Q: What are browser hijackers?
September 22, 2006
Browser hijackers fall into the category of grayware, which can be defined as over-aggressive Internet marketing, and which also includes adware (any program that causes advertising content to be displayed), trackware (used to monitor user behavior or gather information about the user), and browser helpers (a type of browser plug-in that may redirect search results or monitor the user's browsing behavior).
Browser hijackers have the ability to unexpectedly alter the user's browser settings, redirect Web searches and/or network requests to unintended sites, or replace Web content. Hijackers may also frustrate any attempts made by the user to undo these changes, by restoring hijacked settings upon each system start. Examples are modifying the user's home page, search pages, the default media player, or lower level system functions.
System modification software can also compromise system integrity and security, or can drive the user to spoofed web sites in order to steal his or her ID. (An extreme form of system modification software is rootkits, which are programs that fraudulently gain or maintain administrator-level access on the system.) CoolWebSearch (CWS) is an example of a particularly complex form of spyware that involves an exploit of windows and may also include a homepage or wallpaper hijack.
While browser hijackers infected only 1 percent, and browser helpers infected only 13 percent, of computers worldwide during the period May 14 to June 10, 2006, they, like other types of grayware, may involve loss of privacy and productivity. More importantly, browser hijackers can cause far greater harm because they are deployed without the appropriate consent of the user, and because they may be implemented in ways that impair the user's control over privacy, or system security. Browser hijackers also have a detrimental affect on system resources, including what programs are installed on the system, as well as on how personal or other sensitive information might be collected, used, or distributed.
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