InterMute > Threat Research

BrowserToolbar is an IE toolbar object which comes with various other components that act as adware and spyware.

Also known as

ausvc (after the filename of one of its components), Backdoor.Autoupder (Kaspersky Anti-Virus), Downloader-W (McAfee), BrowseEvt (after the spyware component it installs), TROJ_SUA.A (Trend Anti-Virus).

Distribution

Can be downloaded and installed from the manufacturer's site, but it more likely to come as an affiliate's drive-by-download (ActiveX install). BrowserToolbar is known to have been installed at least once by exploiting a security flaw in Internet Explorer.

What it does

Advertising

Yes. Opens pop-up adverts.

Privacy violation

Unknown. It has been alleged that the BrowseEvt component spies on URLs visited, but this was not working when I tested the software as the manufacturer's servers were not responding.

Security issues

Yes. BrowserToolbar downloads and installs updates to all its components silently, without code-signing.

Stability problems

Unknown.