DatingSmith

Posted by Lisa Blanc on August 16, 2016

What is DatingSmith?

A potentially unwanted program such as DatingSmith is often inconspicuous and difficult to identify. Our security specialists at Anti-spyware-101.com advise that you remove it because it falls into the category of potentially unwanted programs. We have found that some of the websites this program promotes come from shady backgrounds, and we believe that you should not trust them. Furthermore, its ads are quite invasive and will constantly get in the way of your daily computing. To learn more about this rather deceptive application, please read this whole article. test test test

Where does DatingSmith come from?

The online advertising scene used to be dominated by the likes of Super Web LLC, Injekt LLC, JustPlugIt Ltd, and a few other advertisers. However, during the last few months, these developers/publishers have lost a significant portion of the online advertising market share to MDMExclusives/MyDailyMoment which is a trademark of Flatiron Media LLC, the company that made DatingSmith. Flatiron Media has released dozens of applications in a very short time span and the reason it managed it is not because they have many developers working on different programs, but because they copy-paste the applications, making minuscule changes that include changing the name of certain files to prevent anti-malware programs from detecting them. Hence this particular program is nearly identical to ExpoDating, BabyBrowse, and Underground Coupon, among other apps that come from this company. In summary, this application comes from a dedicated adware developer that is in the business of web monetization.

Now let us talk distribution. We have found that DatingSmith is distributed much in the same way as its clones. First of all, it has a dedicated website at http://www.datingsmith{.}com that hosts its standalone installer. It is worth mentioning that this program uses the InstallCore installer which is known to come bundled with additional software. Many adware and potentially unwanted program (PUP) developers use this third-party installer. We are not aware of the reason for its popularity, but the fact of the matter is that it may come bundled with PUPs, such as FLV Player, ByteFence, Foxtab PDF Converter, and MyPCBackUp. Nevertheless, it might also be packaged with adware, such as Search Know and CouponDownloader. Secondly, in addition to DatingSmith being hosted on a dedicated download website, it might also come in third-party bundles that are featured on the websites of different malware. So its scope of dissemination is quite broad, and this is the result of an effective marketing campaign. We have found that this adware is being promoted using other adware as well as browser hijackers that trick users into installing it.

How does DatingSmith work?

Usually, adware-type programs are installed as browser extensions that are configured to inject coupons, banners, pop-ups, and other types of advertising into a compatible unprotected website. However, DatingSmith and its clones are very different. While doing our analysis, we have found that this adware can display advertisements using two methods. First of all, it has a dedicated browser-based advertising window that loads the entire promoted page, and this window is usually set to open at random, but you can launch it manually because this app creates a desktop shortcut (how convenient.) Our analysis has revealed that this particular program promotes dating websites such as http://www.matchseniors{.}com and http://www.mate1{.}com

Secondly, it modifies Internet Explorer’s registry settings to open simultaneously with the dedicated advertising window and load websites such as http://redtag-specials{.}com/?agent_ID=201735&campaign_ID=6089. Based on our experience with its clones, we have no doubt that it can be used to advertise untrustworthy websites. Our analysts say that it might also promote various surveys and online gambling sites, which are not always safe to visit. Therefore, in some cases, the content that this application is set to promote may be illegitimate, and we think that it is a good idea to uninstall it altogether.

How do I remove DatingSmith

In conclusion, DatingSmith is a typical potentially unwanted program that does not provide its users with anything that could improve their browsing experience. All it can do is force open an adverting or Internet Explorer and load unwelcome and untrustworthy commercial advertisements. So if you want to remove this application, then we suggest using the step-by-step guide presented below.