What is CommonShare?
The Malwarebytes research team has determined that CommonShare is a browser hijacker. These so-called "hijackers" alter your startpage or searchscopes so that the effected browser visits their site or one of their choice. This one also displays advertisements.
How do I know if my computer is effected by CommonShare?
This is how the first screen of the installer looks:

And you may see these toolbars/add-ons:


or this entry in your list of installed programs:

How did CommonShare get on my computer?
Browser hijackers use different methods for distributing themselves. This particular one was bundled with other software.
How do I remove CommonShare?
Our program Malwarebytes Anti-Malware can detect and remove this potentially unwanted application.
- Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to your desktop.
- Double-click mbam-setup-version.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
- At the end, be sure a check-mark is placed next to the following:
- Enable free trial of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium
- Launch Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
- Then click Finish.
- If an update is found, you will be prompted to download and install the latest version.
- Once the program has loaded, select Scan now. Or select the Threat Scan from the Scan menu.
- When the scan is complete , make sure that everything is set to "Quarantine", and click Apply Actions.
- Reboot your computer if prompted.
- No, but for a full removal of the Firefox add-on you will need Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.00 beta or newer.
We hope our application and this guide have helped you eradicate this hijacker.
As you can see below the full version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware would have protected you against the CommonShare hijacker. It would have warned you before the browser helper object could install itself, giving you a chance to stop it before it became too late.
Signs in a HijackThis log:
O2 - BHO: CommonShare - {b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234} - C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonSharebho.dll O23 - Service: Update CommonShare - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\CommonShare\updateCommonShare.exeAlterations made by the installer:
File system details --------------------------------------------- Adds the folder C:\Program Files\CommonShare Adds the file 7za.exe"="7/9/2014 3:21 AM, 536064 bytes, A Adds the file CommonShare.ico"="7/9/2014 8:58 PM, 1150 bytes, A Adds the file CommonShareBHO.dll"="7/9/2014 8:58 PM, 249632 bytes, A Adds the file CommonShareUninstall.exe"="7/16/2014 2:26 PM, 240376 bytes, A Adds the file updateCommonShare.exe"="7/9/2014 8:58 PM, 318752 bytes, A Adds the file updateCommonShare.InstallState"="7/16/2014 2:26 PM, 5012 bytes, A In the existing folder C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\6qeoodjs.default-1401006518835\extensions Adds the file {e4a6645a-3f85-4e1f-aa41-8367978844db}.xpi"="7/9/2014 8:58 PM, 8905 bytes, A Registry details ------------------------------------------ [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{1AA60054-57D9-4F99-9A55-D0FBFBE7ECD3}] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "92099177-55D5-446D-A5AD-25583F1FC74C" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{4AA46D49-459F-4358-B4D1-169048547C23}] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "66D15FDA-25CA-4F87-8BBA-033E23979A47" "id"="REG_SZ", "148" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234}] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "CommonShare" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234}\InprocServer32] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonSharebho.dll" "ThreadingModel"="REG_SZ", "Apartment" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234}\Programmable] [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234}\TypeLib] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "{80c3a7e3-bbf6-43e7-aa65-62fc66978e84}" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234}\Version] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "1.0" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{DCF89027-5BE4-49D0-8D9D-4EBCAC3B5E00}] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "ICommonShareBHO" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{DCF89027-5BE4-49D0-8D9D-4EBCAC3B5E00