You may not have installed it intentionally, but there it is — Wave Browser — sitting quietly on your computer, disguised as a helpful alternative to Chrome or Edge. The problem? It may be doing a lot more than just browsing the web.

What is Wave Browser?

Wave Browser is a third-party web browser that often gets bundled with free software downloads. On the surface, it looks harmless. But under the hood, it’s known for browser hijacking behaviors — changing your homepage and search engine, redirecting your browsing, injecting unwanted ads, and potentially tracking user activity.

While it may not be classified as malware in the traditional sense, it poses a significant cybersecurity risk, especially for small businesses that don’t have a fully managed security stack in place.

Why Is It a Security Concern?

Here are a few ways Wave Browser can compromise your systems:

  • Hijacked Search Results: It can redirect search queries to sponsored or even malicious websites.

  • Tracking & Privacy Issues: It collects user behavior data without consent, potentially exposing sensitive business data.

  • Difficult to Remove: Wave Browser often resists standard uninstall procedures, lingering on the system or reinstalling itself.

  • Weakens Trust Boundaries: Because it bypasses admin permissions and system safeguards, it can open doors for deeper infiltration by actual malware or phishing tools.

Real-World Examples

Here are a few situations we've seen — or that have been reported — where Wave Browser caused real problems:

1. Medical Office Surprise
A local practice manager called us in a panic — every time staff used the internet, they were redirected to odd-looking medical supply websites. Turns out, Wave Browser had snuck in through a PDF tool someone downloaded and took over Chrome’s settings. We had to remove it manually and reset all browser configurations across the office.

2. Home Office Breach
An employee working from home had unknowingly installed Wave Browser while trying to convert a file. The browser began logging keystrokes, and within a week, their Office 365 credentials were compromised. Fortunately, multi-factor authentication prevented further damage, but it was a close call.

3. School Laptop Nightmare
A local private school had dozens of student laptops showing signs of strange browser behavior. After an audit, we found Wave Browser on over half of them. Some were even being redirected to inappropriate content sites. We had to deploy a cleanup script and re-image several machines.

4. CPA Firm’s Tax Season Trouble
Right in the middle of tax season, an accounting firm reached out after one of their junior staff noticed pop-ups and browser redirects when logging into their tax software portal. After a quick remote session, we discovered Wave Browser had been installed while the employee was searching for a “free PDF editor” to help with scanned documents. The browser was routing traffic through a suspicious proxy and capturing form data. Thankfully, we caught it before any client info was leaked — but it required a full audit of that machine, password resets for financial portals, and extra phishing training for the whole team.

What You Should Do

If you're unsure whether Wave Browser or other PUPs are lurking on your devices, here’s a quick checklist:

  • Go to your installed programs and see if Wave Browser is listed.

  • Check if your default search engine or homepage has changed unexpectedly.

  • Contact your IT provider to perform a full scan and review any unusual browser extensions.

Pro tip: Managed IT services — like our 24/7 threat monitoring and software whitelisting — can help you stay protected without having to worry about rogue programs slipping through the cracks.

Need Help? We’ve Got Your Back.

If you’re in Houston or surrounding areas, and your team needs a quick security audit, or you're just tired of shady software making its way onto your systems, give us a call. We can help clean it up and lock things down.