Recently after viewing various sites with MS Internet Explorer 5.5 & shutting off my computer, when turning it on & restarting MS IE, I find the “home page” that it starts on has been changed to another that I’ve never visited (in both cases, search engines that I’ve never heard of). And there amongst my “favorites” (bookmarks) is the new one.
Could this hijacking be dangerous? How can I prevent it?
Is this what they used?:
http://javascript.internet.com/miscellaneous/set-home-page.html
Dangerous having your home page changed? Why? Just change it back to whatever it was.
I have disabled javascript for net surfing so I do not have to worry about that kind of stuff. Tools - Internet options - security - internet etc.
Phartizan (may I address you as Phart? 
), I think we’ve all had our Home Page get accidentally reset at one point or another. I’ve never heard it referred to as a “hijack” before, just “&$#@* dumb stuff that happens”. I have no clue as to the exact mechanism that websites use to do this, and frankly I don’t think it’s important, when it’s so easy to change it back.
Go up there under Tools, Internet Options, General, it says, “You can change which page to use for your home page”. Just change it back and don’t worry about future hijacks.
Yeah, it’s easy to change, but it’s still annoying. I got paranoid because my computer detected a virus around the same time that it changed the last time. I’ll take your word for it’s not being dangerous. Thanks.
That was the idea.
I found a slightly more detailed answer. Apparently it’s not a Netscape problem, so one solution is to dump IE. Otherwise, go to “Internet Options…”. Select the “Security” tab. Near the bottom of this dialog, click the button that says “Custom Level…”. Change “Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting” to “Prompt”. You’ll be prompted whenever a script is run. If you don’t know what the script does, then cancel the running of it.
here’s why it can be slightly more than just annoying…
for such a thing to happen you have to misc security features disabled (which is a stock install on MSIE)…
which means your machine is already vulnerable to misc attacks… so some devious person could just have a page with useful data on it, you go to it to find said data, his/her leader page tries to change your start page to another page of his/her creation. (s)he can then be (reasonably) assured that everyone that goes to that start page has little to no security on their browser, so the second page can exploit all the nastinesses that activeX, swing, java, etc allow… those of us that check out logs will know that the page tried to change our start page (normally mumbling something under our breath about bastard marketers/spammers/etc.) but otherwise ignoring it… so the person trying to do something illegal to your machine is virtually assured that all the people that visit the exploit page will have low security and the page will not be visited by those of us that will wonder why it was trying to access our HDDs… makes them harder to catch…
remember the “search engine” that was set up by some guys after the propogation of ActiveX??? for those of you that don’t, there once was a nasty little search engine on the web that would happily perform your search, return good results, and while it was ‘searching the web’ it was also searching your HDD via ActiveX for MS Money files… if it found an MS money file it would start a transfer of all moneys controlled by that MS money file to a numbered offshore account, and send them a little note to move the money else where… I don’t remember how many millions they transfered… they were eventually caught, I believe they’re still in jail, but most of the funds were never recovered, which means that the money is sitting in any number of numbered offshore accounts just waiting for their parole date… when they can happily go to a non-extradition country and live like kings… their crimes didn’t carry very heavy sentences, and if memory serves they made many many millions…
what’s a couple years worth to you?
though there will probably never be anything as icky as that ‘search engine’ again, there are other nasty possbilities…
so like I said, it’s not just an annoyance, if it happens to you, turn off the ‘features’ that allow such things to happen…
screw that (though it is totally correct, and good advice for a windows user)
if you want to use windows, and you want to use MSIE (which you’re almost going to be forced to now that Netscape is “no longer a browser company”)… turn off all the scripting crap, turn off java, turn off everything you can, set all security levels as high as possible, turn off cookies (one caveat, when going online shopping, turn them back on BRIEFLY)… and then you can safely surf, provided you find all the little nastinesses…
for true safety… install RedHat linux (or any other linux, they’re all cool, but redhat is the easiest to install for a newby) and run netscape… set the security features a little high and you’re perfectly safe… just remember…
ROOT DOESN’T SURF… he’s too cool for that… ;)~
once you know what I mean, and why that’s almost not quite funny… you’re all good.
forgot about something…
if you have a high speed line… windows is just plane NOT secure…
if you’re paying for a dedicated high speed line anyhow, find a crappy old 486 and run the Linux Router Project on it… then hook it’s second ETH card into a hub and you’re safer… provided you configure it right… for more info visit
if you’re a modem user, you’re still open for misc attacks on windows, but you’re not worth the average attacker’s time.