For every search my browser (IE8) just starts opening tab after tab after tab. I re-booted just to re-set everything, and it’s still doing that.
Anyone else?
If it’s just me, any ideas on how to avoid this?
Roddy
It’s you. Looks like malware has attacked your system.
Install/run
Once your system is clean, install/run
or
Then don’t use IE again.
Disclaimer: I am a programmer, not an IT or security expert; the following advice is worth what you’re paying for it; YMMV; void where prohibited… You get get the picture 
Are you getting this from an integrated “Search tool-bar” (generally along the top of your browser) or from Google’s actual Home Page? If the latter, is it your default home page or are you typing www.google.com into the Address Bar of the browser?
**Toolbar **-- probably a bad toolbar; uninstall it with extreme prejudice, then run anti-virus / malware protection on your system, but there’s a decent chance you’ll be OK.
**Home Page **-- could be hijacked. Your browser is probably corrupted and the home page is now directed to a Google lookalike. Take a look at the actual URL you have reached; if it’s not really google, it may just be that your Home Page has been hijaked. Reset your home page, check your system, but again, there’s a decent chance that that’s all it was. If it is really showing Google’s address, however, then it’s probably the same as…
Typed address – in which case your etc/hosts file has been hijacked and is manually redirecting you to the Google lookalike page. In this case the Operating System has almost certainly been compromised. Panic. Back everything up, reinstall Windows and your browser, and run a fine tooth comb over your system. Consider calling in the pros.
I am at work on a company computer; I don’t have admin rights. I don’t have an option about browser, IE is required for some of my company’s applications.
I checked to make sure that I was at www.google.com before typing in the search term. I use a bookmark for getting to this page. I don’t have it on a toolbar.
The behavior has stopped now. Maybe I wasn’t as careful as I thought before. I also noticed that when I manually typed in www.google.com, it went to an https site, and that somehow I was logged in. So I logged out, and then I went to the http site. Now either site works correctly (http or https).
I only have a login because we use Google Apps. But logging out seemed to be what cured it. I’d be interested in anyone’s insight into these events.
And thanks for the advice so far.
Roddy
My guess… IF your virus protections are current and not reporting anything… then Google did an update that went bonkers under IE8 (like caused a programming loop) and by the time you went back, they’d backed out the update.
IF your corporate virus update is clean and the problem has stopped, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. You don’t have admin rights on your system, so there are a lot of nasties that just won’t be able to impact it. My virus scan license ran out and I ran without any virus protection for about a month and never got infected with anything because I’m using a locked down account that doesn’t have access to do anything beyond basics.
(for the freaked… yes, I did a deep scan, root kit scan and a few other checks when I finally got a new virus protection software and no, my system was not infected with anything at allzlkj;aiodpoiuewprik oiaupoua8 akj;kj >zoink<
I hope that’s right. It was over an hour between attempts, so it could have given Google time to discover the problem and back something out.
That’s the sort of information/speculation I was hoping for. Thanks.
Roddy