Content

Adware-Starware

Type
Program
SubType
Adware
Discovery Date
08/17/2005
Length
N/A
Minimum DAT
4561 (08/17/2005)
Updated DAT
5278 (04/21/2008)
Minimum Engine
5.1.00
Description Added
08/17/2005
Description Modified
11/09/2005 5:13 AM (PT)
Risk Assessment
Corporate User
N/A
Home User
N/A

Tab Navigation

Characteristics

McAfee(R) AVERT™ recognizes that this program may have legitimate uses in contexts where an authorized administrator has knowingly installed this application. If you agreed to a license agreement for this, or another bundled application, you may have legal obligations with regard to removing this software, or using the host application without this software. Please contact the software vendor for further information.

See http://vil.nai.com/vil/DATReadme.asp for a list of Program detections added to the DATs.

See http://vil.nai.com/vil/pups/configuration.htm for information about how to enable, disable, and exclude detection of legitimately installed programs.

Summary:

This is not a virus or Trojan. It is a direct adware marketing application. Upon execution this application install itself as a browser helper object (BHO) for the internet explorer. It adds an internet explorer toolbar name “starware”.

Privacy :

No license agreement is displayed during installation, although one could be displayed by another installer if bundled with another application. No EULA or privacy policy related to the software could be found.

Installation:

File name: sstarware_305.exe
MD5Hash: bb579bfdf4ab72e6bd9f6c470bd35e08

On executing the application some of the registry keys which get added are:

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Starware
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
    {2D51D869-C36B-42bd-AE68-0A81BC771FA5}
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
    {7BED0340-176B-44bc-915E-C21C1DD6F617}
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
     {CA356D79-679B-4b4c-8E49-5AF97014F4C1}
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
    {D49E9D35-254C-4c6a-9D17-95018D228FF5}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
    CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\
    {CA356D79-679B-4b4c-8E49-5AF97014F4C1}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
    CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Starware

Following folder gets added:

  • c:\Program Files\Starware
  • c:\Program Files\Starware\bin
  • c:\Program Files\Starware\icons
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\buttons
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\contexts
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\images
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\Simple Update
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\BrowserSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\ErrorSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Layouts
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Manager
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\PopupBlocker
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Reference
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\RelatedSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\SearchAssistPlus
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\SearchMatch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\SmileyTown
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Toolbar
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\ToolbarLogo
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\ToolbarSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\TravelSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Weather

Symptoms

N/A This is not a virus or Trojan

Method of Infection

N/A This is not a virus or Trojan

Variants

Variants

    N/A

All Information

Overview -

This is a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) detection. It is not a virus or trojan. PUPs are any piece of software which a reasonably security-or privacy-minded computer user may want to be informed of.

Aliases

  • Kaspersky: AdWare.Win32.Comet.aq
  • Symantec: Adware.Starware

Characteristics

Characteristics -

McAfee(R) AVERT™ recognizes that this program may have legitimate uses in contexts where an authorized administrator has knowingly installed this application. If you agreed to a license agreement for this, or another bundled application, you may have legal obligations with regard to removing this software, or using the host application without this software. Please contact the software vendor for further information.

See http://vil.nai.com/vil/DATReadme.asp for a list of Program detections added to the DATs.

See http://vil.nai.com/vil/pups/configuration.htm for information about how to enable, disable, and exclude detection of legitimately installed programs.

Summary:

This is not a virus or Trojan. It is a direct adware marketing application. Upon execution this application install itself as a browser helper object (BHO) for the internet explorer. It adds an internet explorer toolbar name “starware”.

Privacy :

No license agreement is displayed during installation, although one could be displayed by another installer if bundled with another application. No EULA or privacy policy related to the software could be found.

Installation:

File name: sstarware_305.exe
MD5Hash: bb579bfdf4ab72e6bd9f6c470bd35e08

On executing the application some of the registry keys which get added are:

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Starware
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
    {2D51D869-C36B-42bd-AE68-0A81BC771FA5}
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
    {7BED0340-176B-44bc-915E-C21C1DD6F617}
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
     {CA356D79-679B-4b4c-8E49-5AF97014F4C1}
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
    {D49E9D35-254C-4c6a-9D17-95018D228FF5}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
    CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\
    {CA356D79-679B-4b4c-8E49-5AF97014F4C1}
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
    CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Starware

Following folder gets added:

  • c:\Program Files\Starware
  • c:\Program Files\Starware\bin
  • c:\Program Files\Starware\icons
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\buttons
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\contexts
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\images
  • c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\Simple Update
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\BrowserSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\ErrorSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Layouts
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Manager
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\PopupBlocker
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Reference
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\RelatedSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\SearchAssistPlus
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\SearchMatch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\SmileyTown
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Toolbar
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\ToolbarLogo
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\ToolbarSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\TravelSearch
  • c:\Documents and Settings\ <Usersname>\Application Data\Starware\Weather

Symptoms

Symptoms -

N/A This is not a virus or Trojan

Method of Infection

Method of Infection -

N/A This is not a virus or Trojan

Removal -

Removal -

Instructions on Enabling/Disabling Detection and Removal of Potentially Unwanted Programs

Variants

Variants -

    N/A