}\ProxyStubClsid] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "{00020424-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{DCF89027-5BE4-49D0-8D9D-4EBCAC3B5E00}\ProxyStubClsid32] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "{00020424-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{DCF89027-5BE4-49D0-8D9D-4EBCAC3B5E00}\TypeLib] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "{80C3A7E3-BBF6-43E7-AA65-62FC66978E84}" "Version"="REG_SZ", "1.0" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\TypeLib\{80C3A7E3-BBF6-43E7-AA65-62FC66978E84}\1.0] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "CommonShareIEClientLib" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\TypeLib\{80C3A7E3-BBF6-43E7-AA65-62FC66978E84}\1.0\0\win32] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonSharebho.dll" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\TypeLib\{80C3A7E3-BBF6-43E7-AA65-62FC66978E84}\1.0\FLAGS] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "0" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\TypeLib\{80C3A7E3-BBF6-43E7-AA65-62FC66978E84}\1.0\HELPDIR] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "C:\Program Files\CommonShare" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CommonShare] "iid"="REG_SZ", "def_CommonShare" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CommonShare\Chrome] "sgc"="REG_SZ", "true" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CommonShare\Firefox] "sff"="REG_SZ", "false" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CommonShare\Internet Explorer] "sie"="REG_SZ", "false" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\updateCommonShare_RASAPI32] "ConsoleTracingMask"="REG_DWORD", -65536 "EnableConsoleTracing"="REG_DWORD", 0 "EnableFileTracing"="REG_DWORD", 0 "FileDirectory"="REG_EXPAND_SZ, "%windir%\tracing" "FileTracingMask"="REG_DWORD", -65536 "MaxFileSize"="REG_DWORD", 1048576 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\updateCommonShare_RASMANCS "ConsoleTracingMask"="REG_DWORD", -65536 "EnableConsoleTracing"="REG_DWORD", 0 "EnableFileTracing"="REG_DWORD", 0 "FileDirectory"="REG_EXPAND_SZ, "%windir%\tracing" "FileTracingMask"="REG_DWORD", -65536 "MaxFileSize"="REG_DWORD", 1048576 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234}] "(Default)"="REG_SZ", "CommonShare" "NoExplorer"="REG_DWORD", 1 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\CommonShare] "DisplayIcon"="REG_SZ", "C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonShare.ico" "DisplayName"="REG_SZ", "CommonShare" "DisplayVersion"="REG_SZ", "2014.07.09.185238" "EstimatedSize"="REG_DWORD", 1084 "HelpLink"="REG_SZ", "mailto:[email protected]" "InstallLocation"="REG_SZ", "C:\Program Files\CommonShare" "InstallTime"="REG_SZ", "2014-07-16 14:26:09" "NoModify"="REG_DWORD", 1 "NoRepair"="REG_DWORD", 1 "Publisher"="REG_SZ", "CommonShare" "QuietUninstallString"="REG_SZ", "C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonShareuninstall.exe /S" "UninstallString"="REG_SZ", "C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonShareuninstall.exe" "URLInfoAbout"="REG_SZ", "http://commonshare.net/support" "URLUpdateInfo"="REG_SZ", "http://commonshare.net" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Update CommonShare] "DisplayName"="REG_SZ", "Update CommonShare" "ErrorControl"="REG_DWORD", 1 "FailureActions"="REG_BINARY, ...................... "ImagePath"="REG_EXPAND_SZ, ""C:\Program Files\CommonShare\updateCommonShare.exe"" "ObjectName"="REG_SZ", "LocalSystem" "Start"="REG_DWORD", 2 "Type"="REG_DWORD", 16 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CommonShare] "id"="REG_SZ", "2014-07-16 14:26:09" "iid"="REG_SZ", "def_CommonShare" "is"="REG_SZ", "def_CommonShare" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CommonShare\Chrome] "ug"="REG_SZ", "1BA33F72-E4B2-4BA8-921D-C57475FC59B3" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CommonShare\Firefox] "ug"="REG_SZ", "79D5D865-59C6-430F-B7D1-649E201F249C" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CommonShare\Internet Explorer] "ug"="REG_SZ", "BE1FC5C1-9088-4FA0-B25C-7B2F820DBE2B" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Approved Extensions] "{B0022D3C-CA81-4A57-BA00-31650A761234}"="REG_BINARY, ............ [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Settings\{B0022D3C-CA81-4A57-BA00-31650A761234}] "Flags"="REG_DWORD", 1024 "VerCache"="REG_BINARY, ......................Malwarebytes Anti-Malware log:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware www.malwarebytes.org Scan Date: 7/16/2014 Scan Time: 2:31:18 PM Logfile: mbamCommonShare.txt Administrator: Yes Version: 2.00.2.1012 Malware Database: v2014.07.16.03 Rootkit Database: v2014.07.14.01 License: Free Malware Protection: Disabled Malicious Website Protection: Disabled Self-protection: Disabled OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 CPU: x86 File System: NTFS User: Malwarebytes Scan Type: Threat Scan Result: Completed Objects Scanned: 240911 Time Elapsed: 2 min, 46 sec Memory: Enabled Startup: Enabled Filesystem: Enabled Archives: Enabled Rootkits: Disabled Heuristics: Enabled PUP: Enabled PUM: Enabled Processes: 1 PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare\updateCommonShare.exe, 3384, Delete-on-Reboot, [5ed50997c6b5f343296c158612ef51af] Modules: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Keys: 12 PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\Update CommonShare, Quarantined, [5ed50997c6b5f343296c158612ef51af], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\{b0022d3c-ca81-4a57-ba00-31650a761234}, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\TYPELIB\{80c3a7e3-bbf6-43e7-aa65-62fc66978e84}, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\INTERFACE\{DCF89027-5BE4-49D0-8D9D-4EBCAC3B5E00}, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER\BROWSER HELPER OBJECTS\{B0022D3C-CA81-4A57-BA00-31650A761234}, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4016700205-1717049133-1125222536-1001-{ED1FC765-E35E-4C3D-BF15-2C2B11260CE4}-0\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXT\SETTINGS\{B0022D3C-CA81-4A57-BA00-31650A761234}, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4016700205-1717049133-1125222536-1001-{ED1FC765-E35E-4C3D-BF15-2C2B11260CE4}-0\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXT\STATS\{B0022D3C-CA81-4A57-BA00-31650A761234}, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\{B0022D3C-CA81-4A57-BA00-31650A761234}\INPROCSERVER32, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.BrowseFox.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\{4AA46D49-459F-4358-B4D1-169048547C23}, Quarantined, [082b3b652f4c64d271d23d50a75b8779], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\UNINSTALL\CommonShare, Quarantined, [48eb0997453642f4f41e8b3138ca44bc], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKLM\SOFTWARE\CommonShare, Quarantined, [8ba81b85fb80f046e72cebd124de8878], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4016700205-1717049133-1125222536-1001-{ED1FC765-E35E-4C3D-BF15-2C2B11260CE4}-0\SOFTWARE\CommonShare, Quarantined, [55de653b0972f6409e76fbc15fa337c9], Registry Values: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Data: 0 (No malicious items detected) Folders: 1 PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare, Delete-on-Reboot, [48eb0997453642f4f41e8b3138ca44bc], Files: 8 PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare\updateCommonShare.exe, Delete-on-Reboot, [5ed50997c6b5f343296c158612ef51af], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonShareBHO.dll, Quarantined, [c66ddec297e42115cbc9f0ab58a912ee], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Users\{username}\Desktop\CommonShare.exe, Quarantined, [9e95d1cf4a31f4423a5b8516a061c33d], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonShare.ico, Quarantined, [48eb0997453642f4f41e8b3138ca44bc], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare\7za.exe, Quarantined, [48eb0997453642f4f41e8b3138ca44bc], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare\CommonShareUninstall.exe, Quarantined, [48eb0997453642f4f41e8b3138ca44bc], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Program Files\CommonShare\updateCommonShare.InstallState, Quarantined, [48eb0997453642f4f41e8b3138ca44bc], PUP.Optional.CommonShare.A, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\6qeoodjs.default-1401006518835\extensions\{e4a6645a-3f85-4e1f-aa41-8367978844db}.xpi, Quarantined, [84afd0d06c0fc373d048a11bc141956b], Physical Sectors: 0 (No malicious items detected) (end)As mentioned before the full version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware could have protected your computer against this threat.
We use different ways of protecting your computer(s):
- Dynamically Blocks Malware Sites & Servers
- Malware Execution Prevention