SmartBar is a toolbar that was created by CreativeToolbars, based in Spain. As the company lists in its webpage, this is the first but not the last application they offer. SmartBar is the Media Toolbar that offers a search function, Facebook and Twitter widgets, embedded Radio Player, access to online games, various deals, offers and coupons from the web. It is free of charge. If you read EULA before downloading it and are aware of all the changes it makes, you should not be annoyed by having the toolbar. Alas, only a few computer users get SmartBar intentionally.

Adware and browser hijackers like this piece of software are often distributed using bundling method. It means that one gets unwanted application installed together with freeware of shareware. It is a legal way of distribution because the toolbar was listed in the installation wizard. The problem is that it was marked to be installed by default and many do not pay attention to the text when choosing an automatic installation. Moreover, some of the companies, in order to increase the number of victims write installation texts in other languages than English. Once you download SmartBar, you automatically agree with the changes listed in EULA:

When you download, install or use any component of the SOFTWARE, you acknowledge and agree that:
the homepage, accessible at search.creativetoolbars.com, will be your default internet browser homepage as a result of such action;
BECHIRO SL may modify your search properties during your use of the SOFTWARE;
BECHIRO SL will serve advertisements to you as part of your use of the SOFTWARE.

By having CreativeToolbars SmartBar, you will start getting pop-up advertisements while browsing the Internet. Your home page, New Tab page and default search engine will be replaced with search.creativetoolbars.com. Although this search page looks like any other page and uses a customized Google search engine, the results it provides are completely different. The company behind the toolbar earns money from advertisements and traffic generated to promoted sites therefore whenever you make a search inquiry, you will get advertised sites among results. The problem is that a computer user can not distinguish between the true results and the ones advertised. This way one gets tricked to click on the link she did not actually need. Moreover, some of the links might lead to malicious websites and infect computer with viruses.

While CreativeToolbars SmartBar is not a malware itself, it is highly recommended to remove it, especially if it was installed without a clear computer user‘s consent. If you do not see it in Control Panel Add and Remove Programs and can not remove manually, you should use special antivirus tools and instructions for SmartBar removal. Very often more than one unwanted program is installed therefore scanning PC with a special tool is a wise decision. Before choosing antivirus, make sure it can detect this type of problem because not all of computer protection tools have such a feature.

Delta Search Hijacker is an application that is responsible for automatic redirections to Delta-search.com website. Many victims have no idea how it got there until they open Internet browser and see a page other than the one they used to have. The changes affect default search engine, home page and New Tab. The worst part is that even though one tries to reset search tool to a previous one via Internet Settings, the changes are not applied.

Delta Search as many other browser hijackers is distributed bundling it with freeware or shareware. You should be very careful installing anything that declares it is free of charge. Usually such installation wizards have checkboxes marked by default informing that additional toolbars will be added. By not taking these off a computer user theoretically agrees upon having these applications.

Delta Search Hijacker earns money for its developers by redirecting traffic to the sites it promotes. You may also see advertisements being displayed much more often than before having this toolbar. Delta Search itself is not a virus and is not directly related to malware but the advertisements displayed might be of malicious origin and infect your computer.

In order to protect your PC it is recommended to remove this hijacker as soon as it was detected. Not all of antivirus programs have the feature of identifying and removing hijackers therefore before scanning your system you should make sure the tool you use is capable of performing the task. For the best results follow Delta Search Hijacker removal instructions.

“Windows – Read error” alert displayed on your computer screen might be a signal of system infection. This is not the only type of message produced by a fake antivirus called System Repair. If you have it installed to your PC, you should be flooded with similar messages that aim to convince you of having your machine seriously damaged. Please note, none of the warnings are true and your computer is not experiencing the problems they state. The most serious trouble caused by System Repair is that is might hide your data and relocated them to a specifically designated folder.

Complete quotation from System Repair notification:

Windows – Read error
Exception Processing Message 0xC0000029 Parameters 0x7C800023 0x000000BE 0x7C800784 0x7C8002E1

Screenshot:

Removal guide:

To eliminate System Repair causing messages like “Windows – Read error” to pop-up you should remove the malware. Follow a detailed System Repair removal guide.

AddLyrics is a toolbar that‘s main function is to find lyrics to any song viewed on Youtube and display them alongside the music video. While the application is free of charge and might seem useful for some its developers earn money from displaying advertisements for those having it. Due to this reason AddLyrics is classified as adware. It causes “Ads not by this site” to be displayed. This is what the toolbar’s EULA say about advertising:

The Software is free to use and sponsored by advertising. The use of the Software may cause additional ads to appear when browsing certain websites. These may include search, price comparison ads, coupons, pop-unders/ups, banner, inline text or transitional ads.
The Company is not affiliated with or responsible for any third party websites, products, services or offers promoted in any advertisements or links made available through the Services (“Third Party Service”).

