What is Web Companion?

Web Companion is a potentially unwanted application developed by Lavasoft. It is advertised on the Internet and is often installed on computers without users’ knowledge. During the software installation process, the program asks for permission to change browser settings. Many users ignore these requests and agree to them, unaware of the risks.

What is it?

Web Companion is software developed by Web Companion Lavasoft, which promotes itself as an anti-malware program. However, it is classified as a potentially unwanted application due to the way it is distributed. During the installation process, users will give the application permission to change browser settings. Once it is installed, the user will notice that a new search engine is set as the default, and their homepage and new tab URL options are changed to sites that promote it.

These changes can also impact other apps that use the search engine. For example, it will change the homepage and default search of the Adobe Acrobat Reader app.

This software is often distributed in bundles, which means it will get installed without the consent of the user. The best way to prevent this is to always choose the Advanced or Custom installation method when installing programs on your computer. By doing this, you can select which programs to install and deselect the ones that you don’t want.

Installation

There is a high chance that you have web companion software on your computer without knowing it. The program installs itself on the system without your knowledge and comes bundled with other free programs. Its developers use bundling to promote these types of programs. This is a deceptive method to trick users into downloading and installing software that they may not be interested in. The program is advertised as a tool that protects the user from malware and privacy breaches.

Despite this claim, the program is flagged as potentially unwanted software by several reputable antivirus companies. Many of these antivirus vendors have categorized it as adware or riskware, as the program is known to hijack browser settings and alter user search engine preferences. For instance, it changes the default browser to Bing and adds an extension to it. To remove this potential unwanted application from the computer, you should perform a full system scan. You can also reset Firefox and clear all the data from the browser. In addition, you should check the login preferences in accounts and delete any suspicious entries.

Removal

Although developers claim Web Companion is a legitimate computer security application, it is flagged as potentially unwanted software. This is because it often gets distributed deceptively through shareware and freeware bundles that feature adware or browser hijackers. Furthermore, it uses an old HTTP extension that is flagged as unsafe by many browsers.

The software is also notorious for hijacking browser settings and forcing users to use Bing as their default search engine. Additionally, it may display a lot of pop-ups that try to trick users into believing their computers are infected.

Uninstalling Web Companion is easy enough for computer users who follow the right steps. In order to do so, users should first open Firefox and click on the menu button. In the menu, select Add-ons and then click the Extensions tab. Then, they should locate and remove all recently-installed suspicious extensions. Once this is done, users can reset their browser settings. This will restore their original homepage and search engine.

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