WebNavigator Browser Released by Well-Known Search Hijackers

guest · Nov 19, 2020

WebNavigator Browser Released by Well-Known Search Hijackers
November 18, 2020
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-s...wser-released-by-well-known-search-hijackers/

Security researchers found several clues linking the WebNavigator web browser to well-known search hijackers.

A Chromium-based browser, WebNavigator promises users that it’ll simplify their web browsing experience by providing “quick access” to their bookmarks. The browser also claims to yield quick search results by starting up with Windows and by constantly running in the background.
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Pieter Arntz, malware intelligence researcher with the security firm, explained in a blog post that these search hijackers are all about directing unsuspecting visitors to sponsored ads:

Every time someone clicks on a sponsored advertisement, the requisite search engine earns money on a pay-per-click basis. They are paid by advertisers, who shell out for beneficial placement in the search results for keyword phrases of their choice.
While searching for new variants of an established family of search hijackers, Arntz came across some websites advertising WebNavigator. This was the first clue that the web browser and the search hijackers were connected.
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The final indication came when Arntz tested out the browser and found that it added graphic search recommendations into a user’s search results.
These recommendations led to the types of sponsored advertisements referenced by Arntz above.

Malwarebytes detected this program as PUP.Optional.WebNavigator at the time of writing.
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Malwarebytes: WebNavigator Chromium browser published by search hijackers (article by @Pieter_Arntz)

Search hijackers in general
We have written before about the interests of shady developers in the billion-dollar search industry and reported on the different tactics these developers resort to in order to get users to install their extensions or use their search sites.

Every time someone clicks on a sponsored advertisement, the requisite search engine earns money on a pay-per-click basis. They are paid by advertisers, who shell out for beneficial placement in the search results for keyword phrases of their choice.
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If you’ve already installed the browser but now want to remove it, I have posted full removal instructions for the WebNavigator Browser on our forums.
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WebNavigator Browser Released by Well-Known Search Hijackers

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