It means that you might be exposed to pop-up or in-text advertisements that are not necessary related to reliable companies or websites. If clicking on such an ad (purposely or accidently) you might be taken to a malicious website and your computer might get infected with viruses. Moreover, if you read Privacy Policy, you will also find that cookies and other tracking technologies are being used for monitoring your online behavior and browsing habits. The aim is to display more targeted advertisements.

Although one can download AddLyrics from its official website and install it to Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and/or Google Chrome, most often a computer user does not choose to have this toolbar added. Adware like the latter is usually distributed bundled with freeware. After one installs a wanted application and selects automatic installation, toolbars like AddLyrics are added by default. You can take a checkbox off and refuse to install unwanted applications but many simply do not notice it. Moreover some of adware creators write installation guides in languages that not many of us understand.

While AddLyrics adware is not related to viruses itself, it is highly recommended to remove it once noticed because it increases the risk of getting infected with malware. Although manual removal is possible, very often it is complicated to do it. You should remove all unfamiliar programs from Control Panel and uninstall all of unknown browser extensions from the Internet browsers you use. Please note, this is a time consuming method therefore we recommend using antivirus for AddLyrics removal. Spyhunter is effective in detecting and eliminating many unwanted applications including the latter. Moreover, if any of viruses have already infected PC, it will detect and remove them as well. If you choose a manual removal, perform a full system scan with your computer’s antivirus afterwards.

FLV Runner Toolbar is a software application that was created using Conduit platform. The toolbar allows easy access to online radio, social networks, maps, clock and many other features. It can be added to any Internet browsers: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox. The toolbar itself does not offer any additional functionality besides shortcuts to other applications. Moreover, it is covered by the same Privacy policy as all of Conduit products:

Search Data. As part of the functionality available on the Application, we may offer you search features provided by us and/or other third parties. Additionally, we may use Cookies in the web search services we provide to you. These Cookies collect and store information about your search activity when you use our web search services. This information may be shared with third party applications that use search data to function or to offer you more customized information and services.

It means that once FLV Runner Toolbar is installed to your browser, your home page, search engine and New Tab pages will be changed to its own. Usually one gets redirected to search.conduit.com. It might also be that third parties web pages will be advertised and redirected to, e.g. akaqa.com.

While the toolbar itself is not malicious the search page it advertises might lead to various infections. The company behind the application earns money from advertisements therefore when displaying the search results; you will get advertised links mixed with the actual results. There is no way how to distinguish between the two which makes it very likely for you to press on the promoted link. The company does not take any responsibility for the third parties content displayed, and some of the links advertised might be corrupted and lead to malicious websites.

Another issue to consider when having FLV Runner Toolbar is that it uses cookies and other tracking techniques for collecting data about your Internet browsing habits or any online activities. The information collected might be provided to the third parties and used for many purposes, including displaying of targeted advertisements.

It is highly recommended to remove FLV Runner Toolbar as soon as it has been spotted. Most likely you did not even install it yourself. Usually adware and browser hijackers like the latter are distributed bundled with freeware or shareware. They are also programmed to particularly difficult to remove. If you do not see FLV Runner Toolbar in Control Panel Add and Remove programs you may wish to remove any unfamiliar applications. Yet the most effective way for getting rid of similar infections is to use special antivirus tools, like Spyhunter. Even if you choose to remove the application manually, do not forget to perform a full system scan afterwards to ensure no harm was done to your computer.

System Repair Virus is a fake antivirus that is programmed to display alerts reporting hard drive errors. Although its design looks very professional and it uses various tricks to convince you that your computer is badly damaged, the program is nothing more than a scam. You should not give your credit card information and purchase its full version by any means. Do not forget that cyber criminals are behind System Repair Virus and they will not only cheat you by selling a worthless thing but also get your credit card information.

One can get infected with this fake antivirus when Trojans are downloaded together with untrustworthy shareware or freeware. Once malware is infiltrated it creates new Registry keys that are dropped on the Program Files and System32 directories. After these modifications are done, you will start seeing messages similar to those below:

System Repair Diagnostics
Windows detected a hard disk error.
A problem with the hard drive sectors has been detected. It is recommended to download the following sertified software to fix the detected hard drive problems. Do you want to download recommended software?

Critical Error
Hard drive critical error. Run a system diagnostic utility to check your hard disk drive for errors. Windows can’t find hard disk space. Hard drive error.

Fix Disk
System Repair Diagnostics will scan the system to identify performance problems.
Start or Cancel

Remember, these or any other messages you see displayed by System Repair Virus are false. Your computer has no problems listed there. Yet do not ignore the fact that PC is infected and most likely your current computer security programs are deactivated. It means that the longer you wait removing System Repair Virus the higher is the danger that your machine might get infected with more malware. We recommend using Spyhunter for this fake antivirus removal. Perform a full system scan for the second time after malware is removed to make sure no malicious files are left.

