Default Home Page Hijacked

The default home page comes up with a URL of "about:Blank" What is
presented is a pseudo search page with many categories, but highlighted with
headers providing links to pharmacies, "enlargements", etc.

Whenever I try to reset the deafult to a legitimate page, this one returns.

Any ideas?

You've been hijacked, probably by the about:Blank variant of the
CoolWebSearch parasite.

Download and run the CWShredder which targets that specific parasite.
Unfortunately neither AdAware or SpyBot (see below) seem to be able as yet
to fully detect all the various versions of the CoolWebSearch parasite as
it keeps changing. The latest version of CWShredder can be downloaded
(free) from http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract..._download.html

This might also be a good time to download yourself a copy of the free
Ad-Aware SE Personal edition from Lavasoft
(http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/) and also SpyBot Search &
Destroy 1.3 (http://www.safer-networking.org/) and use them to check your
system for other commercial parasites remembering that they are only as
good as when you last updated their reference files. I also use a program
called BHODemon (http://www.definitivesolutions.com/bhodemon.htm that
checks for unwanted Browser Help Objects and SpywareBlaster
(http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html) which can help
prevent some parasites getting a grip on your PC.

Finally if you still continue to experience problems download a copy of
HijackThis from (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html).
Create a folder called HJT on C: (not on your desktop nor in your temp
folder) and copy the file you downloaded to that folder. Close as many
applications as you can including all instances of Internet Explorer.
Enable Explorer to see all files and folders (Tools | Folder Options |
View and check "Show hidden files and folders" and uncheck "Hide protected
operating system files") and then run hijackthis.exe and post back the log
to either the HijackThis Forum at http://forums.spywareinfo.com/ or
alternatively http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 and hopefully this
will enable someone to identify the cause of your problem.

See also: Dealing with Unwanted Malware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search
Engines http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm and also Browser
Hijacking http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hijacked/
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


Dan M wrote:

The default home page comes up with a URL of "about:Blank" What is
presented is a pseudo search page with many categories, but
highlighted with headers providing links to pharmacies,
"enlargements", etc.
Whenever I try to reset the deafult to a legitimate page, this one
returns.
Any ideas?