back to article Zombie browser with evil past returns from the grave

A rogue browser package has re-appeared online years after security researchers thought it was gone for good. Yapbrowser first appeared in 2006, inciting marks to use what was touted as a full-function web browser client. In reality, the software was jammed packed with adware from notorious (now defunct) outfit Zango. Users …

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  1. Arbuthnot Darjeeling
    Happy

    Yapbrowser

    the obvious upgrade from IE6?

  2. Captain Scarlet Silver badge
    Unhappy

    Oh dear what next

    Will someone reupload old versions of Hotbar?

    1. defiler

      Comet Cursor!!

      Wouldn't that just be great?!

  3. BristolBachelor Gold badge
    Joke

    "Your computer will be free from viruses breeding online"

    So they should install this on all the gaming^H^H^H^H^H Predator rigs?

  4. dephormation.org.uk
    Black Helicopters

    Fascinating Fact

    Zango, Phorm, and CellCrypt (the firm at the centre of Dr Liam Fox present woes) all inhabited Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London.

    Which is an extraordinary co-incidence... all that spyware under one roof.

    1. The Jase

      "MWB Regent Street Liberty House 222 Regent Street London W1B 5TR"

      Serviced offices, that would be why.

  5. I'm Brian and so's my wife
    Unhappy

    Forlorn hope?

    Is it too much to hope that the only people who'll download this will be security researchers installing it on VMs to see what it does?

  6. Bernard M. Orwell
    Big Brother

    Furthermore, that building appears to be owned by the crown estates, which is a firm operated on behalf of the Government...

  7. DrXym

    Let me guess

    The "browser" will simply be an spyware infested shell surrounding an embedded IE control. Of course perhaps they've gotten with the times and it's actually an spyware infested shell surrounding an embedded webkit or gecko engine.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Exactly

    I read much the same report here -

    http://iheardacouplethings.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-ba-ack.html

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    But like; what does the current browser /do/ ?

    The only thing I hear the reporter talking about is how the browser used to redirect people to "disturbing contents" and as such got pulled off.

    But what does it do now?

    It looks to me as if he's obsessed with the past. I mean, he starts saying how the site promises "your computer will be free from virusses breeding onlne...".

    But when I look at "yapbrowser.com" all I see is: "We can assure you that YapBrowser does not contain any hidden spy-ware, ad-ware or any harmful applications.

    We will of course be regularly checking the software and updating. Read More.."

    No where do I see any promises of my computer being kept free from virusses.

    And while the author has shown us how the browsers uses "yapsearch" as its starting page; what more does it do? Does it still redirect people to obscure websites; the reason it got pulled from the Net in the first place?

    Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't be careful here. But we also shouldn't start trashing a product solely based on what it used to be.

    So what exactly is the problem with the current brand ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      What's the point of the current version?

      In the best of cases you can browse like it's 2004...

  10. Framitz

    Scum tends to float

    So it resurfaces every few years to try and lure in more victims. And it surely will draw in more suckers without changing anything.

    I was fighting crap like this for my company years ago, before most people recognized it for what it is.... bad news.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    All the same guy by the look of it.

    Phil seems to be a busy boy.

    The same phone number is registered to Yapbrowser.com, searchwebme.com and myallsearch.com.

    searchwebme.com is / was registered to a different address in Pollard Road, Whetstone N20 but has the same phone contact details, so I guess he moved house at some point.

    Myallsearch claims to be operated by Myallsearch Search and Media Inc. but Co. House has no record of a company by that name.

    Search Web me makes the same claim and has the same EULA when you click through the help link.

    Yapbrowser.com has had it's DNS registration transferred to a bucket list NS1-BANNED-FOR-ABUSE-AND-SPAM and appears to be off line again.

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