HdTrack

Another deceptive application that relies on questionable tactics such as bundling for its distribution predominantly has been caught by infosec researchers. The application in question is named HdTrack, and the displayed behavior classifies it as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program). PUPs rarely perform the useful actions they proclaim to have. Instead, they are more prone to monetizing their presence on the system via intrusive adware or browser hijacker functionality. HdTrack is capable of both.

The application will begin generating monetary gains for its creators by delivering unwanted advertisements to the user's Mac system. The advertisements themselves may take various forms - pop-ups, banners, surveys, etc. and could be injected into the sights visited by the users, in an attempt to appear as if they originate from there. Naturally, advertisements coming from such dubious sources should not be trusted, as they could lead to shady sites running online tactics, phishing schemes and more.

The user's Web browser also will be affected by HdTrack significantly. By having browser hijacker capabilities, the application will take over certain browser settings to create as much artificial traffic towards a sponsored address as possible. Typically, the targeted settings include the homepage, new tab page and the default search engine. In the vast majority of cases, these browser hijackers are tasked with promoting fake search engines. Users should keep in mind that the intrusive actions performed by PUPs also may include data-tracking. Various browsing information (search history, browsing history, clicked URLs) alongside numerous device details (IP address, browser model, geolocation, ISP and more) could be packaged and then transmitted to a remote server.