Homepage Hijackers are a newer trend, and are often classified as a Trojan, adware, spyware or even a combination of them all. The function of these is to change your browser's homepage to point to their site. The usual suspects in this hijacking trend are most commonly found in the adult website sector, loaded with banner hosting or pop-ups causing nightmares for the users and filling their cache full of porn while the owners of these sites become richer.
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"Never accept to download a program unless you know exactly what it is and why you need it." |
There are a few ways that can you help yourself out of this mess. One solution is to search your system for HTA files, which are executed by the Windows scripting host when you start up and move them to a temporary folder. Change your settings back to normal, restart your computer and everything should be back to normal. Another solution that you should already be doing is keeping your IE client and Windows fully up to date with the appropriate security patches.
A few simple precautions that can keep you safe from hijackers include not clicking on a link unless you have a good idea of where it will take you and never installing anything that claims to be an 'enhancement' if you are not sure what you are installing. It is this weakness of click first and ask later that allows hijackers to exploit users so easily. Once the user clicks on the link and OK's the installation it will execute every time the user starts up the computer and the majority of the time the user will have no idea it is running in the background.
Hijack victims tend to fall into two categories: first there are those who will do little or nothing about it and eventually decided just to use their system restore option. In which case they will no doubt loose some data as the typical profile of a user who gets stung by hijackers suggests they do not regularly back up their data. On the other hand there are the types of users that will take some action, get on the internet and search for a solution and related information.
The first thing I tell users is not to panic, do not delete anything and do not even consider an Operating System reinstall. The next step is to detect the problem and remove it and then install the programs that will act as a defense and prevent the problem from arising again. Although detecting the problem may not be so easy a great site to help the detection process is a site called HijackThis (SpywareInfo.com). HijackThis is especially helpful in that it logs and provides step by step instructions about which Registry keys to delete and which files to leave intact.
Once you have gone through your system and cleaned it all out you need to build up your defenses and learn what not to do in the future. A few tips that you should always keep in mind include:
Never accept to download a program unless you know exactly what it is and why you need it.
Even if you have an anti-virus program and you regularly update it do not think that you are completely safe as most Hijacker exploits will not get picked up by a standard anti-virus product.
Install the correct programs for the detection job. One of my personal favorites is Ad-aware from Lavasoft.
There are numerous questionable programs out there so do searches before you install any spyware detection tools as some may do a poor job or may even install their own spyware while removing their competitors off your computer.
If you want to find out more information about hijackers and their methods. There is no better place to learn all that than at the HijackThis website.
Help is Only a Click Away...
If you are not sure of which programs you may need to protect yourself from future hijacks, here are some site that list various malwares (Malicious Software) so you can make sure you aren't downloading something that is going to take control of or damage your browser and Operating System.
LavaSoft
http://www.lavasoftusa.com
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Even if you have not been hijacked, I highly recommend you install Ad-Aware. A full system scan will tell you if there is any suspicious software hiding on your PC. Another fantastic feature is that LavaSoft is constantly updating its file definition to keep up with the latest sneaky marketing tactics on the web.
Scumware
http://scumware.com
This is a great site to get all the latest information on scum ware. It features some fantastic articles, FAQ, press coverage and discussion forums if you just want to learn more or ask more questions.
ThiefWare
http://www.thiefware.com
The main objective of this site is, as they quote “to inform the public of unethical or disagreeable use of Internet technology and software”. ThiefWare believes some of the methods that companies use to advertise their products or services is unethical and that these unethical programs are installed without the users knowledge.
If you've tried everything in your arsenal and continue to have the same problems you may want to consider a re-format of your PC and re-installing your operating system. You should always try everything in your disposal before taking such drastic measures and never forget to back up all your valuable data on a regular basis.
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