Our web browsers are just like the front door– it is the access point into our daily lives. If your Internet browser is changing home pages, then there is a rogue program installed on your computer, whether your anti-virus software recognizes it or not. Your computer’s front door has a broken lock, and you need to fix it before things become more serious.
The type of infection you are describing is called a browser attack and characterized by changes in home page and pop ups that get through a regular blocker. The good news is most of these attacks are of a low threat level. At worst, browser attacks record browsing histories and transmit them to a third-party as information about an anonymous user– you. In rarer cases, log in data is also captured and sent to a third party.
Since your regular virus scanning tool and Windows Defender are not detecting a threat, it’s likely this is “too low” of a threat to register. Yes it is highly annoying, but not dangerous to private data. One disadvantage to trusting only the pre-installed or Windows anti-virus offering is they are the top targets for malware writers. Most malware is written to NOT be detected by the most popular anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, or written to take advantage of a known vulnerability in the popular software.
One cause you can rule out is Internet Explorer or Firefox causing the problem, from a software point of view. The problem is a program you accidentally authorized to install, or simply self-installed, affecting the browser software. Here is what you need to do to fix it:
* Download a new professional malware scanner and remover since they all use different threat databases. I can personally recommend Paretologic’s XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus Plus available for free demo at Paretologic.com. It’s reliable, strong, but flies under the radar of most malware developers. Think of this like getting a second opinion at the doctor’s office.
* Keep the malware scanning software running so it will check any incoming downloads, email attachments, and cookies to prevent re-infection. It is highly possible you received the threat from a regular contact or frequently visited website.
* Check your credit report and sites that you use log in IDs and passwords on for any suspicious activity. While these types of infections usually relay only anonymous surfing activity to advertisers, it is possible your passwords and log in data were compromised. If in doubt, let the company know of your computer infection and change your log in information.
* A more drastic solution is to use a different web browser, such as Opera or Netscape. Just like the top anti-malware software is the top target, the same is true for the top two browsers: Internet Explorer and Firefox. Unfortunately, this also comes with disadvantages, such as lost bookmarks, and may not work if the malware is written to affect any web browser on the computer system.
Elizabeth Ann West | July 25th, 2008
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Thank you ver much for the above usefull infromation. I am most grateful. The problem has been resolved and i thank you very much.