What is Lavasoft Web Companion and Should it be Removed?

Kevin ArrowsUpdated on October 9, 2024
Kevin is a certified Network Engineer

Lavasoft, now known as Adaware, is a software company that claims to develop spyware and malware detection tools. However, its products have faced controversy, leading many to doubt their true purpose and effectiveness.

What is Lavasoft Web Companion?

Lavasoft Web Companion is a browser add-on that often installs automatically with other software without user consent. Adaware claims it helps stop malware attacks, but this is questionable due to the company’s controversial actions. Users are often unaware of its installation, as it comes bundled with other programs.

Lavasoft Web Companion

Controversies Surrounding Lavasoft:

Suspicious Owners

In 2011, Lavasoft was acquired by Solaria Fund, a company accused of taking free, open-source software and selling it as paid software with support. These accusations raise doubts about the trustworthiness of Lavasoft’s ownership and actions, particularly regarding its Web Companion software.

Suspicious Installation Patterns

If you find Web Companion on your system, it may have been installed without your knowledge. It installs without consent and is often bundled with other downloads. When questioned, the company maintained that the installation is legal and without side effects. However, the program provides no clear benefits, changes browser settings without user knowledge, and resembles malware.

Note: You can remove malware using Malwarebytes or other antivirus software instead of trusting unverified claims.

Suspicious Coding

In 2015, a software research institute found that a “security” feature in Web Companion was based on a public SDK from Komodia, linked to the Superfish security flaw in Lenovo devices. This discovery damaged trust in Lavasoft’s product due to security risks.

Should it be Disabled?

Due to its bad reputation, practices, and security risks, it’s recommended to disable or remove Web Companion. It can change browser settings and potentially access personal information. Removal may require manual steps such as deleting program files and cleaning the registry.

How to Disable Lavasoft’s Web Companion?

Removing Web Companion can be challenging, as it installs without permission and persists in your system. It may change browser settings and require manual file deletion and registry cleaning for complete removal.

  1. Navigate to the following address: 
    C:\Program Files (x86)

    Note: The address may differ depending on your Windows installation directory.

  2. Open the Lavasoft folder and press Shift + Delete together.
    Clicking on Lavasoft and selecting “Shift” + “Del”
  3. Confirm by clicking Yes in the prompt.
  4. Press Windows + R and type regedit to open the Registry Editor.
    Typing in “Regedit” and pressing “Enter”
  5. Press Ctrl + F and search for Web Companion.
  6. Check the Keys, Values, and Data boxes.
    Typing in “Web Companion” and checking the three options
  7. Click OK to start the search.
  8. Delete all entries related to the search by right-clicking and choosing “Delete“.
  9. Restart your computer to completely remove the program.
Kevin ArrowsUpdated on October 9, 2024
Kevin is a certified Network Engineer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo of Kevin Arrows

Kevin Arrows


Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.

Comments

27
    NA
    Nawa Oct 22, 2020

    Thank you So much Kevin. It was really helpful not only with “Web Companion”, But also to repair some issues in my PC too. Great work. Keep it up!

    Reply
    NA
    Nawa Oct 22, 2020

    Thank you so much Kevin. It was really helpful not only with “Web Companion”, But also with some issues in my PC too. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
    JI
    Jimmy Nov 29, 2020

    This didn’t work for me. It won’t let me delete the Lavasoft directory. It says files are in use

    Reply
      MZ
      Muhammad Zubyan Author Nov 28, 2020

      Did you closed web companion completely before deleting the folder? If yes, try uninstalling the program. If you didn’t closed it before deleting the directory try this:-1. Open task manager.
      2. Find any process realated to web companion, select it and press end task button.
      3. Now after ending these processes try to delete directory again.

      Reply
        JI
        Jimmy Nov 28, 2020

        Thanks, I seem to have been able to get rid of it now

        Reply
        CH
        chiller Nov 30, 2020

        i have ended the process yet it still says it is open am i missing anything? i deleted one part of the registry. I cant believe i installed this crap, it was bundled. still beyond dumb

        Reply
          MZ
          Muhammad Zubyan Author Dec 1, 2020

          Open Task Manager and then right-click on Web Companion process and press “Go to Details” then click “Open file location” once the location is opened, Go to Task Manager and end any process related to Web Companion. Then head over to the folder, find the “uninstall.exe” and run it. If you can’t able to find it. Simply delete all the files present in that folder.

          NF
          Nuria Freitas Feb 6, 2022

          Thank you very much!
          Allow me to add some things that worked for me:

          1) When I opened the task manager, web companion wasnt there.
          It was named as WC assistant, and DCI service.
          I opened the file location an confirmed it was related to web companion, in lavasoft folder.
          I ended those tasks and then finally i could delete the folder.

          2)When doing the regedit, I had to search multiple times, until it says theres no more searches.
          I searched for lavasoft, web companion, wc assistant and dci service.

          All set, then for safety I restored my chrome and edge settings. (it doesnt delete your bookmarks nor autofill, so its fine – It does restore your homepage and extensions)

          #M
          #this_is_mohit!! Aug 5, 2022

          Thankyou so much, WC assistant and DCI were the services running in background, after stopping and disabling them, I was able to delete all registry files completely!

    IH
    Irradiated Slag Heap Dec 17, 2020

    I get a message saying ‘Error, Unable to delete specified values’. How do I kill this lousy program?

    Reply
      MZ
      Muhammad Zubyan Author Dec 20, 2020

      Did you closed web companion completely before deleting the folder? If yes, try uninstalling the program. If you didn’t closed it before deleting the directory try this:-1. Open task manager.
      2. Find any process related to web companion, select it and press end task button.
      3. Now after ending these processes try to delete directory again.

