In these modern times, web crawling still poses risks for all users. This is why different technology companies keep improving their security products to protect their customers who are constantly active online. However, threats are everywhere and can come from almost anything online. One of the biggest concerns that has been making the rounds recently is the Wave Browser, a Chromium-based web browser. Interestingly, it is available on the Microsoft Store, which seems to give it credibility as a clean browser. However, tons of reports indicate that it is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that can do you more harm than good.

What’s wrong with Wave Browser?

Wave Browser is created by Wavesor Software, which is owned by Polarity Technologies Ltd in Cyprus. This is where some questionable details about it start to appear. Polarity is owned by Genimous Technology Co Ltd (based in Hong Kong), which is known as the company behind various browser hijackers. A article from Medium gives us a better idea of ​​the company:

“Genimous collects and stores sensitive user data, including search queries, on Chinese servers, notwithstanding the extensions’ privacy policies which may be changed at any time, where the data is subject to Chinese data privacy laws . Although their privacy policies claim not to store “identifying” user data, previous research has shown how easy it is to anonymize data. Potentially sensitive searches could then be linked to users.

As mentioned, the said program is available on Microsoft Store but is also available for download on its respective website. Some users who installed it intentionally report that Wave Browser is a harmless program that serves its purpose. However, many other people say that the installation of the program happened without their approval (probably because of software bundling). In that case, if you spotted it although you didn’t install it yourself, you might need to dig a little bit into the things it did to your computer’s system or browser. This brings us to what exactly it does – it drowns you with tons of dubious advertisements with links that can even lead to bigger problems when you click on them.

Before delving into this, it is important to first answer the questions about the true nature of Wave Browser. As said, it can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store (which kind of gives it that “respectable” first impression). The thing is that different scans flag the program as malicious. One of them comes from the Automated and Deep Malware Scanning Engine Joe sandboxcalling it “malicious” with a low compliance rate. Hybrid analysiswhich provides a free malware scanning service to the community, also flags it as malicious.

On the other hand, the browser is described as “extremely evasive to analysis” by one of the contributors of AlienVault Open Threat Exchange. “Scans so far include signs of spyware, keylogging, persistence and evasion,” the contributor adds. “Since testing on a native machine, Wave Browser has added itself to startup applications and persists across reboots. It appears to be using UPnP on port 1900 to detect other network devices.

As many users testify, Wave Browser is not only able to install itself; he can also make significant changes to his browsing system and even create and leave files on the computer system. This explains why those who encounter the PUP see it take aggressive actions like changing the homepage of the browser to restrict access to some of their computer files. Moreover, these users consistently encounter relevant and irrelevant advertisements appearing everywhere when they are online.

Ads are good news for Wave browser owners because it means revenue for them. However, since most of the advertisements delivered by the browser come from suspicious companies, the risk of catching different viruses is serious. This exposes you to the possibility of acquiring malware and being hacked, as more and more malicious actors now profit from distributing/downloading malware via infected advertisement links. Remote access Trojans, browser hijackers, coin miners, and other viruses are spreading these days using this strategy. If your device contains sensitive files and data and is logged into your important accounts, clicking on banner ads and links presented by the Wave Browser is like playing Russian roulette.

Removal of Wave Browser

Wave Browser cannot be uninstalled in a flash. Many users report that they still face the same issues even after uninstalling the program from their PC. The reason is changes to web browser configuration files and networking settings, not to mention the Wave Browser tasks added to Task Scheduler. This means that the settings should be restored and the files that the program left behind on your computer system should be erased.

To do this, you must first start by cleaning up your computer (Windows). Before doing this, it is recommended that you turn off your internet connection to prevent Wave Browser from sending more data during the installation process. Once ready, navigate to the following locations on your computer system and clean the files created by the Wave Browser. Follow the steps below:

Apps and Features

1. Go to the start button and search for “Apps and features” by typing it.
2. Find Wave Browser in the list of applications and click “Uninstall”.

Task Manager (Processes tab)

1. Launch the task manager and click on “Processes”.
2. Look for certain processes related to Wave Browser (for example, Wave Browser, Wavesor, or Iexplorer.exe). Click on the process(es) and select “End Task”. Before you terminate them, visit the folder of those malicious processes. You can do this by right-clicking on it and selecting “Open file location”. Once you have completed the tasks, you can now delete these folders created by the Wave Browser.

Task Manager (Startup tab)

1. In the task manager, click on the “Startup” tab.
2. Find all items related to Wave Browser and click “Disable”.

Registry Editor

1. Launch Registry Editor. You can search for it in your computer’s search bar.
2. Click on the “Edit” tab, then select “Search”.
3. A box will appear and type “Wave Browser”. Select “Find Next” and remove any related searches that appear.
4. Also look for articles related to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerDomainSuggestion (registry key) and delete them all.

Now that your PC is clean, fix the browsers affected by the PUP. Start by restarting the computer in safe mode. Browser cleaning processes differ depending on the browser(s) you use, but the key is to reset browser settings (and clear your previous browsing data). For some of the more well-known browsers, here are the steps to follow:

Edge:

Settings and more > Settings > Reset settings > Confirm by clicking “Reset”

MozillaFirefox:

Menu tab (three horizontal stripes in the upper right corner of the browser) > Help > troubleshooting information > Refresh Firefox > Confirm by clicking “Refresh Firefox”

Google Chrome:

Settings tab > Advanced > Reset and clean > Restore factory default settings > Confirm by clicking “Reset settings”

Opera:

Settings menu (gear icon) > Advanced > Browser > Restore factory default settings > Confirm by clicking “Reset”

As mentioned, you also need to clear the data from the mentioned browsers to complete the cleaning process. After that, restart the computer.

Conclusion

Whether the presence of Wave Browser in your computer system and browser is a result of intentional installation or software bundling, its removal is the best thing you can do. Based on the analyzes of experts and security groups and the experiences shared by many online users, Wave Browser is something you wouldn’t want to try. This can open the door to unsolicited advertisements that will not only spoil your online experience, but also expose you to the possibility of acquiring viruses.

On the other hand, to avoid the risks of having the Wave browser without your permission, it is better to avoid clicking on suspicious advertisements and links, visiting unknown websites and downloading files or applications on the web from untrusted sources. Finally, make sure that a reliable security product is installed on your computer system, which will allow you to regularly scan your system for viruses.