What Are Browser Hijackers?

Browser Hijacker is a malware program that completely alters the settings of your Web Browser and takes you to those malicious websites which you had not intended to visit. A browser hijacker can record all those web pages the user visits and send gathered information out through a background Internet connection. All browser hijackers are harmful and therefore are always classified as security and privacy risks.

How it infects your PC?

• Browser hijackers are not like viruses. They do not spread by themselves but there are various ways of getting into the system.
• Browser hijackers are installed by unsafe freeware, shareware or advertising-supported programs such as various browser add-ons or toolbars.
• Lots of spyware and adware sites are integrated with browser hijackers that get silently installed and are not removed by removing a particular adware or spyware.
• Some widely spread browser hijackers get into the system using Internet Explorer ActiveX controls. Their authors run apprehensive web sites filled with malicious code or distribute insecure advertising pop-ups. Whenever a user visits such a site or clicks on such a pop-up, harmful scripts instantly install a parasite. A user cannot notice anything doubtful, as browser hijackers do not display any setup wizards, dialogs or warnings.
  

What browser hijacker does?

• Browser hijacker can change the web browser web page to a particular website without the user permission.
• It also changes the web browser's default search page to malicious website.
• It sets its own error page instead of the web browser's default one and whenever user enters invalid address; it redirects the web browser to that predefined illegal website.
• It decreases default security level and adds undesirable or insecure resources to the trusted sites list. It even blocks some reputable Internet resources, opens different web sites instead of requested ones. Thus degrades web browser stability and performance.
• It can easily track the user's web browsing routines, records addresses of visited sites and sends collected data to a remote server.
• They are not visible to user in order to obstruct its removal.
• Consequences of browser hijacker
• The popular and most visited websites get blocked and required information cannot be searched.
• It even affects the system and installed softwares. Some reputable applications and browser plug-ins may be also affected by browser hijacker activity.
• They disclose user's private information to advertisers and hackers.
• Some people have lost their jobs because of explicit pornographic content found on their computers just because of the browser hijackers.

Removal of Browser hijacker

• The browser hijackers are not removed by the popular antivirus products. To remove them, special anti-virus tools should be used. They have special parasite databases which allow them to detect and eliminate the risky browser hijacker.
• Powerful spyware removers include real-time monitors that prevent the installation of known risks and unauthorized system modification.
• There are various Internet resources which provide manual malware removal instructions. These instructions allow the user to manually delete all the files, directories, registry entries and other objects that belong to a parasite.

Thus this was the complete information about browser hijacker which really creates terrible problems for us and should be removed to be safe from the malicious websites.