      Reply
    LA
    Lance Jan 1, 2021

    I couldn’t delete the folder from within Windows. I had it closed but I kept finding things about it in Task Manager. Luckily, I dual-boot with Linux, so I booted into the Linux and deleted the folder from there. After that, I was able to make the registry edits in Windows. I think the program runs in the background and based on the amount of registry stuff that needed deleted, I think it might run a few different processes or something, which is why I was getting errors that files were in use even after ending a few processes in TM. My guess is that if someone does not have another OS to boot into (or a live USB), they will need to find a way to kill all the tasks related to the program.

    Reply
    LC
    Luis Andres Cobar Mar 3, 2021

    i cant find the folder, in the task mananger, in the code lane says this: “C:/Program” Files(x86)/Lavasoft/Web Companion….
    what should i do?

    Reply
      MZ
      Muhammad Zubyan Author Mar 5, 2021

      Open Task Manager and then right-click on Web Companion process and press “Go to Details” then click “Open file location” once the location is opened, Go to Task Manager and end any process related to Web Companion. Then head over to the folder, find the “uninstall.exe” and run it. If you can’t able to find it. Simply delete all the files present in that folder.

      Reply
        MS
        Mia Stojak Oct 16, 2021

        Have the same issue, but in task manager I can’t right click and press “Go to Details” because it can’t be clicked on.
        I can only Enable it(because i Disabled it) and search it online.

        Reply
    BB
    Brianna Boyce Jul 23, 2021

    I was able to delete it using the programs and features panel, I can’t find any Lavasoft files left anywhere.

    Reply
      MZ
      Muhammad Zubyan Author Jul 24, 2021

      Then you are good to go.

      Reply
    TS
    Tanish Singh Jul 30, 2021

    So, this came bundled with “BitTorrent”, and as im a geeky guy, i searched on the internet about what the app “Web Companion” by “Lavasoft” really is, i quicly knew after reading that it was unwanted malware on my pc, older versions of this didnt have a “Uninstaller”, but newer versions apparanty have a Uninstaller, but i really didnt believe the uninstaller to straight away, just remove everything, so i went on an expedition in the registry and the file manager to look for left over files, and to my surprise, i found almost none left over files and registry keys, i tried to search “Web Companion”, “webcompanion” and even “Lavasoft”, but i only found the files that instructed the program to start on Startup, i was losing hope, but eventually, a malicious registry key popped up, inside “HKEY/LOCALMACHINE/…/Lavasoft” named, “Track User data to Show relevent ads”, for which the value was set to 1, i was like, “Gotcha, you cant run from me”, i found like 3 more keys like those, and I was happy that i was able to remove it completely.

    Reply
    UG
    Ugne Sep 28, 2021

    Could not delete the Lavasoft folder in C:Program Files (x86), it kept saying that the folder is in use, but web companion isn’t visible on task manager or program list. After a few attempts I managed to delete most of the registry files, but one still remains, it’s named “Default” and the type states “REG_SZ”. Please help!

    Reply
      MZ
      Muhammad Zubyan Author Sep 29, 2021

      You will have to download a 3rd party tool in order to get the permissions then. It’s a small tool that basically allows you to open files with all permissions. Follow these steps:-

      (Warning: With great power comes great responsibility, please don’t use this app to run any other program otherwise there will be some serious permissions issues or if the program is any sort of virus it can infect your computer with full permission. Also, setting up your registry incorrectly can cause instability in your computer. Please make a restore point before making any of these changes we won’t be responsible for any damage done to your computer.).

      1. Download NSudo from this link: https://sudo.to/2mw
      2. Once the NSudo is downloaded. Boot into Safe mode: https://appuals.com/how-to-start-windows-10-in-safe-mode/
      3. Now once you are booted into safe mode. Simply right-click on NSudo and run it as administrator.
      4. Now make sure the selected user is “TrustedInstaller” and the “Enable all privileges” option is checked.
      5. Now type “Regedit” and press “Run”.
      6. Once you have done that you should have the Regedit window opened with all the permissions.
      7. Simply do all the steps provided in the article and your issue should be resolved.

      Let me know how it goes for you so we can add this method to the article as well. Thank you!

      Reply
        ZK
        Zigurds Kleins Nov 10, 2021

        Hey! Soory for a late reply, but i did EVERYTHING you write, but it still didn’t delete “Default”..thing… any other tips, maybe? Thanks

        Reply
          MZ
          Muhammad Zubyan Author Nov 15, 2021

          Are you getting any errors when deleting that specific folder? Also, if the program stopped working and it’s not running now you should probably ignore the file.

          MA
          Matt Sep 14, 2022

          This man is trying to have you download another virus.

          MZ
          Muhammad Zubyan Author Sep 16, 2022

          What makes you think that NSudo is a virus?

    PA
    Pascualoso Apr 18, 2022

    Since I got a kind of a virus two days ago that turns usb drives “read only/write protected” or changes external hdd’s format from NTFS to RAW (I’m not sure about this but it was so much coincidence that that happened the same day/moment). And I decided to get rid of some things including this software I got long time ago and this was the “goodbye” message while I was uninstalling:

    “We are sorry for your departure. We took care of your pc until now without you noticed (that was true, lol). Pity, but you have to continue alone”

    ¡Savage!
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a2b575804481fc19db7559d5ccbae3c072a77beaf0cc3962b9e34c7c1645987b.jpg

    Reply
    SG
    Some guy Jul 6, 2023

    Thank you for your efforts in writing this. Helped me a lot.

    Reply
    LM
    Logical Me Oct 17, 2023

    This help me a lot because my antivirus found this folder in my pc and i was scared i quarantine it then deleted but with research it talked about the Malware being difficult to remove so i followed the step and I (hopefully) fully deleted it. Thanks man!!

    Reply