| Name | DownloadBoss |
| Type | Browser Extension, PUP |
| Short Description | The app is designed to assist you download from the Internet. |
| Symptoms | The user may witness advertisements. The add-on may promote the Trovi search browser hijacker. |
| Distribution Method | Bundling, its official page, Chrome web store. |
| Detection tool | Download Malware Removal Tool, to See If Your System Has Been Affected By DownloadBoss |
DownloadBoss is a download manager application that is compatible with Google Chrome. The application is available for download on its official website and is also uploaded on Chrome web store. It may be promoted on other freeware websites as well. Even though the app may appear user-friendly and handy, its installation may put your system at risk. First, such applications may be designed to alter the system’s registry keys and add suspicious executable files to it. Second, ad-supported apps are known to generate unwanted advertisement and sell collected user data to interested parties (affiliate companies, digital marketing agencies, etc.).
Investigating the Privacy Policy of DownloadBoss
After having a good look at the extension’s Privacy Policy, we have discovered that it is associated with the infamous Trovi search browser hijacker and suspicious search engine:
→Third Party Technology and Services. The web search services available on the Site, through the Extension, or made available through any of our software products and/or services, as applicable, may be provided by Trovi Search and powered by Trovi search partners. For information on the web search services data collection, please visit http://info.trovi.com/Privacy, and the search provider’s privacy policy, as applicable. We do not endorse, nor are we responsible for the accuracy of, the privacy policies of such third party technology and service providers. The third party entities that are providing the web search services are independent third parties and are not affiliated with Discover Browser Media.
The following paragraphs are in regard of the extension’s third party relations:
→Third Party Offers. Discover Browser Media may provide its users with the opportunity to receive special offers, products and/or services from third parties. Where you indicate the desire to receive certain offers, products or services from a third party during the applicable information collection process, your personally identifiable information that was provided during that information collection process will be shared with the applicable third party so that such third party may provide their products and/or services to you so that you do not have to complete another information collection form to purchase or receive that product or service.
→Third Party Cookies. Clicking on any third party offers may add and place cookies from third party affiliate marketers on to your computer prior to directing you to the applicable advertiser’s site. Cookies from third party affiliate marketers are used only for tracking and reporting purposes. No personally identifiable information is collected or stored by Discover Browser during this process.
Risk Evaluation of DownloadBoss
As visible by the extension’s description, it is not malicious neither is it dangerous to use. However, its relations to third parties may turn out to be endangering to your personal and non-personal information. To avoid exposing yourself to third party advertisements and data collection, you may want to consider uninstalling DownloadBoss from your system. In addition, if it was distributed in a bundled (packed) installer, you may have other ad-supported software running in the background.
How Can I Remove DownloadBoss?
The official page of DownloadBoss hosts information on its uninstallation. However, as we just mentioned, bundling may have brought more adware and PUA into your system without you knowing about it.
After manually removing the extension from the PC and the browser, you may consider using an anti-malware scanner. In addition, if you have used Trovi search or if you have clicked on an affiliate link, you may have been redirected to a page employed for phishing. Phishing is a well-known social engineering technique that has been associated with malware distribution and private data theft.
You can refer to the removal guide we have compiled below the article.
Step 1: Remove/Uninstall DownloadBoss in Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps to remove that program. No matter if you are using Windows 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program get left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, mistakes with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall” (fig.3).
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall DownloadBoss.
Step 2: Remove DownloadBoss from your browser
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove a toolbar from Internet Explorer
Remove a toolbar from Safari
Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu
Select DownloadBoss and click “Remove”
After DownloadBoss is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.
Select DownloadBoss to remove, and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected toolbar, and some additional toolbars might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.
After DownloadBoss has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ in the top right corner and start it again.
Open the drop menu by clicking on the sprocket icon in the top right corner.
From the drop menu select ‘Preferences’
In the new window select ‘Extensions’
Click once on DownloadBoss
Click ‘Uninstall’
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall DownloadBoss. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the DownloadBoss will be removed.
Step 3: Remove DownloadBoss automatically by downloading an advanced anti-malware program.
To clean your computer you should download an updated anti-malware program on a safe PC and then install it on the affected computer in offline mode. After that you should boot into safe mode and scan your computer to remove all DownloadBoss associated objects.
