# Rootscan.info? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rootscan-info/510751 "2009-09-19T22:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rootscan-info/510751/1 "2009-09-19T22:04:03Z")
So I just got redirected (from another site) to http: //rootscan…info (link broken for safety). The webpage appeared to be scanning my computer for something nasty, and I immediately closed the browser window. What’s the straight dope about this site, and how can I block it? I use Firefox on XP home. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rootscan-info/510751/2 "2009-09-19T22:12:16Z")
I’ve just gone to it on a ‘safe’ computer. I got a 404 not found. Have a look at your hosts file… C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc See if there’s anything in there with that URL ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rootscan-info/510751/3 "2009-09-19T22:17:27Z")
[http://askville.amazon.com/rootscan-info-found/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=60263439](http://askville.amazon.com/rootscan-info-found/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=60263439) It is probably _pretending_ to scan your computer. It then peddles their own software to ‘fix’ the ‘errors’ it finds. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rootscan-info/510751/4 "2009-09-19T22:45:03Z")
Yeah, I think this was a worm I had in Firefox once. I used avast! on it repeatedly, uninstalled Firefox, had a real time with it. If I recall correctly, what finally got it was when I searched my computer for recently installed programs that I hadn’t put there intentionally. Or was that just the more recent annoyance?