HijackThis Diagnostic Report

by Larry Stevenson, aka Prince_Serendip, CastleCops Staff Writer
October 31, 2004

Spywares, trojans and browser hijackers are now a greater threat than viruses. They are harder to get rid of, affecting the performance and operation of computers more. They are softwares that are installed, running in background--without your knowledge. With two or more of these on one machine, it can be impossible to get any work done. How much of an impact can spywares, trojans and hijackers have on system performance? Infected systems can slow to a crawl or stop functioning completely. This increases operating costs across large networks by diverting time and attention to dealing with this scourge. Spywares and hijackers are expensive, stealing time, energy and costing money for workers and home users alike.

HijackThis is an effective, freeware, diagnostic tool with a proven track record. It lists all installed browser add-ons, buttons, startup entries, allows you to inspect and remove selected items. The program can create a backup of your original settings and ignore selected ones. Although intended for advanced users, many others have benefited by posting their HijackThis Logs to the CastleCops Hijackthis - Spyware, Viruses, Worms, Trojans Oh My! Forum. 1st Responders and Security Experts can then assist them in cleaning their computers. Please read the Announcements in this forum before using it. It is the biggest and busiest Forum at CastleCops with over 46, 000 logs, a testament to the need that exists online.

HijackThis can help you to diagnose and/or remove:

Adwares which supply unwanted pop-ups/pop-unders or fill your pages with their advertising.
Spywares and trojans that watch everything you do on-line and send private information back to marketing companies or criminals seeking to use your computer for illegal purposes without you knowing it.
Browser/homepage Hijackers which set the browser home page and search settings to point to the authors sites, and prevent you from changing it back.

Besides the usual CWS (CoolWebSearch), xlime and Lop add-ons, IWantSearch and MakeMeSearch are the latest stars on the malware horizon. HijackThis with the 1st Responders, Security Experts and CastleCops Staff can help you remove these problems. Over 44, 000 logs have been answered so far.

If you wonder why your antivirus applications did not detect the spywares, adwares, or hijackers it is because these are not viruses. These are softwares put on your computer against your wishes and often without your knowledge. You get these softwares by downloading applications from unverified sources, having your browser security settings too low, having ActiveX fully enabled in Internet Explorer, clicking anywhere on pop-ups that appear on your desktop, and by not keeping your Windows operating system fully updated and patched.

Network solutions work against viruses but are ineffective against spywares, hijackers and trojans. Security policies using reputable anti-spyware, anti-trojan and anti-hijacker applications on individual workstations and computers are the key. Check the CastleCops Hompage and CastleCops Downloads for more information and reviews of reputable security applications.



Best regards and always take care of your security!

(Thanks to Metallic and the CastleCops Staff for assisting with information for this article. Happy Halloween everybody!)