If you open up your computer and click on you internet browser and instead of google some random page is coming up. You are a victim of a home page hijacking.
Home page Hijacking – On: Windows Xp, Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Your home page is hijacked when malware changes the Internet browser’s home page, and then locks down the system so that the user cannot change their home page back to their original choice. Or, you can changes the home page, but more malware is installed as soon as you try and set it back to google.com or whichever home pages you use. Sometimes as soon as you change your home page to your URL of choice, an annoying search toolbar installs itself in your browser. These problems can effect Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, but are far, far more common in Internet Explorer. This yet another reason to ditch IE. Install Firefox already Link to Firefox
Can a Legitimate Program Lock Your Webpage?
There are a few programs which might have a legitimate reason to lock the home page; like in Internet Cafes. Computer suppliers, and employers may also lock Internet Explorers home page to their preferred URL, which might be a company home page or a technical support page. Usually in these situations it should be recognizeable to the user and wouldn’t be classified as malware. Hopefully the company warned you before locking up your explorer of the internet. Malware is usually indicated by a sudden change, that is, a user is suddenly no longer able to change their home page just one moment to another.
A symptom of a malware infection is the sudden inability to change Internet Explorers home page.
Tip: If your computers home page has been locked you may be able to unlock it by following the instructions at this URL:booting you computer in safe mode. Boot in Safe Mode. In safe mode try running a system restore.
Or, try the following:
How to restore a hijacked browser
The following solutions can help restore your internet browser’s settings:
Note: I am refering here to IE because it is the browser that get’s hijacked the most, but the following also applies to other internet browsers if they are acting up.
1. Stop cascading pop-up windows. If endless pop-up windows appear on your screen, you’ll probably want to stop the deluge first. To do this in Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 7 while using Internet Explorer:
* Press CTRL+ALT+DEL, click Task Manager, and then click the Processes tab.
* Click IEXPLORE.EXE, and then click the End Process button.
This closes Internet Explorer. You can then re-open the program to continue browsing as usual. To help prevent future attacks, you should also have a pop-up blocker turned on.
If you still experience the other effects of a hijacked Web browser, try the following:
2. Run the Malicious Software Removal Tool. This can catch some, but not all, kinds of hijacking software.
3. Reset Internet Explorer settings. If you’re using Internet Explorer and your home page has been changed, you can often reset it yourself.
* Close any Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer windows that are currently open.
* Open Internet Explorer.
* Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
* Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.
* In the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box, click Reset.
* When Internet Explorer finishes restoring the settings, click Close, and then click OK
* Close Internet Explorer.
4. Disable add-ons. Many browser hijackings come from add-ons, also known as ActiveX controls, browser extensions, browser helper objects, or toolbars. These items can improve your experience on a Web site by providing multimedia or interactive content, such as animations. However, some add-ons can cause your computer to stop responding or display content that you don’t want, such as pop-up ads.
To learn how to disable add-ons in Windows Vista or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), read How do browser add-ons affect my computer?
5. Removing unwanted programs with the Add/Remove feature. If you’re ready to try some advanced removal methods, the Microsoft Help and Support article Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by deceptive software provides additional steps you can take, including how to use the Add/Remove feature, the built-in program remover, and the program finder in Windows Explorer.
6. Empty the Recycle Bin when you’ve finished these steps, especially if you’ve removed an unwanted program. Then restart your computer.
7. Install Firefox already LINK!
I can’t stand malware!
very good very nice.