Beware of Browser Hijackers - They Can Be Much More Than a Minor Inconvenience

We depend on our computers for work, for school, for information and for entertainment. We entrust our private information to them, and they are involved with virtually every aspect of our lives. We depend on seamless browsing to deliver us to the places we need to go. A browser hijacker effectively changes our browser settings, which can interfere with our use of the internet and the data we transmit every day. Browser hijackers like CoolWebSearch, Internet Optimizer, and Keylog 95 change how and what you are seeing online.

Introduction to Browser Hijackers

Like many spyware and adware programs, most browser hijacking programs are designed for commercial, advertising, or marketing purposes. While each behaves a bit differently, they typically share one or more of the following objectives:

* Display ads.
* Increase the hit count for a particular rogue website.
* Track your browsing habits to sell to advertisers.
* Install a browser helper object (BHO) that can access the URLs you type, links, passwords, credit card and bank numbers, and other private information.

Browser hijackers share many of the same characteristics as other malware, including adware and rogue antivirus programs. Recognizing the signs that are common to malware can help you avoid it no matter what form it takes.

Method of Entry

Like rogue antivirus programs, internet hijackers have to be installed; that doesn't mean that the user necessarily consents to the installation. Instead, the hijackers have to find their way in through a backdoor. They typically find the key to this backdoor in affected freeware or ad-supported software. This can happen if the application itself is legitimate. Typically, the program is added to your "Trusted Sites" list, and your security settings for that particular site. That site can then run any script or code, and your security does not detect it as malicious.

It is also common for browser hijackers to be bundled with other forms of malware. If a user visits an affected site, for instance, and clicks on an ad, video, or image, a trojan carrying this malware may enter your system. The hijacker is just one of the malware programs that is dropped. Websites with adult or questionable advertising are particularly vulnerable; graphics, video, ads, and free offers on sites like these can leave your system open to trojans.

Getting to Know Browser Hijackers

If one of these malicious programs has been installed in your system, it may call attention to itself in the following ways:

* Changes your default homepage.
* Redirects you to a rogue site if an incorrect web address is entered.
* Redirects searches to a particular rogue site.
* Modifies security setting by adding malicious programs to Trusted Sites list.
* Offers no uninstall option
* Makes navigation difficult with frequent redirects
* Adds rogue sites to your Favorites list
* Adds new desktop icons that direct users to rogue sites.
* Slows computer performance by diverting system resources away from your legitimate programs.

Less advanced hijackers can be an inconvenience; more sophisticated programs can have more serious effects on your system stability. In either case, it is important to remove browser hijackers as soon you can.