OpenCandy Adware - How to remove

OpenCandy is an advertising network that’s responsible for putting offers in the installers of free programs. If your antivirus detected OpenCandy, then you may have downloaded a program that will try to install a few unwanted programs on your computer. OpenCandy is not very dangerous, but it’s better to avoid installers that use it.

Antivirus scanners detect files that include OpenCandy as OpenCandy, CandyOpen, FusionCore, Adware, Unwanted, Riskware, Downloader, Trojan, PUA, PUP, and by other names.

About OpenCandy:

Type of threat	Adware, potentially unwanted program.
How OpenCandy works	Scans the computer to find out some technical data, displays additional software offers in the installer of a program.
How it spreads	Included in installers by their developers, included by redistributors, likely to be in older installers.
How to remove OpenCandy	Download files only from trustworthy sites, scan your computer for malware (Spyhunter, Malwarebytes, others) and remove detected files.

How OpenCandy works

Bundling optional offers

Installer adware

OpenCandy is a method by which installers offer optional offers (additional programs).

When you run an installer that implements OpenCandy, it scans your computer, then offers a program for you to install. It does that by displaying an advertisement in one of the setup pages.

Monetization technology

Developers and distributors of free programs use OpenCandy as a way to make some money. Publishers use OpenCandy to spread their program to more users. When OpenCandy includes an offer in the installer and when the user allows this offer to be installed, both OpenCandy and the developer of the free program get paid by the publisher.

Sometimes, it’s not the developer who adds the OpenCandy component to an installer, but the redistributor. There are many sites that take free programs, wrap them in OpenCandy or another monetization tool, and make them available to download for free. This is how they make money.

OpenCandy doesn’t seem to be very active anymore but you can still find plenty of installers infected with it, mostly of older programs and mostly on freeware download sites. Be careful on those sites and always scan the installer before running it.

Bundler installers

Some versions of DriverMax, Pokki, Donotspy10, GBurner, OrbitDownloader, uTorrent, and other installers have, at some point, been detected as OpenCandy. More examples on the relevant Wikipedia article.

Optional offers can be anything: dubious PC cleaners, utility programs, miners, adware. Along with whatever OpenCandy advertises, Conduit may infect your browser.

Manipulative ads

Some people defend OpenCandy, saying that you can always say “No” to its offers. But it’s not that simple:

• Some offers don’t have a clear way to refuse them.
• Some offers blend in with the setup and don’t look like ads.

When you’re installing an OpenCandy bundler, it looks like a normal installer – until you come across a promoted offering. You’ll miss it if you just click the Next button without reading. You might miss it even if you do read every setup page. Sometimes, the ads/offers just look like part of the installation workflow. This Makeuseof.com article has some great examples.

It can be tricky to avoid the optional offers if you’re a little distracted or not very experienced in dealing with deceptive software. And that’s enough for antivirus vendors to flag OpenCandy.

It’s not right to trick people or to try to exploit people’s lack of knowledge or confidence. It is up to the developers who use OpenCandy to implement it ethically.

How to remove OpenCandy

As OpenCandy is a technology, it does not itself infect a computer. It may install potentially unwanted programs and those programs could be just about anything. I recommend scanning your computer with an anti-malware tool, such as Spyhunter or Malwarebytes to see if there are any shady files on your PC.

It’s also important to only download programs from reliable websites. Look for the developer’s website first. Scan the installer with an anti-malware tool. Make a backup so that you can restore your PC if anything goes wrong.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove OpenCandy Adware using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like OpenCandy Adware install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to OpenCandy Adware . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make OpenCandy Adware easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.