Do you know what IWinstore Toolbar is?
IWinstore Toolbar comes from a malware family we have not heard about for a long time. It was developed by Conduit, and we recommend that you remove all applications developed by this company because all of them are malicious in one form or another. This particular program is a browser extension/toolbar that has been configured to change the homepage of Internet Explorer. We want to stress that this application replaces the homepage with its featured search engine that is unreliable in nature and it using it may lead to your computer becoming infected with malware. If you want to find out more about this toolbar, please continue reading.
Conduit Ltd is a software publisher based in Ness Ziona, Israel. This company is a primary distributor of potentially unwanted programs, and our researchers have linked this company to IWinstore Toolbar. Officially, this toolbar was published by ClientConnect Ltd, which is also responsible for releasing MyOneSearch and Search Protect. Also, ClientConnect Ltd is located in Holon, Israel, so we have no doubt that both of these companies are affiliated. However, IWinstore Toolbar’s code is nearly identical to toolbars that Conduit Ltd released a while back. So we want to clarify that this application comes from an unreliable source.
Our researchers have found that IWinstore Toolbar is currently being distributed on a dedicated website at http://iwinstore.ourtoolbar{.}com. This website has been deemed dangerous by Google and Mozilla, so when you try to access it using Firefox or Chrome, then they will block it. However, Internet Explorer does not block or warn you about this dangerous website. In any case, IWinstore Toolbar works only on Internet Explorer, so whether Chrome and Firefox block the website is irrelevant. Furthermore, our researchers have reason to believe that this toolbar can be distributed via software bundles because previously released applications were, in fact, bundled and put up for download on freeware distributing websites. Now let us jump into the information regarding this program’s functions.
IWinstore Toolbar screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
IWinstore Toolbar’s developers would have you believe that it is a useful toolbar because it is packed with numerous bookmarks, but they are of little importance since you can make your custom bookmarks right in Internet Explorer. Therefore, this toolbar’s main function is the search bar that uses http://search.conduit{.}com/?SearchSource=10&ctid=CT2302555 to process the search queries. In addition, this same search engine is set to replace Internet Explorer’s Homepage. However, this search engine redirects all of the search queries to http://www.trovigo{.}com/?SearchSource=10&ctid=CT2302555, a unreliable search engine that is apt to feature promotional links in its search results that can jeopardize your system’s security by subjecting you to malicious content such as scam websites or malware downloads.
We would also like to mention that http://www.trovigo{.}com/?SearchSource=10&ctid=CT2302555 is set to automatically collect information about you. Our malware researchers have found that this search engine can obtain information that includes but is not limited to technical information regarding your device, use of the software and services and other third party software and applications installed on your device, ISP (Internet Service Provider,) location, Internet Protocol (IP) address, anonymous user identifiers, device configuration and identifiers, how you use your internet browser and internet search related applications, the web pages you visit and the content you see, access and utilize on such web pages, and so on. The list of information that is collected about you is quite extensive. However, we want to clarify that this search engine does not collect personal information. The information provided above is needed to manage the advertising campaign and make changes to increase advertising revenue. Nevertheless, you should not allow it to collect this information because it will be used to promote content that may turn out to be malicious in nature.
Therefore, our researchers advise that you remove IWinstore Toolbar using the instructions provided at the end of this short description. The arguments for getting rid of this toolbar are that this program comes from a shady developer that is in the web monetization business and is apt to promote malicious content. Furthermore, this program hijacks the homepage and can collect non-personal information about you that is used for marketing and adverting. Please consult our guide for uninstalling this toolbar.
How to Remove this toolbar
Windows XP
- Click Start and select Control Panel.
- Click Add or Remove Programs.
- Find the software and click the Remove button.
Windows 7 & Vista
- Click Start.
- Select Control Panel.
- Click Uninstall a program.
- Find the program and click Uninstall.
Windows 8 & 8.1
- Open the Charm bar.
- Select Settings.
- Open Control Panel.
- Select Programs and then Programs and Features.
- Find the toolbar and right-click on it.
- Click Uninstall.
Windows 10
- Right-click on the Start menu.
- Go to Programs and Features.
- Find the program and Uninstall it.
In non-techie terms:
IWinstore Toolbar is a shady toolbar that belongs to the Conduit family of toolbars. Its purpose is not to provide you with a useful service that you can appreciate but rather advance the agenda of its owners which is to generate as much adverting revenue as possible. The ads are presented in the form of search results because this toolbar comes with s search engine that hijacks Internet Explorer’s homepage. If you want to delete this toolbar, then please use the guide above or our recommend malware removal tool.