Description

FlashTrack is an IE browser helper object. It monitors web pages viewed and terms entered into forms on search engines.

Variants

FlashTrack/FTApp is the original version, with the program files being written to C:\Program Files\FTApp (regardless of whether that's your real Program Files folder). FlashTrack/Flt, a newer variant, installs into C:\Program Files\Flt instead.

Distribution

Both variants of FlashTrack have been bundled with iMesh.

FlastTrack/Flt may be installed by the BroadcastPC parasite (check your Add/Remove Programs for 'RVP').

What it does

Advertising

Yes. The software maintains a list of targeted sites and search terms. Upon a match a predetermined advert will open in a pop-up window.

Privacy violation

Some. There is no evidence that the software sends browsing history back to FlashTrack's servers directly, but targeted sites and search terms generate traffic that FlashTrack can monitor.

Security issues

Unknown. There are registry entries to do with updates but it is possible that this could just be about keeping the target list updated.

Stability problems

Yes. Reported browser crashes particularly after monitored form submissions.

Removal

There may be an entry for 'FTApp', 'flt' or 'FT remove' in the Add/Remove Programs tool in the Control Panel, and an uninstaller offered on the FlashTrack web site. Until recently these had no effect whatsoever.

Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D can, at the time of writing, remove the FTApp variant but not the flt variant.

Manual removal

Open a DOS command prompt window (from Start->Programs->Accessories) and enter the following commands, for the FTApp variant:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "C:\Program Files\ftapp\ftapp.dll"

Or, for the Flt variant:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "C:\Program Files\flt\flt.dll"

Restart the computer immediately without doing anything else. You should then be able to remove the 'ftapp' or 'flt' folder in 'Program Files' on the C drive. You can also remove the FTApp or flt key from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software in the registry (Start->Run->regedit) to clean up, if you like.