DownTango

Posted by Lisa Blanc on May 3, 2016

What is DownTango?

DownTango is a potentially unwanted program. This means that this application may exhibit particular behavioral patterns that are considered undesirable by many users and security specialists alike. For the most part, the main complaint related to this application is that it enters target systems secretly. That is not exactly the case and we will be covered in the further paragraphs, but the point is that usually users do not want to have this program, and it just seems to appear on their computers out of nowhere. When you do not want a program, it is only natural to remove it. test test

Where does DownTango come from?

Potentially unwanted programs often have their own official websites that emphasizes the impression you are dealing with legitimate applications. However, it is far more likely that such programs reach your computer in software packages. What’s more, quite often these so-called “official” websites do not even work properly.

For example, take ww1.downtango.com. This was supposed to be the main homepage for this application, but our research shows the site is no longer available. Nevertheless, the program is still being distributed, and users still complain that they find DownTango on their computers, so what is going on?

Our researchers at anti-spyware-101.com have found that this program comes with Certified-Toolbar.com. This program itself may be considered a browser hijacker or a potentially unwanted toolbar that modifies your browser settings without your permission. As they like to say, it never rains, but it pours, so when you have to deal with one unwanted program, chances are you will have to deal with several of them.

What does DownTango do?

DownTango works as a browser extension, and it is compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. The application is supposed to help users download “certain computer programs and files,” as it says in its EULA. In other words, it is a download manager that turns (or at least should turn) your browser into a download device.

However, we are not too sure about the program’s functions and whether it really lives up to its promises. Not to mention that it usually appears in computers without permission, and you definitely should not tolerate that.

What’s more, we believe that the program may expose your personally non-identifiable information to corrupted third parties. Albeit the application’s EULA states that “DownTango does not show pop-ups or collect users’ personal data,” we would like to point out that the program is powered by Red Sky. Red Sky, on the other hand, is known to use cookies and IP tracking. Therefore, even if the program does not monitor your online activities directly, third parties can still track what websites you visit and so on. It exposes particular security vulnerabilities that should not be ignored.

We have to remember that in the worst-case scenario cyber criminals could make use of these vulnerabilities to distribute malware or steal your personal information. Albeit that is a very far-fetched idea, and DownTango is more of a nuisance than an actual computer threat, you should take all the potential development options into account.

How do I remove DownTango?

We are sure that you want to delete DownTango already because this program is extremely annoying, and you did not even want to have on your system. After all, this is why you are reading this article, right? Luckily, you can uninstall the application via Control Panel. When you do that, do not forget to terminate all the other programs that might have been installed on your PC with this one. If you need any help in identifying the potential threats, scan your system with an automatic security tool.

Also, please keep in mind that this program leaves some junk files in your system when you remove it. You will have to get rid of those files yourself, and we will tell you how to do it. Simply follow the instructions below and everything will be okay. On the other hand, if you do not believe you can go on with that, please leave us a comment and we will be there to assist you. Finally, you can always terminate junk files with a computer security application that would also safeguard your PC against similar intruders in the future.

Manual DownTango Removal

Windows 10 & Windows 8.1

Press Win+R and type Control Panel into the Open box.
Click OK and go to Uninstall a program.
Highlight the program you want to remove and click Uninstall.

Windows Vista & Windows 7

Click the Start menu and open Control Panel.
Go to Uninstall a program and remove the unwanted application.

Windows XP

Open the Start menu and navigate to Control Panel.
Select Add or remove programs and uninstall the application.

Delete the Junk Files

Press Win+R and type regedit into the Open box.
Click OK and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ApprovedExtensionsMigration.
Delete the following keys:
{8d3ec233-b92d-4187-a506-284127cfba2d}
{b52d0735-ec19-448a-abde-e01b5bd275d2}
Close Registry Editor and press Win+R again.
Type %PROGRAMFILES(x86)% into the Open box and click OK.
Delete the Red Sky folder and all of its contents.
Press Win+R again and type %PROGRAMFILES%. Click OK.
Delete the Red Sky folder in the directory.
Press Win+R again and type %LOCALAPPDATA% into the Open box.
Press Enter and locate the DownTango folder.
Delete the folder and exit the directory.