Sports-blast
Threat Scorecard
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecard
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards are assessment reports for different malware threats which have been collected and analyzed by our research team. EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards evaluate and rank threats using several metrics including real-world and potential risk factors, trends, frequency, prevalence, and persistence. EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards are updated regularly based on our research data and metrics and are useful for a wide range of computer users, from end users seeking solutions to remove malware from their systems to security experts analyzing threats.
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards display a variety of useful information, including:
Ranking: The ranking of a particular threat in EnigmaSoft’s Threat Database.
Severity Level: The determined severity level of an object, represented numerically, based on our risk modeling process and research, as explained in our Threat Assessment Criteria.
Infected Computers: The number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular threat detected on infected computers as reported by SpyHunter.
See also Threat Assessment Criteria.
| Ranking: | 6,057 |
| Threat Level: | 50 % (Medium) |
| Infected Computers: | 877 |
| First Seen: | January 25, 2019 |
| Last Seen: | September 18, 2023 |
| OS(es) Affected: | Windows |
Sports-blast claims that it will help sports fans find relevant news about their favorite sport faster and in a more convenient way. Unfortunately, the application turns out to be little more than just another browser hijacker and an intrusive PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program). The true goal of the application is to take control of the user's Web browser and use it to generate artificial traffic towards a promoted page.
In the case of Sports-blast, it promotes its own fake search engine at sports-blast.xyz. The address will be set as the browser's new homepage, new tab page, and default search engine. Whenever users start the affected browsers, open a new tab, or run a search via the URL bar, it would take them to the promoted page.
Fake engines are classified as such, due to the fact that they lack the ability to conduct searches. In most cases, the initiated user searches will instead be redirected to another, legitimate engine, such as Yahoo, Bing or Google. Sports-blast.xyz has been observed to deliver results from Bing.
However, users should keep in mind that such fake engines also could be used to promote dubious pages or various sponsored advertisements. Furthermore, PUPs are known for being extremely intrusive. These applications could be tracking your browsing activities, as well as harvesting data and details about the device. In the most dangerous cases, the PUP could be able to extract sensitive payment details saved in the browser. The information could include banking details or credit/debit card numbers.
