What is Wave Browser? Is it a virus?

Surely you have the browser installed on your computer and smartphone. You use it to surf the web, work, communicate with others, and more.

But there are significant differences between browsers. Some put speed and convenience first, some focus on privacy, while others can only be used for specialized tasks. And some browsers are potentially malicious, like the Wave browser.

Is Wave browser safe?

On the official website, the Wave browser is advertised as a unique alternative to mainstream software that ensures "anonymity of your data" and offers a personalized experience for users. The website states: 'Not only do we not pass your data on to third parties, we don't even store it ourselves '.

Wave is available on Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS. It can be found on Google Play and the App store, which means it has passed the requirements of these platforms in terms of functionality and security. But this does not guarantee that Wave browser is safe. So is it a computer virus or malware?

Wave Browser is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP). As the term suggests, PUPs are not inherently malicious in nature. However, they can exhibit certain behaviors that are directly or indirectly harmful: Showing unwanted ads, slowing down the user's device, collecting too much data, etc.

If you happen to have the Wave browser on your device, chances are you didn't install it on purpose - it probably came bundled with other software. That's usually how these unwanted programs appear on the device. Your antivirus software may not be able to detect Wave so you download and install it. During the installation process, it may have tricked you into checking some boxes that you shouldn't have, allowing it to import data and become your default browser.

On the other hand, you might not even notice anything suspicious right away. After all, Wave is really a browser. In fact, it is based on Chromium, the open source web browser project that serves as the foundation for Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and several other similar products. But you will find that you are being bombarded with annoying ads, including pop-ups. You'll also notice that you're not shown relevant search results, but are only shown ads or links to websites unrelated to the keywords you entered.

Precisely because Wave will not display the most relevant search results but rather lead you to websites that pay for advertising, you may encounter shady websites, including those containing software toxic. In other words, although Wave itself is not malware, it can redirect you to phishing websites or malicious programs, jeopardizing your security and privacy. .

So is Wave browser safe? Obviously, the answer is no. While this may not be a virus or malware, it is definitely a program you do not want on your device. Wave will serve annoying ads and display irrelevant search results, and at worst, significantly compromise your security.

How to remove Wave browser from device

What is Wave Browser? Is it a virus? Picture 1

If you accidentally installed Wave on your iPhone or Android phone, you can remove it like any other app. On Android, press and hold the Wave app, then select Uninstall > OK . If you're using an iPhone, press and hold the Wave browser icon until a pop-up menu appears, then select Remove App and confirm.

If you have a Mac, you can delete the Wave browser in a few minutes. Click the Finder icon and navigate to Applications (upper left corner in the menu). Right click on the Wave browser and select Move to bin . Empty the trash and run a malware scan.

On Windows, the process is a bit more complicated. Like most PUPs, Wave browser cannot be uninstalled like a regular program. If you try to remove it the normal way, through Control Panel for example, it will most likely reappear. That means you need to manually delete all files related to Wave.

How to delete Wave browser on Windows

1. Click the Windows icon on the taskbar and type "apps". Select Add or remove programs or Apps & features (or similar, depending on your version of Windows). Find Wave browser in the list of installed software and click Uninstall .
2. Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the menu. Through the Processes tab , find everything related to Wave. When you find a browser-related process, right-click on it and select Open file location , then delete all files in the folder. If you don't see this option, click End task .
3. After you finish all Wave-related processes, navigate to the Startup tab in Task Manager. Locate and disable all items related to the Wave browser.
4. In the fourth step, you need to remove Wave from the Windows Registry. Search for "Registry Editor" in the search bar, then launch the tool. Delete files related to Wave browser.
5. After doing all of the above, you should run a malware scan to ensure Wave browser has been completely removed. Download a free antivirus suite if you don't already have one.

This doesn't always happen, but it's possible that Wave has infiltrated your regular browser, changed settings, and installed suspicious extensions or add-ons. If you believe this is the case, it is best to restart your browser to its default settings. In any case, you should consider switching to another secure and private browser.

Jessica Tanner

Update 19 October 2023