What is MediaCaster by Ask?

MediaCaster by Ask is software application developed by APN, LLC. It is most commonly found on computers running Windows 7 with nearly 61.57% of installations running this operating system. The most common release is 12.15.2.537 with 44.42% of all installations currently using this version.

MediaCaster by Ask is most popular in the United States with 9.57% of installations residing in this country.

When using a computer that is connected to the internet, MediaCaster by Ask is known to create 1 firewall exception to allow inbound and outbound connectivity.

About MediaCaster by Ask?

MediaCaster is a web browser toolbar supported by Ask.com that is designed to enhance the browsing experience by providing alternative search settings and error page functionality. It may modify the default home page, new tab pages, and search provider within the browser. Additionally, it has the ability to modify the default search engine and built-in search box in the Internet Browser. These modifications aim to improve the user's search experience and provide added functionality in the event of encountering an error page.

Multiple virus scanners have detected malware in MediaCaster by Ask.

tbnotifier.exe (MD5: f332813cc013d6af5c5a0c32a3aed725) has been flagged by 4 scanners:

Scanner Software	Version	Result
Baidu-International	4.0.3.15817	Adware.Win32.Asktoolbar.45
ESET-NOD32	9.12098	a variant of Win32/Bundled.Toolbar.Ask.M potentially unsafe
K7 AntiVirus	13.2016900	Unwanted-Program
K7GW	13.2016900	Unwanted-Program ( 004c42951 )

Software Behaviors

Firewall:

tbnotifier.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\AskPartnerNetwork\Toolbar\Updater\TBNotifier.exe'.

Startup Entries

Startup tasks:

tbnotifier.exe is automatically launched at startup through a scheduled task named 1.

Registry entries:

vntldr.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'VNT' and executes as "C:\Program Files\VNT\vntldr.exe".

Software Details

URL:

https://www.apn.ask.com/products/toolbars

Support:

https://apnstatic.ask.com/static/toolbar/everest/documents/faq/index.html

Installation path:

C:\Program Files\vnt

Uninstaller:

MsiExec.exe /X{4254522D-5637-006A-76A7-A75C790C0B00}

Size:

0.00 B

Language:

English

MediaCaster by Ask Executable Details

Primary executable:

ToolbarIcon.exe

Name:

MediaCaster by Ask

Path:

C:\Program Files\vnt\ToolbarIcon.exe

MD5:

–

SHA-1:

–

SHA-256:

–

File Type

Filename

MD5

EXE

tbnotifier.exe

Malware

f332813cc013d6af5c5a0c32a3aed725

EXE

apnnativemsghost.exe

8a4fed42855a9ec0116dc4b6e94707ec

EXE

idcldr.exe

fee55d8e91d2d64d49212fc2618826b1

EXE

idcldr_x64.exe

b75a16943804753554d4a9c6d581639b

DLL

idcsrvstub.dll

aa2f2130d74e9b910def00960f7e3555

DLL

idcsrvstub_x64.dll

1dcabb6f59478efd9b0174de7b53ad00

DLL

idcsrv.dll

e419a05032b3cd13012f883cfc031997

DLL

idcsrv_x64.dll

35bc1d1ce229c3efd6b2d53aba70dcc8

DLL

vntsrv.dll

fc2927a78266ced6c0a203ff65f14727

EXE

vntldr.exe

ca4c6c95216531775c0c2b8da43cd65a

File Type	Filename	MD5
EXE	tbnotifier.exe Malware	f332813cc013d6af5c5a0c32a3aed725
EXE	apnnativemsghost.exe	8a4fed42855a9ec0116dc4b6e94707ec
EXE	idcldr.exe	fee55d8e91d2d64d49212fc2618826b1
EXE	idcldr_x64.exe	b75a16943804753554d4a9c6d581639b
DLL	idcsrvstub.dll	aa2f2130d74e9b910def00960f7e3555
DLL	idcsrvstub_x64.dll	1dcabb6f59478efd9b0174de7b53ad00
DLL	idcsrv.dll	e419a05032b3cd13012f883cfc031997
DLL	idcsrv_x64.dll	35bc1d1ce229c3efd6b2d53aba70dcc8
DLL	vntsrv.dll	fc2927a78266ced6c0a203ff65f14727
EXE	vntldr.exe	ca4c6c95216531775c0c2b8da43cd65a