Google Hijack Virus

[Flake]

So I got to have a fun time yesterday tracking down and getting rid of a virus that was hijacking my google searches and redirecting me to all kinds of crazy places. Ended up doing a system restore and that seemed to fix it.

Any one know about this bug? How to fix it (without turning the clock back) or why google hasn't done something about this?

[neilencio]

Hijacking web searches is actually par for the course as far as malware behaviour is concerned. I know a lot of really clever virii and worms prevent infected PCs from searching their name on the internet (I once had a work PC that was infected, seemed normal except if you type in the worm's name in a browser, the browser would crash immediately. Also, the malware erased all exe files on a specific date.)

As for Google, it's actually out of their hands. They're not an anti-malware company, and I think their Don't Be Evil umbrella policy kind of covers preventing them from fiddling with people's PCs outside of storing cookies and info. The ball is in the hands of antimalware developers, the OS developer or the developer of the browser (if the virus got in due to an exploit in their code), or the site that was used as a piggyback by the virus by way of malicious scripts or ad banners. Also, the user has some part in it. Very few malicious codes can get in without the user doing something really risky on the web.

[Flake]

Lame. Well, at least it's not too hard to get rid of it. Hackers really are a bunch of punks.

[BigTinz]

Ugh...I hate that shit. A few months back my entire house was infected with that same redirecting virus. Turned out it was actually being shared over the router...every computer in the house got infected except the mac.

Worse part was I would fix one computer...then while reparing another it would become re infected via file sharing over the router.

It's not that hard to fix...but you're right, these kinds of hackers/malware creators can go die.

[lisalover1]

[joehero]

Another thing about viruses. Sometimes they hide in your system restore files. So if you go back a week and reset it's still in there. I would double check with another program, and maybe an online scanner.

[Flake]

Yeah, I used both scanners on my computer as soon as I did a system restore and I'm pretty sure they found it. We'll see.

[Niode]

What's a computer virus? That's like when your computer catches cold amirite?

/smug mac user

[CRTGAMER]

What's a computer virus? That's like when your computer catches cold amirite?

/smug mac user

Double smug G3 0S9/OSX user.
On wife's PC defense, easier to use burner.

[3GenGames]

What's a computer virus? That's like when your computer catches cold amirite?

/smug mac user

Double smug G3 0S9/OSX user.
On wife's PC defense, easier to use burner.

Don't need to put a Virus on Mac. Nobody uses one. And it does it its self.



And as for the search logging, how did you know? And Google has so much control over the web, they don't have to. Chrome does it supposedly when you type in the search bar, but as for how amazing chrome is, I don't care if they know what I search. If it puts better advertisments then jewelry in front of me maybe it'd be worth it! XD ^_^ Chrome <3