Another digital resource that reawakens the dilemma about its potential for benefit or harm to your computer equipment is Softonic. As a website, it presents the user with a moderately reliable offer of download service for programs, apps or web tools.
As adware spread on your computer, installing Softonic Tool Bar and hijacking the use of browsers, it is a potentially unwanted program that triggers annoying and intrusive actions, which you must quickly eliminate from your operating system.
Softonic, trustworthy or unsafe website?
Navigating through the computer sea of freedom of offer in download services and the lack of restrictions on what is disseminated and shared, we found the website Softonic.
Softonic is a free software download service websiteapplications and Internet tools.
This Spanish organization, residing in Since 1997, it has made the most popular and innovative freeware content on the digital market available to the user, free of charge.
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In the midst of a story that year after year has earned it positive and negative reviews about its reliability or level of risk of malware contamination, Softonic has emerged as one of the favorite companies among web consumers.
Like any commercial medium on the Internet, immersed in the race for leadership and positioning, Softonic receives positive comments and tests that contrast with harsh criticism issued by its detractors.
The Softonic developers of course present you with the attractive offer of a service free of malware attacks, with guaranteed security downloads. This may be true and hence comes the benign reputation and high reliability it has in the market.
Softonic strengthens its security guarantee with an additional service in which they offer the implementation of 30 different antiviruses with which you can analyze the files of interest before they are downloaded.
The user has free access to view the security level of the program to be downloaded, which is recorded in detail.
For its part, The savvy user is aware of the potential risks involved in running free downloads through third-party management.
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Innocence or lack of information on the matter does not prevail and with appropriate security measures installed for the protection of your equipment assumes the use of the services offered by pages such as Softonic.
We can say, in that sense, that even though its nature as a free download manager space iinvolves a potential risk of malware transmission or generation of intrusive activity, Softonic web is moderately reliable.
Its download service is effective and with the application of the necessary prevention measures, whoever takes on the adventure of appealing to its support must be willing to face barrier actions such as:
- The implementation of effective antivirus software.
- Monitor the exclusion of unnecessary downloads attached to the software packages and apps offered.
- Plan to execute effective scans of these new programs to be installed, to locate possible threats.
These and other preventive actions that we have already discussed in previous posts are essential so that the risk level of Softonic’s management action is minimized.
The creators of Softonic show with reliability tests issued by recognized specialists that their level of risk is minimal or null.
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Recognized web analysis spaces such as WOT, after reliability tests based on privacy, security and data integrity index reviews, give Softonic 85% reliability.
Likewise, the safe browsing tool Google Safe Browsing, which detects malicious content on web pages, submitted its tests to Softonic, issuing the following result.
Both positive user evaluations offer certain level of trust and feasibility of using the Softonic website and the service it offers.
In opposition to this are the comments from users, who focus their observations on the following aspects:
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- Softonic is itself a malware, which is installed without your authorization,
- Many of their downloads are outdated, their novelty offering is replaced by a real download of products in versions that are not the most recent.
- Excessive generation of ads. According to users’ experience, Softonic downloads generate excessive publication of pop-up messages, pop-ups, banners; In short, Softonic becomes advertising adware from its website.
- And finally, the user’s main concern focuses on the fact that Softonic is capable of taking control of the operating system, and it is in this aspect where Softonic’s maximum risk is hidden.
Softonic can not only stealthily install itself as adware, malware or virus on your operating system and take control of it, but it is also capable of hijacking your browser, redirecting your web experience.
So, to use or not to use Softonic…That’s the dilemma!
Like most service and product offers on the web, We come across two sides of the same coin, heads or tails, the final decision is in the hands of the user.
Obviously it is undeniable that web service management media become possible bridges for the transmission of potentially unwanted programs, malware, viruses and all kinds of infestations that violate your digital security.
With Softonic’s greatest risk derives from its degeneration as intrusive malware, as it can become a transmitter of malicious content, through the downloads it facilitates, or it installs on your system as a virus called softonic.exe.
What is Softonic.exe?
