How to Safeguard Your Windows Computer from a Browser Hijack

A browser hijacking is the practice of taking advantage of vulnerabilities in the browser (or the user) to compromise the user’s computer in a manner that would serve the interests of the hijacker. Often, a browser hijack can make your browser start up on a page other than the homepage you have designated. Sometimes it silently watches you while you work and steals passwords or other data. There are a few ways a hijacker can actually compromise your browser, and we will detail each of them as well as discuss how to prevent them from happening.

Note: This article is specifically targeted at Windows computer, but the security issues could happen to any OS as well.

1. Vulnerabilities in Plugins

Your browser, even “out of the box,” uses a number of plugins to add extra rendering capabilities on websites you visit. In Firefox, you can view these plugins in the Tools -> Add-ons -> Plugins” section. These plugins are generally fine, but some of them are poorly coded and open holes in your browser’s security that it has not anticipated. The Java plugin is a perfect example of a vulnerable module. Java’s interpreter itself is prone to very nasty vulnerabilities that allow hackers to infiltrate your computer and post updates on social media sites on your behalf.

How to protect yourself:

There are two things you can do: keep all your plugins up to date and delete any plugins you don’t absolutely need. I need not mention how difficult it is to keep 100 plugins up to date. It’s better to look after five or ten of them. This applies to the addons and extensions as well. (Note that in Firefox, plugins and addons are not referring to the same thing)

2. Being conned to download unwanted software

If you have been to some sketchy download site, you would have seen cases where it try to convince you to download (and install) a software before you can download their stuff. They put fake download buttons on their pages leading to other sites that offer a “downloader application” to get your file. They convince you that you need this application in order to gain access. Once you run it, you are met with an unpleasant surprise. Sometimes the application doesn’t work at all but installs a virus in your computer. Other times it works, but installs a service that spies on your personal information.

How to protect yourself:

Look carefully at sites showing you more than one button for the same action. Be mindful of what you see on the Web and exercise scrutiny. If the website doesn’t have a strong positive reputation, don’t trust it. Search the website’s URL surrounded by quotation marks on Google. See what other people say about it.

And if you have downloaded the software, run a anti-virus/anti-malware test before you install it. If you do decide to install it even though you are not very sure about it, do a backup of your system first.

3. Toolbars

When you install software, it sometimes sneaks into a dialog where it asks you if you want to install a toolbar (and that’s when it’s playing nice). This is the most common way in which people are duped into installing browser toolbars that mess with their computers. This kind of software relies on a psychological flaw, namely the fact that people have a general tendency to click “Yes” and “Next” and skip over installation steps in their impatience. It happens even to the best of us.

Toolbars are sometimes inoffensive, but many times, they can be just as bad as viruses. Some of them set your homepage and search provider as they see fit while not letting you disable this or uninstall them. Others grab your keyboard input and steal your passwords and other confidential information. Since you use your browser to log in to web-based services and authenticate your card data, it’s very obvious that a toolbar like this can be extremely dangerous to your privacy. Although such malware is not very common nowadays, it still poses a significant threat to users who are easily absent-minded during software installations.

How to protect yourself:

These toolbars tend to be very difficult to get rid of, so the best way is to observe your installations carefully everytime you run an installer.. If you’re installing a program and it asks you to install a toolbar, refuse wherever possible. If it’s not possible to refuse, do not install the application. There are always alternatives out there that are more worth your time. Remember always to keep your anti-virus up to date. Most antivirus software can efficiently detect malware that’s found in toolbars and get rid of it, even if you can’t. Don’t forget to try to stick to sites that are reputable rather than Internet back-alleys to download your stuff.

4. Native Browser Vulnerabilities

There are plenty of browsers out there and some of them come with unintended security vulnerabilities. If you (or your company) are still stubbornly using IE 6 and 7, or even 8, as your primary browser, you are basically inviting the hackers to attack you. Even a popular browser like Chrome also has security issues, namelycross-site scripting (XSS), that make it vulnerable to attack.

How to protect yourself: 

There is nothing much you can do except to wait for the browser’s developer to patch up the security loophole. Thus, you should always upgrade your browser to the latest version so new fixes to vulnerabilities will automatically be installed. In addition, make sure you exercise care and vigilance when browsing the web, even with the most secure and most updated software.

Questions?

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave a comment below! Also, don’t forget to let other readers know what useful tips you have to keep your browser safe!

