Guntony

Posted by Sarah Stewart on June 2, 2016

What is Guntony?

If you notice Guntony on your computer, you should be careful running your Google Chrome browser. As a matter of fact, this program was based on the Chromium engine; therefore, it can easily be mixed up with the real thing. Why is that a problem? Well, this application might redirect you to potentially risky websites and also introduce you to unreliable third-party ads. Since this software was built on a legitimate platform, our researchers at anti-spyware-101.com have classified it as a potentially unwanted program, i.e., a PUP. The applications that belong to this category do not usually mean great threat to your computer, but they can still cause certain security-related issues indirectly. This PUP, for instance, can sneak onto your computer together with malicious software installers. That is why its presence can indicate multiple system threats. Even if this infection cannot cause as much damage as a ransomware would, we recommend that you remove Guntony from your computer. Please let us tell you more about this PUP so that you understand our arguments with regard to the potential risks.

Where does Guntony come from?

Since our researchers did not manage to find any promotional website that could be an official source for the distribution of this PUP, there is only one major method how it may be spread on the net: software bundling. While this method was originally invented to distribute useful and reliable third-party tools and application together with legitimate free software, nowadays it is definitely one of the greatest tools in the hands of cyber criminals. Therefore, you need to be extra careful anytime you install a bundle to make sure that you are completely aware of the content you are about to let onto your computer.

You can end up with a malicious bundle if you visit questionable websites, including pornographic, freeware, gaming, and torrent pages. It is possible that you land on such a page by running a web search on a free program. Criminals use different tactics to make sure that their fake file-sharing and other malicious websites get shown on the first results page. If you click on the link of an unfamiliar site, you may easily be tricked to click on content on such a page that can drop a whole bundle of PUPs and malicious software installers onto your PC. If you are in doubt, you should delete Guntony and check your system for other infections.

How does Guntony work?

When this application is installed, it arbitrarily changes your Google Chrome shortcut Target line. This simply means that when you double-click on this shortcut, the fake Chrome browser, i.e., Guntony will start up instead. This can be quite misleading and possibly you will not even be able to notice the difference. Unfortunately, this PUP can load potentially unsafe websites as well as show you risky third-party ads. According to our researchers, engaging with any content provided by this application might lead to more infections. It is also possible that you get redirected to fake websites where you can be scammed by crooks. It often happens that unsuspecting users disclose their banking details, for instance. This could lead to losing money from your accounts. But sharing your personal details with criminals can also end very badly as your identity could be sold to other criminals and all kinds of fraud could be committed. If you do not want to experience any of these, you should not hesitate to remove Guntony from your system.

How can I delete Guntony?

In order to get rid of this messy PUP, first you should restore the Target line of your Google Chrome browser. Then, if you cannot find the uninstaller in Control Panel, you can try to uninstall Guntony by running “%PROGRAMFILES%\Guntony\Uninstall.exe.” Since it is possible that some registry entries and folders still remain on your system, we have prepared step-by-step manual instructions for you to help you weed out everything that you do not need. If you are not the manual type, you may wish to have an automated option. We suggest that you employ a reliable anti-malware program that automatically manages the protection of your PC anytime you switch it on.

Restore the Target line

Right-click on the Google Chrome browser shortcut on your desktop.
Select Properties and choose the General Tab.
Make sure that the Read-only box is unticked.
Click on the Shortcut tab.
Change the Target line to the path to the original chrome.exe file. Click OK.
Right-click on the shortcut on your Taskbar.
Right-click on the Google Chrome option at the bottom.
Repeat steps 2 to 5 to restore the Target line.

Remove Guntony from Windows

Tap Win+R and enter regedit. Click OK.
Delete these registry keys if you still find them in the Windows Registry:
Exit the registry editor.
Tap Win+E to launch File Explorer.
Look for the following folders and remove them:
Reboot your system.