Magic-Bar

The Magic-Bar browser extension from Magic-bar.net is deemed as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) that is designed to change your new tab page and collect non-personally identifiable data about your online activity. The Magic-Bar software is revealed to exchange data with ad servers and help marketers deliver better-suited ads on pages you load in the browser. The Magic-Bar program can be installed on Google Chrome from Chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/magic-bar/kjboejmbgkediploadlbcfcckbcfnphf and it includes a built-in search bar that redirects users to Google.com/search?q=[KEYWORD]&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=RPLMWee6Ksmza_D4tfgF, which may contain sponsored content generated via Magic-Bar. Computer security researchers add that the Magic-Bar browser extension from Magic-bar.net has several clones, which were found on pages that are registered to the 109.236.89.43 and the 198.105.208.116 IP addresses. The following extensions are identical to Magic-Bar regarding the changes made to the browser and appearance of the official page:

• 'Playbar' Chrome Extension by Playbar.biz found on Chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/playbar/nnomifcpfjadbbfbgbjckcoaigmagjik
• 'Solo-Bar' Chrome Extension by Solo-bar.net found on Chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/solo-bar/nglcnlakhnofglledajkgkgpinmdhogi
• 'Web-Bar' Chrome Extension by Web-bar.biz found on Chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/web-bar/nfcebimaikecjkklbiednpkalkkahlig
• 'Work-Bar' Chrome Extension by Work-bar.biz found on Chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/work-bar/hofngijjpilmembpgefopjcfiimkdkhi

Every version of Magic-Bar listed above appears to require the following privileges as seen on the 'Add to Chrome' installation pop-up:

• Read and change all your data on [associated site] and querry.yahooapis.com.
• Replace the page you see when opening a new tab.

PC users who add Magic-Bar (a.k.a. Playbar; Solo-Bar; Web-Bar) to their Internet client should notice that their default new tab page loads an offline page provided by Magic-Bar and the URL bar says something like 'chrome-extension://[RANDOM CHARACTERS]/newtab.html.' The new tab by Magic-Bar features a minimalistic layout, a clock in the upper left corner, a weather forecast in the top right corner and a drop-down menu that allows you to change the background color of the page choosing from twenty-two pre-generated colors. There are no quick launch options, and you can't add shortcuts. As mentioned above, Magic-Bar and its variants are programs that may collect data such as your browsing history, search terms, and time spent online to help marketers deliver targeted promotional materials via a custom version of Google.com. PC users who are not satisfied with the performance of Magic-Bar (a.k.a. Playbar; Solo-Bar; Web-Bar) might want to remove it using a credible anti-spyware utility.