SCBar

· Overview ·
· Origins ·
· Distribution ·
· Operation ·
· Risks ·
· Detection and Removal ·
· Research ·

Overview

Summary:

 Hijacks searches and error pages. Pops up advertisements.

Alias:

 DownloadWare, Network Essentials.ScBar, SCBar/SearchEnhancement, SCBar/WindowEnhancer, SearchEnhancement

See Also:

 NetworkEssentials

Category:

Toolbar: A group of buttons which perform common tasks. A toolbar for Internet Explorer is nomally located below the menu bar at the top of the form. Toolbars may be created by Browser Helper Objects.

Adware: Software that displays popup/popunder ads when the primary user interface is not visible or which do not appear to be assocaited with the product.

Variants:
  • Derived from Network Essentials. Variants include SCBar/SearchEnhancement and SCBar/WindowEnhancer.
    		•

    Similar Pests:

    		 Toolbar · Adware

    Origins

    Vendor:

    		 Search Enhancement

    Mailing Address:

    		 Camville, Inc., 3511 Silverside Rd, #105, Wilmington, DE 19810 USA

    Phone:

    		 1-866-739-5517

    EMail:

    		 privacyteam@windowenhancer.com

    URL:

    		 portal site: http://www.searchenhancement.com/ and http://www.windowenhancer.com/

    Date of Origin:

    		 Variants from March, 2003 to September, 2003

    Distribution

    Distribution:

    		 Not known how it is distributed.

    Prevalence:
  • SCBar: 198.9%
    • More Info

    Clot Factor:
  • SCBar: 13

    • The "Clot Factor" is a measure of how much a pest "gums up" a machine by adding registry entries, files, and directories. As more objects are placed in a machine, manual removal becomes more difficult and more error-prone.

    Growth:
  • SCBar: Insufficient data to report growth
    		•

    Operation

    Advertising:

    		 Yes. Opens popups when you are using Internet Explorer.

    Storage Required:
  • SCBar: at least 669 KB
    		•

    Risks

    Privacy Issues:

    		 May display popup ads that are targeted based on keywords found in the web page you are browsing.

    Privacy Policy:

    		 Excerpt from WindowEnhancer Privacy Policy: Window enhancer collect any or all of the following three types of information: (a) traffic or click-through data, (b) cookies, or (c) surfing habits and Web sites you visit. Window enhancer's collection and use of each type of data is described below, as well as the ways (if any) in which the data may be shared with third parties. We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server, and to administer our Web site.
    (a) COOKIES. Window enhancer and/or its advertisers may collect information about online behavior using cookies. These cookies might contain identification information that enables us to see how our users are interacting with our site and how frequently they are returning. Cookies let us know about repeat visitors by indentifying from which sites our visitors are coming. Window enhancer may share information about you and your usage of the Services with third parties.
    (b) TRAFFIC OR CLICK-THROUGH DATA. Data about traffic and usage is not personally identifying or identifiable. Window enhancer may share information it collects with certain selected third parties. For example, we may tell an advertiser that a certain number of people visited a certain area on our Web site. Window enhancer collects some information regarding use of the Services by observing browser functions and the files (pages) users access.
    (c) SURFING HABITS AND WEB SITES YOU VISIT. Window enhancer can enhance your search and browsing experience, but may require that we have some understanding of the Web pages that you are viewing. For example, by knowing which Web page you are viewing, Window enhancer can show you relevant content, advertising and search results. Window enhancer can also use this information about the pages you have viewed to improve functionality or quality, or add new features. Window enhancer may collect information about Web pages that you are viewing. Window enhancer only collects the normal type of information that is already available to the Web sites you visit.     see http://www.windowenhancer.com/privacy.html

    Security Issues:

    		 Yes. Can silently download and run arbitrary code under the direction of its controlling server.

    Stability Issues:

    		 Yes. May trigger error reporting in Windows XP.

    Detection and Removal

    Automatic Removal:

    PestPatrol detects this.

    PestPatrol removes this.

    Manual Removal:

    		 There might be a WebEnh option in your Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs.
    Stop Running Processes:

    Kill these running processes with Task Manager:

    Unregister DLLs:

    Unregister these DLLs with Regsvr32, then reboot:

    Remove Files:

    Remove these files (if present) with Windows Explorer:

    Research

    File Analyses:

    More Info:
  • AllTheWeb, AltaVista, AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, Google, HotBot, Lycos, LookSmart, MSN, Yahoo!
    		•

    Research By:
  • Andrew Clover
  • PestPatrol's Pest Research Center
    		•

    Last Revised:

    		 April 04, 2005