Help required please

Just had the following e-mail

matter how often you change it in the Tools/Options place it always
defaults straight back to about:blank
which re-directs to this:

pmj...

Oh, oh!...
:-(

So, it's a case of a "Browser Hijacking" then.

Browser hijackings can sometimes be sorted out quite easily,
but other times they can be very awkward to sort out.

The firms that do the Downloads & Installs of stuff like that
are geeting more & more devious in what they Install & always
try to make it as difficult as possible for you to remove it.

The best thing is not to let that sort of thing get on the PC
in the first place!
Never take any notice of any Advert that claims that your PC
is infected, offering a "Click here" Link to Remove it!
Cos if you Click on those things, they actually then Install their
own Malware, usually consisting of a Browser Hijack, so that the
Web Page/Site of the Firm gets Visited, so taht they can then Install
even more unwanted stuff.

But since the Browser has already been Hijacked, the prob is now how
to get rid of it...

Do a web search for that Web Site, that it's Set the Home Page to -
Look for "Pages that contain the Term" - you will find several pages
where people have been given Help & advice as to how to remove that
particular Browser Hijacking.

Look at the Pages on the Safer-Networking.org or Spywareinfo.com Sites.

This happens every time you go out of the options box. I've tried
setting it from there, tried using the "Set web-search as your homepage" at
the bottom of the web-search web page, they don't work. I blocked cookies

pmj...

Nope, they won't.

That's cos the Malware that has been Installed has Set itself to Run
at Boot up & is Running in the Background & just changes it back,
if you manually change it yourself.

You need to *Stop* the thing from Loading & running at BootUp,
before you will be able to do anything much about sorting the Home
Page Setting out.

from the Security Center website and emptied out all the Temporary

pmj...

Good idea, but it's not Cookies that are the prob.
Cookies in themselves aren't really any Harm - it's the MalWare
Program(s) that have been Installed on the PC tah tare cauisng the
Harm.

pmj...

Again, the Temporary Internet Files aren't the prob...
The thing that is the Prob has been *Installed* on the System,
so it's not in the Temprary Internet Files Folders - it's been
Installed into various other places.

Internet Files and Cookies that were on his system. I had a quick look
at Regedit but can't see anything that's calling it up each time.

pmj...

Run AutoRuns from SysInternals.com

- that will show you wwhere it's Loading from & what's calling it up.

Also, Download & Run HiJackThis - that will give a Report/Log File
*full* of useful Info...
Which will show you not just what's Set to Load & Run at BootUp, but
also a load of Registry Settings & Files & things that Malware uses
to do its stuff.

Can anyone in Silver Surfers help?

So, can they? I am sure they can

pmj...

See above.
:-)

Incidentally I suggested avg - found 4 trojans but that didn't clear

pmj...

A Browser Hijacking (which is what this is) isn't a *Virus*
It has been *actively* (although probably unwittingly) Allowed
onto the System.

So an AntiVirus thing won't really Help with this prob.

Something like HiJackThis, or AutoRuns & Process Explorer will
Enable you to get rid of it.

this problem

Jeff Gaines...

There is an about:blank virus/worm/trojan (not sure which).
Have you tried Spybot and AdAware?

BunnyHare...

Not sure but have e-mailed and suggested it

Joe...

Sounds like a Browser Hijack - check out Hijackthis
Download from Merijn.org

or web-search for "browser hijack"

Joe...

Ooops missed the link for the first one
http://www.merijn.org/files/hijackthis.zip

BunnyHare...

Info forwarded. thanks