Google Hijack

[jjdesigns4u]

So what ever I search for in Google the first 5 listings are from <snip>

they look like regular listings and then you click on them and in the address bar you see the <snip> url appear and then you are redirected to the site?

what is happening here?

am I really seeing Google or is <snip> on my computer and producing a page that looks like google

has anyone had this happen to them

thanks

[edited by: Marcia at 11:31 pm (utc) on Dec. 29, 2003]
[edit reason] No specifics, please. [/edit]

[DVDBurning]

It sounds like you have a Browser Helper Object (BHO) or some other Spyware application that somehow was allowed to be installed on your PC.

There is a product called BHODemon that can identify BHOs. The Google toolbar is a BHO, but one that we can all live with. Adobe Acrobat has a friendly BHO. There are many other nasty BHOs that can hijack your browser. One clue is a toolbar that you don't want, but can't get rid of.

There are 2 other programs that I recommend to get rid of Spyware - Ad Aware, and Spybot Search and Destroy.

Good luck!

[antrat]

So what ever I search for in Google the first 5 listings are from <snip>
they look like regular listings and then you click on them and in the address bar you see the <snip> url appear and then you are redirected to the site?

I'm not sure what you are seeing? Are you saying the first 5 are ads or something?

[Stefan]

You have a parasite. Scumware has crept into your system. (Do you, by any chance, have active-x enabled?)

You can dl and try AdAware, but "Spybot Search and Destroy" is usually better. Once you dl it, immediately check for an update and install the new definitions. The stock dl dosen't come with a fresh list. Run it, once that is done, and then "fix problems", and it will probably take care of things.

<added>They're both freeware.</added>

[GoogleGuy]

Yah, sounds like spyware. I like spybot a lot.

[Stefan]

GG, is there an alarm that goes off in the 'plex whenever someone posts in WW about spyware? It's astounding... you seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere. :-)

[uncle_bob]

Are you refering to when google replaces the url to a site with a redirector so google can tell which link you clicked on? If so, this is common to all search engines I believe. They sometimes check which links are clicked on in a results page so that can rate the sites/pages better.

[Stefan]

Are you refering to when google replaces the url to a site with a redirector so google can tell which link you clicked on?

Just guessing, you might want to run Spybot Search and Destroy also, Bob.

[GoogleGuy]

Stefan, spyware is a pet peeve of mine. And it would be even if I didn't spend a few days cleaning a friend's computer over the holidays. One .dll was so hard to get rid of that I had to make a DOS boot disk and use that to delete it. Grrr...

[Stefan]

GoogleGuy, I know how you feel; the stuff is annoying in the extreme. You're the computer expert that friends call on to get rid of the stuff, eh?

I have active-x and scripting disabled in IE to help avoid it... some websites don't render properly, but Spybot hasn't found anything in a long time.

[jjdesigns4u]

just an update for everyone..

I downloaded spybot search and destroy and know my google searches are back to normal

no more findology