How to Fix Browser Hijacking (aka Google Redirect Virus)

The Google redirect is a virus that hijacks your browser and targets search engines like Google and Yahoo, for example. This virus redirects users to infected pages, for whatever the motive may be. These pages can be related to pornography or advertising banners that help unauthorized users to make money. These pages usually make you pay money for something or give your bank details away, which is why this is considered to be dangerous.

All of these steps are for Windows XP. They deal with regular hijacking trough search engine results, caused by dangerous settings or plugins that are installed. However, remember one thing: if any of your anti-virus programs have stopped operating, it means that there is some malware infection in your computer and you should scan it as soon as possible.

To begin, open up My Computer. You have check your host files to see if any threats have entered your system. After you open up My Computer, you want to go to the following location: C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts. It will bring the window found below:

If you are using Windows Vista/7, try to open this folder with Administrative properties. The Host files will like the windows seen below:

If there are more lines of IPs and code, delete them. This is one of the signs that tell you that your system is infected.

Now, you have to check your Domain Name Server settings. This option tells you what server to access when you open a specific website. Hijacking allows users to hijack different websites including search engines. Go to the Control Panel and select Network Connections. Select the local network you are using. Right-click on the network and go to its Properties.

Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on the Properties tab.

This following window will be brought up. Here, you want to select the boxes that say Obtain an IP Address Automatically and Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically.

At this stage, you would want to check the proxy settings of your various browsers. On Mozilla Firefox, launch the browser. Go to Tools; Options; Advanced; Network. After opening Network, click on Settings.

After Settings, Check the No Proxy circle. Confirm all of your changes and you are good to go.

Go to all of your browsers again and check their add-ons. If any look to be suspicious, delete them and try re-installing them. You should also consider installing spyware and anti-virus programs like ESET Nod32. Hopefully, after reading this tutorial you’ll be able to Fix Browser Hijacking