How to Check for Webwatcher on a PC

The WebWatcher program is a security program meant to monitor what computer users are doing and log what they type and any sites that they visit. The program can be used for malicious purposes by people looking to steal your information because it is hard to detect. WebWatcher runs completely silently on your computer and does not show up in the task manager programs list or on the programs and features menu. The only way to check for the existence of the program on your machine is to start your computer in safe mode so that WebWatcher can't open itself and then run an anti-spyware utility to locate it.

Instructions

1. Bring up your web browser and navigate to a website that offers a key logger detecting program such as "Spybot Search and Destroy" (see Resources below). Locate the downloads section of the page and then click on the link to download the program's installation file.

2. Click on the "Save File" link if your web browser pops up an extra window asking you to confirm that you actually wanted to download the file. Wait for the installation file to completely download and then close down your web browser. Navigate to the folder on your computer's hard drive that holds your downloaded files and programs. Double-click on the installation file you downloaded from the web page.

3. Click on the "Next" button at the bottom right side of the installation window and then click on "Install" to start the installation process. Click on "Finish" once the installation has completed to close down the window. Open the computer's "Start" menu by clicking on the Windows icon at the lower left side of the desktop. Choose the "Shut Down" option and then click on the "Restart" button.

4. 

   Wait for the logo of your computer's manufacturer to appear on your monitor. Press the F8 button repeatedly until the logo disappears and a new black and white menu screen appears on the screen. Press the down arrow on your keyboard and highlight the option labeled as "Safe Mode." Press the Enter key once the entry is highlighted to start the computer in safe mode.

5. Double-click the desktop icon for the key logging utility you installed earlier. Click on the "Update" button at the left end of the program's window and wait for the latest version of the software to finish downloading. Click on the "Search for Problems" button at the top of the window and wait for the scan to finish running.

6. Read through the list of key loggers and spyware programs that the utility detected and check to see if WebWatcher is listed. Click on "Remove Selected Entries" if it is listed to remove the program from your computer's hard drive.

Tips & Warnings

• Save a backup copy of each of your most important files to an external source prior to running an anti-key logging software program. This is important in case it deletes a program that you still wanted on your computer.

References

• WebWatcher Support Page

Resources

• Download the Spybot Search and Destroy Program