The toolbar attempts to modify browser settings, it says

Jun 12, 2015 08:39 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has recently updated its security software with new features to detect apps that bundle search engine protection and change the default settings of the browser, thus preventing users from reverting to their original configuration, and it turns out that this new functionality has already made a victim.

The infamous Ask Toolbar is being detected as malware by Microsoft’s security apps, and the company says in an advisory posted on its official website that this browser modifier is often bundled in other programs and thus users could unknowingly install it.

But if you are running up-to-date Microsoft antivirus apps, that should no longer be a problem because the toolbar is blocked and cannot be installed.

“When another program attempts to change the home page, default search, or new tabs setting, older versions of this browser modifier displays the following warning that there have been changes in the Internet Explorer settings and attempts to revert you back to the Ask home page: Your search settings (home page and new tabs page) have been changed by another application,” Microsoft says in the advisory.

Latest version not considered malware

As part of the recent update for Security Essentials and Windows Defender that enables the blocking of unwanted browser add-ons changing settings automatically, Microsoft explained that it wanted to work together with developers of such software to make sure that their products do not get blocked by its new filters.

And it turns out that the company indeed got in touch with the Ask.com developers, because in the same advisory, the company states that “the latest version of this application is not detected by our objective criteria and is not considered unwanted software.”

In other words, if you’re downloading the latest version of the Ask.com taskbar or any other app that has this version bundled into its setup files, you should be on the safe side and no warning should be triggered by Microsoft’s security software.