Computer Troubleshooting Guide

This computer troubleshooting guide can help you troubleshoot and repair dead computers. When we mean “dead” we mean no signs of life at all. Where do you even begin? The average user doesn’t know the internal workings of their computer–and they shouldn’t have to. So when things go wrong, they do not know where to begin to diagnose and either fix the problem or make arrangements to have the problem corrected. The following steps will help give you some general knowledge of what could be wrong with your PC and give you some ideas on how to fix it or provide you with enough knowledge to prevent you getting ripped off at the computer repair shop.

For starters, if the computer is still under warranty, do not open the case, as this will void your warranty. HP, Dell and any other major manufacturer will respond quickly to your problems and arrange for you to send the computer in, or they might opt to send a technician out to work on the computer. If you bought the PC at a shop around the corner, send emails and begin a paper trail on the issue.

With that said, a completely dead computer will usually have either a bad motherboard, bad power supply, or a faulty case. The following steps will help you troubleshoot a computer and find which device is causing the problem. Well start with the easiest and work our way down to the hardest. One of the first things you’ll want to do is unplug the computer and take it to a table where you can lay it flat. Open the case and check the connections to see if you notice anything blatantly wrong, then proceed with the steps below.

Troubleshooting A Computer Power Supply

Power supplies can fail without warning. The worse part is, they can partially fail. This means you might be getting power to the motherboard, the fans and other components, but you do not have the correct voltages to start the motherboard.The power supply is located at the back of the case, and is where the power cable plugs into the PC.

1. Your first step should be to plug the computer directly into the wall and bypass any power strips. You should also confirm the outlet is working properly.
2. Make sure the red voltage regulator switch on the back is set to 115 if you reside in the United States, people in some countries will need to set theirs to 230. With the power off and unplugged, try toggling the switch to 230, then back to 115 to make sure it is seated in the right position.
3. Next, buy a power supply tester. Computer techs will use a multimeter to test for proper voltages. Normal users can just buy a power supply tester. These are cheap and easy to use.
4. If your power supply is bad, buy one of equal or greater power. If your current power supply is 350WT, be sure to get one that’s 350WT or higher. Shop for apower supply.
5. If you have an HP computer, read these HP power Supply troubleshooting tips.

A power supply will tend to fail before anything else, as they take the most abuse. They are the front line when a power surge or brown out occurs. The good news is, they are extremely easy to replace should you find this is the problem.

Troubleshooting A Computer Case

While a dead PC will either normally be a bad power supply or bad motherboard, the next easiest thing to troubleshoot is the case. How can a case go bad? A case has minimal smarts, but it does have wires leading from the power button to the motherboard that can go bad, and some even have advanced I/O panels that can fail.

1. You can try bypassing the case switch. This means you are initiating the power-on sequence without using the button on the front of the case. For this, you will need a good set of eyes and a small, flat-head screw driver. The idea is to find the wire leading from the power button to the motherboard that’s marked something like POWER SW or POWER ON. It will cover two pins on the motherboard. Carefully, with the computer plugged in, touch tip of the flat head screwdriver to both of those pins at the same time, thus “shorting” them. You will not get shocked by doing this, but you need to be careful not to scratch the motherboard. Read more on bypassing the case switch here.
2. If you have a Dell computer, read how to test a Dell I/O panel here.

Troubleshooting A Computer Motherboard

The motherboard is the hardest thing to diagnose and replace. If your motherboard is proven to be bad, it must be removed from the case and replaced. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of stuff plugged into the motherboard, such as the CPU, RAM, PCI cards, Video Cards, hard drives, CD / DVD drives, power supply and fans. There are also tricky connections that must be made to the case’s power and reset switches. So replacing a bad motherboard is a long process. A bad motherboard will be determined by the following:

1. If all of the above are not the problem, the motherboard is the problem by default.
2. A bad motherboard might have visual signs of damage, such as bulging or leaking capacitors. See below.
3. With the computer unplugged, try holding in on the power button for twenty seconds. This will drain the capacitors of any excess power. The computer might start up and work fine forever. If the computer starts, then fails again after doing this, then the motherboard is bad.
4. Try removing any non-essential cards and drives in the computer. You do not need modems, sound cards, hard drives, CD / DVD drives, or floppy drives connected to boot. Our goal is to get a clean power-up situation, not boot into windows. If you remove non-essential parts and you still have no power, then the motherboard is bad.

Room to operate

      In simple terms, your PC needs room to operate efficiently. Ideally half of your hard drive should be the data mark. However up to two thirds is acceptable.
      I have exceeded that amount so I have to go through and discard unneeded files, along with duplicate files. Real easy to get several copies of the same pictures under different names. As far as I know there isn't a program free or otherwise that will do it with any real accuracy.
     If you know of one, please leave the name of it in the comments area.