---

Browser Hijacking

A browser hijacker is a type of malware that lurks in the web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox) and changes how and what a browser displays while a user is on the Web. Browser hijackers can modify any content that flows through the browser such as default home pages, search pages, search results pages, or error pages of unwitting users whose computers have been infected. Browser hijackers can also change browser favorites settings and make registry changes to prevent users' from resetting their browser's homepage. The pages to which the browser hijacker directs users may include websites of publishers who are serving advertisements and looking to benefit from click fraud, or even websites of advertisers who are interested in acquiring "new users" in order to boost site traffic metrics. The same malware used to hijack browsers can also add/read cookies, collect personal information such as login credentials and passwords, record the web pages a user visits, and lower security settings before sending users to malicious Web pages. Browser hijackers are installed without explicit user consent and are frequently programmed to resist removal. Like all forms of malware, browser hijackers are generally transmitted online.

Learn More About Browser Hijacking:
The Uninvited Guest: A Browser Hijacking Experience, Dissected
The Ghost in the Browser
Microsoft Online Safety