here's sort of a related topic i got in my e-mail :t:
AND NOW FOR TODAY'S TIP... Porn site hijacks browser
Q. Two adult site folders have appeared in My Favorites in Internet
Explorer without my knowledge. How can this happen? My wife is accusing
me of looking at pornography and I haven't! Can you explain this so I
don't lose my marriage? I love your show!
A. I'm going to assume that you are telling me the truth, so tell your
wife to ease up. You apparently are the victim of a browser hijacking.
As hijackings go, this one sounds mild. Usually they change your home
page to the porn site. They also change the search engine, so that all
of your searches are redirected to pornography.
I assume you have tried deleting the folders. If not, right-click the
folders and choose Delete. Unfortunately, that probably won't rid your
computer of this filth. Hijackers usually burrow into the Registry.
They reinstate themselves when the computer is next booted.
This is probably a form of spyware. There are two excellent programs
that wipe out spyware: Ad-aware and Spybot Search and Destroy. Run them
both. You'll find links to them at:
http://www.komando.com/bestshareware.asp#spy
They still may not do the job. Hijackers are tough to remove. If you
continue to have problems, try the program HijackThis. There is an
excellent help site for HijackThis at: http://tomcoyote.com/hjt/
This site includes two forums where hijack victims can get help.
I can't give you much help here because I know nothing about your
computer. The people on the forums are dedicated to fighting hijackers,
and they can walk you through this.
Now, let's talk about why this happened. Either your version of Windows
has not been properly maintained, or someone using your computer
downloaded the hijacker.
Windows has to be updated regularly. Until last fall, it contained
a flaw that allowed a hijacker in. But that has been long since
patched. To see if your computer needs to be patched, open Internet
Explorer. Click Tools>>Windows Update. That will take you to
Microsoft's Web site. Let Microsoft scan your computer. Install any
security updates.
Hijackers also can be downloaded when you take advantage of free
offers. Occasionally, you'll get a pop-up that asks if you want to
install a free program. Or a site will ask if you would like to change
your home page. Always refuse. It is very possible that these programs
will seize your browser.
Good luck with your cleanup. Show your wife this e-mail and then,
give her a kiss!
Thanks for listening to the show! I appreciate it!
Kim 🙂