Softonic.exe is a process in Windows task manager, it is not an essential file of this operating system and is highly susceptible to becoming a malware masker.
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It is not a core Windows system file. It is located in the user profile system subfolder; under the name C: \ Users \ USERNAME \ AppData \ Local \ Softonic \
Therefore it can be deleted if you wish, following the following steps:
- In Control Panel, locate Uninstall a Program.
- In Uninstall a program a list is displayed.
- Locate and select Softonic for Windows.
- Select Uninstall or change a program.
Softonic.exe has the ability to record keyboard and mouse inputs and characteristics that make its risk level range between 30 and 50% dangerous.
On Windows systems malware threats can hide in the guise of softonic.exe, particularly when it is located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder.
Files related to softonic.exe virus are:
- upsmonitor.exe
- shopclever.dll
- screensaverpro.scr
- Softonic.exenfcproxyservice.exe
- btmeter.exe
- gaszilanfofg.exe
- stllssvr.exe
- aswarpot.sys subsonic-service.exe
- advservice.exe
Other related malwares are PUA_Softonic and PUA.Softonic, therefore, It is advisable to verify the Softonic.exe process with security software to rule out or affirm its threat.
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How to check if softonic.exe virus is infecting your computer
It is important that you keep your computer’s system files organized and clean, this makes it easier to identify threats such as the softonic.exe virus and keeps it away from your system.
Verification of the Softonic.exe process on your computer must be executed using a security task manager that locates and shows all hidden tasks and processes running on Windows (keyboard monitoring, browser or auto-start inputs).
The scan should return a security risk score indicating how likely Softonic.exe is to be spyware, malware, or a Trojan horse.
A recommended professional tool for this check is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware which can detect and remove malwares, keyloggers, and the like.
The tangible manifestation of the malware effect of Softonic and the potential presence of its manifestation as a softonic.exe virus on your computer is the Unauthorized installation of the Softonic Toolbar extension. (Softonic ToolBar).
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A potentially unwanted application that sand stealthily infiltrates your computer, without prior authorization, and offers the user fraudulent Internet search services.
Softonic Toolbar installs a box and a search engine that returns altered results with the intention of directing your search towards redirects to suspicious or malicious websites or for commercial benefit purposes.
It is identified by the file name softonic-toolbar.exe, softonic-toolbar.exe or Softonic Toolbar, following its installation it creates a new startup key with the name Softonic Toolbar and the value softonic-toolbar.exe and creates the Softonic Toolbar folder , located in C:\Program Files\ or C:\ProgramData\.
Softonic Toolbar opens the doors of your team to contamination by viruses, malware, advertising adware, aggressive marketing, malicious programs, can take control of your operating system, hijacks the browser in use, promotes install useless or fraudulent search engines
At the highest level of risk its intrusive action may allow the collection of private information and browsing data, with access to third parties, which may trigger malicious and illegal actions; making you a victim of cybercrime, such as scam, fraud and identity theft.
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Softonic ToolBar affects 32 and 64 Bit Windows operating systems, in its versions XP, Vista/7, 8/8.1, Windows 10 and low ambient operating system . Likewise, its malicious effect is capable of hacking the most popular browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla , MS Edge and Edge/Chromium.
How Softonic Toolbar was installed and how it works on your computer
Softonic Toolbar has several distribution methods to install itself on your computer and hijack your browser in use. It can be downloaded directly and consciously from its official development site, in which the user is convinced by the attractive marketing technique it presents.
The most common distribution modality is that it is inadvertently downloaded in program packages, apps or free tools, to which this toolbar is added as optional or complementary software.
The common user does not usually review the installation procedure in detail, they let themselves be guided by the software promoter and follow the basic installation mode, agreeing to install certain programs in the packaging that for the most part will be useless and unwanted.
The Softonic toolbar It is also downloaded from websites that promote similar services and programs to which this bar may be attached. Reviewing the installation steps is the most appropriate measure, in order to correct or ignore elements that seem suspicious of a malware threat.
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We also run the risk of installing programs…
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