What is CastVPN?
If you have downloaded CastVPN hoping to watch your favorite TV series for free, you might not know it yet, but you actually got more than you bargained for. Unfortunately, you are not the winner in this situation. The application is very intrusive, and it appears that it can be used to record incredibly sensitive information about the user and their system and browser. Speaking of browsers, while the application can be downloaded onto any Windows operating system, there is an extension that is compatible with the Google Chrome web browser only. In fact, at the time of research, this extension was the only thing that could be downloaded because the official website (castvpn.com) promoting the application was down. Anti-Spyware-101.com research does not recommend installing any version of the potentially unwanted program (PUP), and if you have installed it already, we have a few tips that will help you remove it. If you are not sure why you should delete CastVPN in the first place, continue reading.
Hoes does CastVPN work?
If you have downloaded CastVPN, you must know something about this strange program already. Of course, most users focus on the features of the software they install, and this PUP promises a free VPN (Virtual Private Network) service. However, it is just as important to take a deeper look. For example, have you reviewed the Privacy Policy? If you downloaded the PUP from its official website, you definitely had the chance to do this. Of course, if you had done it, it is unlikely that you would have gone through with the installation. Here is an excerpt from the castvpn.com/privacy statement, and it might make you want to remove CastVPN as soon as possible.
The Personal Information we collect and retain include your IP address, your name and email address, identifying documents (driver license/ID/passport), office/home address, screen name, payment and billing information or other information we may ask from time to time as will be required for the on-boarding process and services provisioning.
Do you know enough about the creator of CastVPN to trust them with that kind of information? Do you trust them to handle your passport number, full name, home address, and other sensitive information appropriately? Our research team is certainly not so sure about it. And that is not even the only thing that you need to worry about. The process that the PUP uses is basically invisible and starts with the Windows operating system. According to our malware experts, you cannot opt-out of this feature. This is definitely very suspicious. If CastVPN was not trying to hide anything, why would it be trying to conceal its own process? While the Chrome extension is not hidden, the cookies used by the PUP are not visible per se. Of course, no web cookie is, but you need to be very cautious about any trackers capable of recording highly sensitive information, and we know that the ones employed by the PUP can be highly intrusive.
How to delete CastVPN
Our malware researchers have analyzed CastVPN and figured out the easiest way to eliminate it from the operating system and the Chrome web browser. Luckily, you do not need to worry about any leftovers when you uninstall the PUP using the instructions below. When it comes to the extension, we suggest clearing the browsing data once you remove CastVPN browser extension. Is this the only option you have? Of course, it is not. You can also use an anti-malware program. This option is ideal for those who are dealing with other potentially undesirable programs or even malware as well. If the PUP was downloaded using a software bundle, it is possible that malicious threats were attached to it, and even if you do not suspect threats to exist, inspecting your system with a malware scanner is a good idea. An anti-malware program can also help you keep the system protected against malware and PUPs in the future, and so we definitely recommend installing it.
Removal Guide
- Open the Start menu (via the Start menu or the search field (for Windows 10 users) on the Taskbar).
- Navigate to the Programs menu and click Uninstall a program (go to the Add or Remove Programs menu on Windows XP).
- Find the undesirable application, select/right-click it, and choose Uninstall/Remove.
- Open Google Chrome and enter chrome://extensions into the address bar.
- Remove the undesirable extension.
- Enter chrome://settings/clearBrowserData into the address bar.
- Choose the time range and boxes and then click Clear data.
If you have questions about this removal process, do not hesitate to reach out to our malware experts and researchers via the comments section below.
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