SaveByClick is a cross-browser addon that displays offers, coupons and deals which are supposed to save a user’s money when shopping online. When a computer user visits a website of a merchant or affiliate store that participates in the coupon program, toolbar is programmed to identify the website and check if there are coupons, deals, or special offers available. An alert with the coupons is then displayed. Alas only a few computer users have installed SaveByClick intentionally and plan to use the ads shown. Adware companies like the one who designed this toolbar earn money from every click made on the coupon displayed therefore they are motivated to have as many users clicking as possible. For gaining more of their victims they tend to use unfair customer recruiting methods.

SaveByClick might have been added to your Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browser after you installed a freeware or shareware. It is a well known trick that companies use. Alas many still get caught on this hook. Once an automatic installation option is chosen, additional programs are almost always added. These were marked to be installed by default. Theoretically you could have removed a check box and refuse to add the extra applications but many simply do not read the fine print. Moreover, some companies write user guide instructions in another language than English this way making it even more complicated to refuse adding adware.

Once you have SaveByClick installed, you will be bombed with various advertisements, coupons, special offers, etc. Moreover, your personal information will be monitored and recorded, such as the web pages you visit, your activity on those pages, e.g. impressions, clicks, search terms. The information collected might be personally identifiable. Moreover, it will be shared with third parties for displaying of targeted advertisements. If you order anything, your e-mail address will be used for sending spam letters. According to EULA and Privacy Policy, you agreed upon all of this by installing SaveByClick:

To send periodic emails (the email address you provide for order processing, may be used to send you information and updates pertaining to your order, in addition to receiving occasional company news, updates, related product or service information, etc.).

Although the official SaveByClick webpage emphasizes that you can always terminate agreement and remove add-on whenever you want to, removal instructions are well hidden. Those who tried to remove this adware found it particularly difficult. It’s no wonder. Many similar applications are programmed to hide themselves from removal therefore computer users complain they cannot find this toolbar in Control Panel. If you want to remove SaveByClick manually, you might need to uninstall every add-on and application that is unfamiliar to you. This is a time consuming method therefore we recommend using special antivirus removal tools, such as Spyhunter. The latter is known to be an effective program with many adware and browser hijackers. If you choose to use any other tool, check beforehand if it can detect this type of threat as many cannot identify or remove all of files.

Boxore Adware is an annoying application that displays advertisements whenever you open Internet. It affects both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. As the developers of this add-on say, it looks only at keywords inside pages you visit and show only those ads that match your interests and likes, this does not make it more likeable, especially when most of the time Boxore adware gets installed without a conscious user’s agreement.

One of the most common ways to get infected with this adware is after downloading freeware or shareware. Boxore comes bundled with it, particularly with PlayerPlus. Please note, only those PlayerPlus versions that are distributed via web pages showing on-line movies and TV series, are bundled with this unwanted application. If you choose to get a player from its official site, you should get a clean version.

When you choose to install a codec automatically, Boxore adware will be marked to be added by default. One can take a check box off but not many notice it, especially when the install guide is written in another language than English. This is a legal way of distributing adware and many companies use it in order to get more clients.

There are several ways how to remove Boxore adware. You may try to uninstall it manually from Control Panel but remember that together with it other unwanted software might have been installed therefore manual removal often does not do the trick to get rid of the annoying ads. You might also want to go through all browser extensions and remove one by one until you find the faulty ones. This is a time consuming method therefore many choose to use automatic adware removal tools. Make sure the one you use definitely can remove Boxore adware. Some antivirus programs are not capable of detecting this type of infection.

Security Defender is nothing more than a scam that was made to trick your money away from you. Hopefully you read this article before you paid for a full version of a program. If you already purchased it and only then realized that something is wrong with your new software, contact your credit card company as soon as possible and try to cancel the payment. Please note, that cyber criminals have not only your money but your credit card details as well. Let’s have a more detailed look at Security Defender.

Rogue security software is a form of Internet fraud that employs malicious software in order to deceive or mislead users into paying money for fake or simulated removal of malware. It might claim to get rid of malware, but the reality is that it injects more threats to the computer.

There are several signs that we are facing a so called fake or rogue antivirus. First of all, Security Defender starts scanning an infected computer without initiation of the process by a user. If your system is infected, you will be seeing a scan every time your PC is turned on. Comparing to legitimate security applications, these always ask for a permission to complete an action before it is done. Then as a rule of thumb, you will see a list of warnings and alerts informing about a terrible condition of your machine. Some examples of the messages are here:

Security Defender
External software tries to control variety of your system files. This may lead to breaking of some data in your system. Click here to protect remote access to your PC & delete these programs.

The third sign we have to deal with a fake antivirus is that Security Defender messages ask for a full version of the program to be bought. The latter is supposed to fix all the problems found. Alas, a full version of rogue antivirus does not have any virus database and cannot detect or remove any infections.

If you suspect your computer is infected with fake antivirus, you should not ignore the situation and remove Security Defender infection as soon as possible. Remember, most of rogue antiviruses tend to block existing computer security therefore an infected system is left unprotected.