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Computer Terrorism: Avoid Being Hijacked

Web surfing isn't the pleasure it once was. The dot.com bust reduced the number of interesting, freely accessible sites. Pop-up, -under, and -over advertisements make it almost impossible to view the page you're after. And security holes in the major browsers make it necessary to bump up the security features to an annoyingly invasive level.

In addition to these daily irritations, there's an unpleasant technique call "browser hijacking" which has become increasingly common. Browser hijacking is the use of scripting tools to modify your browser's default settings.

This may be as trivial as adding a new link to your Links or Favorites or as unconscionable as changing your home page persistently via a combination of scripting, registry changes and auto-running programs.

What's the point of hijacking?

To bring you back, over and over, to a site or a site's sponsor, in the hope of boosting business. Hijackers also use the technique to track the sites you visit and analyze your browsing habits. Let's face it, anyone who is prepared to kidnap you in this fashion has little regard for your privacy.

Who's responsible for hijacking?

Not surprisingly, the technique was pioneered by porn sites. Owners of porn sites have traditionally been on the cutting edge of designing techniques to keep users trapped on their sites. They were first with multiple windows which would pop up as you tried to leave the site, and they've used all sorts of techniques - pop up windows that are halfway off the screen so they are hard to close, windows without control icons, etc. - to chain visitors to their sites.

Where porn site owners venture, others soon followed. Many sites offering "freebies" have taken browser hijacking to the limit.

But it's not merely the Internet's out-and-out lowlifes who engage in this sort of activity. For years, companies such as Microsoft, Netscape and many others have been adding links and changing browser settings without permission.

One example: When you install AOL or any of its affiliated programs, such as ICQ or AOL Instant Messenger, without asking it adds http://free.aol.com to Internet Explorer's Trusted Sites zone.

Any site in the Trusted Site list is treated as a "safe site" and by default, all of Internet Explorer's security options are set at their least restrictive for these sites. This means if you visit the AOL site, AOL can run any script, download items to your desktop, and perform a variety of functions without requesting your permission.

Emergency Help

Think you've been hijacked? Stuck between a virus and a firewall? E-mail all clogged up?

Contact Balliett Enterprises today.