CrunchTravel

Posted by Lisa Blanc on April 18, 2016

What is CrunchTravel?

CrunchTravel is promoted as an application that is supposed to provide you with travel-related offers. Our malware analysts have tested this program and recommend that you remove it because it is nothing more than an adware-type program. Indeed, this program’s real objective is to show you commercial ads in the most annoying way possible: to force open your browser and a dedicated advertising window and load the promote sites. We want to inform you that your computer can become infected with more malicious software, so we recommend that you take action against this seemingly harmless piece of software. Read this description and consult our removal guide provided at the end. test

Where does CrunchTravel come from?

We have recently witnessed a surge in infections of this type. CrunchTravel has dozens of clones that originate from the same clandestine source, so unfortunately, we cannot elaborate more about the developers responsible for its release. However, we want to mention a few of this program’s more recently released clones that include QuantumCoupons, Social Pogo, and StrataBeauty. All of these applications are the same but advertise different things. Therefore, they are also malicious and have to be deleted.

Like its clones, CrunchTravel is distributed using the same methods. Our malware analysts have found that this program is promoted via other ad-supported applications that feature its download link in their coupons and banners. Furthermore, it is promoted using browser hijackers that place a link to this adware’s download page in their search results. The website that hosts this adware’s download is called Crunchtravel.com. This installer is called InstallCore, and this is very significant because it is known to come bundled with potentially unwanted programs, adware, and browser hijackers. Therefore, when you run this installer, you might also get FLV Player, MyPcBackUp, and System Healer, among other PUPs. Also, we have received information that CrunchTravel is being distributed in other software bundles that are not featured on its dedicated website, but on third-party freeware-distributing sets.

How does CrunchTravel work?

As mentioned in the introduction, this program is supposed to provide you with travel-related information, but in reality, it does nothing of the sort. Its alleged functionality is nothing but a sham. Currently, this application is configured to promote only one website at http://download.safepcrepair.com/index.jhtml?partner=^AW7^xdm326&sub_id=316650_3631. This site features the download of an application known as SafePCRepair Toolbar that we wrote about back in 2013. SafePCRepair Toolbar is considered as a potentially unwanted program, so it is not malicious, but it can change your browser’s homepage to Search.ask.com, a search engine that might feature shady promotions. This toolbar was developed by a marketing company previously known as Mindspark Interactive Network (now IAC Applications,) it focuses on interactive advertising and is known for developing PUPs. So there is nothing about CrunchTravel that is entirely legitimate. Moreover, it is quite likely that this program’s advertising campaign will shift, and this program will start advertising truly malicious content. Now that you know the purpose of this application let us take a look at how it advertises.

CrunchTravel and its clones use the same advertising platform which involves generating a Graphical User Interface (GUI) window, but this window does not feature any options or settings, so you cannot turn off the ads. So this window acts like a browser and loads its promoted website. Furthermore, it does the same with Internet Explorer, and this is because when installing this adware it modifies Internet Explorer’s registry keys, such as HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\www.crunchtravel.com, HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\crunchtravel.com, and others. Both Internet Explorer and its GUI window are set to open at random, so if you want the promotions to stop bothering you, then you have to uninstall this application.

How do I remove CrunchTravel?

The information provided in this description has revealed the true nature of CrunchTravel and it is just an adware-type program set to promote a potentially unwanted program called SafePCRepair Toolbar. As if that was not enough, this adware also comes bundled with PUPs, so your computer might start having problems when because of the accumulated unreliable programs. So if you want to restore your computer’s security, then use our guide to remove this adware, and consider scanning your system for additional malware.