out there forever! This one "oh so funny" picture from long gone high school days has in the past and will in the future ruin promising careers, promising relationships and more.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.