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WebWatcher

WebWatcher: When and how does a legitimate program become predatory?  WebWatcher can be used with the best intentions or the worst - is it installed on your computer?

What Is WebWatcher?

WebWatcher is a parental control software program.  It is designed to allow parents to monitor their children's online presence.  With WebWatcher installed in a computer, you can view every website the user visits, read every email they send or receive, see every instant message, take pictures of their screens, see every word they type, and monitor this all from a remote location.  It is marketed to parents who are concerned about their children's activities online.  For example, if your child goes into chat rooms, he/she may meet predators.  WebWatcher is designed to inform you of where your child is going, who he/she is talking to, what they're saying, and more.  In today's world, this can be beneficial as a safety device. 

The problem?  WebWatcher can just as easily be used to spy on people.  WebWatcher can be classified as surveillance tool with a high threat level to your computer and personal data.  Because WebWatcher can capture every keystroke, it is possible for your passwords, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and other sensitive information to be obtained by unscrupulous users with remote access.

How Do I Know if WebWatcher is Installed on My Computer?

A big selling point for parents who want to monitor their children's online activities is that WebWatcher is virtually undetectable once it is installed in a computer.  Kids are often more computer savvy than their parents, so WebWatcher is designed to be invisible.  It does not have any visible files, run as a service, or appear in lists of running processes.  It is also designed to bypass antivirus scans and firewalls so it does not trip any alarms.  Again, this is a benefit for parents, and law enforcement officials across the world have used this program because of its undetectable qualities.  

You may notice that your computer is running more slowly than usual.  But other than that, this program is almost impossible to detect.  This is one of the reasons why it is considered to be of very severe risk to your computer and your personal information.

What Risks Does WebWatcher Pose to Me and My Computer?

Every selling point touted by WebWatcher can potentially be used to exploit computer users.  For instance, this program has the ability to monitor a computer from anywhere, its hides itself, it can monitor laptops no matter where they go, and it has a "SmartCamera," which takes surveillance videos of everything done when specific programs are used.  Again, there are very legitimate and valid reasons why parents would need to know this information.  But on the other hand, there are also many reasons why it would be used to illicit purposes.  As mentioned above, this technology can be used to collect your sensitive personal and financial data. 

Also, the program is typically installed without the user of the computer's knowledge or permission.  It may potentially cause security risks by opening network connections, self-mutating, disabling security software, modifying system files, and installing additional malware.  Your computer's performance and stability may also be compromised.  WebWatcher can operate as a rootkit - which is a program that takes control of a computer system without the user's permission.

How Did I Get WebWatcher?

The answer to this question depends on your age group.  Teenagers usually have the program installed by their parents, who usually have only the best intentions and want to protect their children.  If WebWatcher has been installed on your computer as an adult, the installation probably was not so well-intentioned. 

WebWatcher has to be installed on your computer directly.  This is unlike rogue antivirus programs that can enter your system through Trojans you inadvertently pick up.  This can be done by parents, but also spouses, friends, and anyone who has access to your computer.  Once it is installed, the person who has installed it doesn't need to access your computer again.  They can monitor your activities from any computer. 

Can I Remove WebWatcher?

It is extremely difficult to remove WebWatcher from your computer.  You cannot remove it by using your add/remove utility because it won't even show up as present or running in your system.  Your current antivirus or security scan program will not be able to detect or remove it because WebWatcher has been designed to circumvent these standard protections.  It is also not possible to remove this program manually, as it is with rogue antivirus programs.  This is because it runs invisibly, meaning you will not be able to find associated files or registries to delete.  If you find some trace of WebWatcher and delete those files, the program will recreate itself and rebuild the files and directories.

So, what do you do if WebWatcher is installed in your system?  If you know who installed it, you can request they uninstall it.  But you won't really know if they comply or not.  According to many online reviews, contacting the manufacturer directly is not effective.  A safe, reliable method to remove WebWatcher is to purchase ParetoLogic's XoftSpySE . This product reliably removes every trace of WebWatcher, as well as any malware that has been installed in conjunction with it.  This will ensure that no damage is done to your system and that the program is eliminated from within it.  While WebWatcher can be a useful tool for parents, it is also potentially damaging to your system and personal information.

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