How to remove Web companion

Web Companion is a program considered to be possibly unwanted due to intrusive behavior and silent infiltration methods

Web Companion is a legitimate application created by Lavasoft. According to developers, the program can add an extra layer of protection by blocking increasing the security of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or another web browser by blocking malicious websites.

Due to implemented protection, it can also prevent the infiltration of potentially unwanted programs installed as browser extensions via various websites. However, the app itself can be considered a potentially unwanted program, as it usually gets installed via shareware and freeware bundles deceptively. Besides, it sometimes comes along with other PUPs that are generally considered questionable at best and malicious at worst.

However, its distribution techniques are not the only questionable feature. The PUP actively pushes its paid version as the only way to evade issues that it detected. However, security experts, the Reddit community, and other respectable parties do not believe that it is worth spending your money on such a questionable tool.

The main problem related to the software is the methods used in its distribution. The developers have already admitted that their product is distributed via a popular marketing method called bundling^[1]. They clearly identify in their FAQ section that the application might appear on the user's computer without direct permission and start operating on the system:

Web Companion is most commonly distributed within another software product that you or someone who uses your PC has elected to install. This is known as “bundled software distribution” and is a practice widely used by software makers worldwide to make money while delivering free software to their end-users.

While some users might question what is Adaware Web Companion, others refer to this program as a virus. Security researchers indicate that this is not the right term to describe this software. It should be attributed to the potentially unwanted program category because of its stealthy techniques used to enter the system and also sell its licensed version.

Even if the application is installed willingly from its official website, its installer also offers a bunch of programs that can be considered browser hijackers. When users do not pay close attention to the installation of such software, they might not even notice that the permission to change web browser settings is being asked for with the help of pre-ticked boxes, fine print text, and other tricks.

Therefore, Adaware Web Companion is installed, users might notice that their web browsers are suddenly redirecting search results to Yandex, Bing, Yahoo, or Privado and filling them with sponsored links and ads. These providers might also be set as default browser homepage and new tab.

Besides, users might also spot new extensions or new programs installed on your web browsers or Windows/Mac systems – these might secretly track your online activities and deliver this information to third-party sources for financial benefits.

The questionable activity of Web Companion

We should also add that program's activity can also be quite annoying and cause trouble when trying to uninstall this so-called system protection tool. Once installed program claims to protect against the following threats:

• Rogue websites;
• Invasive ads;
• Data tracking;
• Phishing scams^[2].

However, users start receiving notifications about detected threats from the app right after the first scan is finished. Unfortunately, these alerts do not have an expiry date, so you can be flooded with never-ending messages each time you start using your computer. It has been significantly deteriorating users' browsing experience because it keeps popping up relatively often. 

Unfortunately, virus scan results and additional ads that come from the app are not necessarily trustworthy. Developers aim to generate revenue and try to trick people into believing that their computers are infected to continue using less than reliable services. In some cases, users might even be prompted to purchase the premium version or install additional security tools. 

Possibly the biggest red flag is that, if you are already using a reliable security tool such as MalwarebytesMalwarebytes, it would immediately flag the app. There are quite a few other security tools that detect it under the following names:^[3]

• Program.Unwanted.3914
• PUA:Win32/Puasson.A!ml
• A Variant Of MSIL/WebCompanion.C Potentially
• Generic PUA CJ (PUA)
• PUF.WebCompanion!8.9E98 (TFE:C:9RseB869T6O)
• Riskware/WebCompanion

Therefore, we recommend you to get a trustworthy tool to maintain your computer's security. In addition, if you have been questioning yourself if you should remove it from the system, our answer is “yes, you should.” You can uninstall the app from Windows 7, Windows 10, or other Windows operating systems with the help of the step-by-step guide given below.

The option best for this kind of threat is an automatic system scan that provides insights into the state of security. When you run antivirus tools like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes your machine gets fully checked and results appear with the list of threats or potentially malicious pieces that need to be terminated. You cannot be sure that the only intruder controlling your device is this adware. Quick system check helps determine all potential threats.

Manual removal doesn't take much time. However, run our recommended tools to make sure that there are no leftover files on the system. Keep in mind that such apps tend to modify the computer's registry and initiate additional modifications to start working with every system's startup. To revert these changes, we suggest using FortectIntego.

Avoid unwanted program infiltration easily

The answer to the question of how did program got installed on my computer is more than simple —  this security tool spreads in a bundle with third-party applications. In other terms, you install the software during the installation of free programs.

Even though this distribution technique is legitimate, users can fail to identify and reject programs they don't want to install. As a result, victims have started numerous discussions about the unexpected appearance of this tool on Reddit, Quora, Microsoft, and similar tech forums.^[4][5]

Although, here are some tips on how to avoid the installation of additional components:

1. Never agree to install programs with Quick or Recommended settings of the installer;
2. Pick Custom or Advanced ones instead and follow the steps attentively;
3. Search for pre-marked checkmarks that grant the permission to install PUPs;
4. De-select them and run a full system scan with a professional antivirus.

How to uninstall Web companion from Windows

If you have already tried this security tool and found it useless, we recommend you to remove Lavasoft Web companion right away. You have two options — manual and automatic elimination for the removal of this app. However, as we have already pointed out, the app is not malicious and you should have no issues while trying to get rid of it manually.

Nevertheless, as BedyNet.ru^[6] researchers and other experts declare, the best way to protect the computer against potentially unwanted programs in the future is to have a reliable antivirus installed on the system. It will also uninstall all unnecessary applications that might have come to your system via software-bundles.

In this case, perform removal from Windows 10 and other versions by using the guidelines presented below. We highly recommend uninstalling all suspicious entries from the system to prevent other issues on your computer in the future. To prevent software bundles, don't forget to monitor the installation of every software you download. For that, you just need to opt for Custom/Advanced installation mode.