Unless it is an ultimate exception, everyone has a browser installed on their computer and smartphones to surf the web, work, communicate with others and more.
However, there are significant differences in browsers. Some browsers prioritize speed and convenience, some privacy, while other browsers focus on certain specialized tasks. And there come browsers that are potentially wicked, such as the Wave browser.
Is Wave Browser Safe?
On their official websites, Wave browsers portray themselves as an alternative to mainstream software that guarantees "anonymity of your data," and offers a personalized experience to users. "Not only do we not pass your data onto third parties, we don't even store it ourselves," the website states.
Wave browser is available on Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. It can be installed via Google Play and App Store, indicating its successful marketplace requirement regarding functionality and security.
The Wave browser is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP). PUPs, as the term suggests are not very harmful. However, certain behaviours displayed by PUP do cause indirect or direct harm: display unwanted ads, slow down the user's device, collect an excessive amount of data, etc.
Wave browsers are almost every time installed unintentionally, attached to other software. For instance, a user’s antivirus software may fail to detect Wave, consequently making him download and install the malicious browser. During its installation, the browser may even trick the user into clicking certain boxes, which ultimately enables it to import data and become their default browser.
A user may not even recognize anything suspicious, since Wave is, in fact, a browser. Wave browser is based on Chromium, the open-source web browser project that is the foundation for Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and several other similar products. However, after a few minutes of its installation, the user will realize what has transpired, since their system will be bombarded with annoying ads and pop-ups. Also, a user may take a hint when their browser becomes incapable of showing relevant search results and only displays search ads, or links leading to websites unrelated to the keyword they may have entered.
Since Wave will not display any relevant search results, but instead they may lead the users into paying for advertising, one may encounter shady webpages, that may as well contain a malware. While Wave itself is not a malware, it may lead its victim to phishing sites or malicious programs, entailing risk to their privacy and security.
This answers the question of ‘Is Wave browser safe?’ which is ‘No, it is not.’ While it is neither a virus nor any malware, it certainly should not be there in a user’s device. Wave browser will only serve them with annoying ads, display irrelevant search results and compromise their security, at worst.