One of the most annoying and
often dangerous computer compromises is browser hijacking. You probably have
experienced it. A program changes your home page, redirects browser typos to a
search engine you have never heard of or to other sites. This is annoying,
popping up ads and displaying unwanted site. However, it is often malicious.
The pop-ups and redirected sites may download spyware or viruses that monitor
or control your computer.
You may have inadvertently
approved the installation of the browser hijacker when installing another
program. License agreements and approvals are very ambiguous and many of simply
do not pay attention to what we are approving during installations. Companies
make money by bundling the installation of other firm’s software with their
installations and do not always take good care that they are dealing with
reputable firms.
Browser hijackers are also
spread through infected e-mail, a file share, or a drive-by download. Suffice
to say you should not rush past user agreements and be sure you know what you
are downloading when you click on links. A momentary lapse of judgment when
dealing with an unknown source can cause a world of hurt.
Some browser hijackers can
easily be removed through the Windows Control Panel uninstall. However, many
have reinstall programs that will then run on reboot. It’s possible, but very
difficult to locate and delete such reinstall programs. I’ve accomplished this
by searching on names that I know are related to the hijacker and looking for
program files most recently installed or created.
Another strategy for removing
hijackers is to completely uninstall the browser. For this to work, you may
need to delete all user data and folders related to the browser. Beyond the
most popular, there are a lot of good browsers out there, such as Comodo
Dragon, that you could try if this fails.
Browser hijackers can also be
removed with good virus and spyware scanners.
Scanners often identify such programs as potential hazards, but may not
automatically remove them. If you have been hijacked, make sure you run a
scanner and review its results carefully.
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