uk.ask.com

[tractorian]

Adwcleaner regularly throws up uk.ask.com as a threat, both on Windows 7 and 10. The entry itself is buried deep within the Google section of the Users folder.

Not having much to do I ran adwcleaner, cleared the virus and restarted. I immediately ran adwcleaner again and the warning reappeared.

So, went into the Start-up tool in CCleaner and disabled the two Google lines in Context (Windows 10). Restarted, ran adwcleaner and uk.ask.com no longer appeared.

The site uk.ask.com seems nothing more than a search engine, so why is it there and why does Google trigger it on start-up?

Has either Chrome or Google got themselves corrupted?

[tractorian]

On 'Learning More' about their cookies, I see that it is connected in some way with Google.

So, why does adwcleaner see it as a threat?

[ReformedCharacter]

On 'Learning More' about their cookies, I see that it is connected in some way with Google.

So, why does adwcleaner see it as a threat?

Not sure if it is connected with Google, but here's some information about ask.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ask.com

Ask.com has been criticized for its browser toolbar, which has been accused of behaving like malware due to its bundling with other software and the difficulty of its uninstallation.

I can confirm from personal experience that the ask.com browser toolbar often appears on machines that have been infected with other malware.

RC

[Slarti]

On 'Learning More' about their cookies, I see that it is connected in some way with Google.

So, why does adwcleaner see it as a threat?

I can confirm from personal experience that the ask.com browser toolbar often appears on machines that have been infected with other malware.

RC

Seconded.

Revo uninstaller, working at its deepest levels seems to shift it, in my experience.

[Breelander]

Has either Chrome or Google got themselves corrupted?

Not necessarily, but some residual damage may need resetting. There's a good removal guide here... https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-as ... nd-search/ ...which in addition to your ADWCleaner and Revo mentioned by others recommends Malwarebytes too. A multi-pronged approach gets rid of most things.

[tractorian]

Many thanks for the advice and references, but this seems different from the ask.com toolbar. Revo finds nothing.

Putting uk.ask.com into the address bar of Firefox takes me to a site which is similar in style to ASK JEEVES, but without the JEEVES. At bottom right is a cookies notice, with the option to 'learn more'. If you take that option (I know, I know) and scroll down, you get a screen with links (which might or might not be genuine) to Google. At the very bottom is the following invitation if you want further information:

Ask
Attn: Privacy Officer
Unit 1, College Business & Technology Park, Blanchardstown North Road,
Dublin 15, Ireland

Elsewhere there is this reference:

In this Cookies Policy, we use the term Ask (and "we", "us" and "our") to refer to the Ask family of companies, IAC Search & Media Europe, Ltd., APN, LLC and Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc.

Has this whole page been stolen/copied do you think?

Looking in my Hosts file (I have the version which blocks ads) I find several references to ads.com, which probably explains why I never see any sign of the 'threat'.

[pottager]

Putting uk.ask.com into the address bar of Firefox takes me to a site which is similar in style to ASK JEEVES, but without the JEEVES.

Jeeves was dropped 10 years ago.

Sorry, having said that it seems he was resurrected for the UK version, but he seems to have gone again now.