I have an updated anti-virus but how will I stop malwares in hijacking my documents and browsers?
Malware always Hijack Browsers and Documents
Having an updated antivirus is a good measure against hijacking but there are also other safety measures you can maintain to stop browser and document hijacking. Here are some things you can do aside from running your antivirus software at all times:
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Have a pop-up blocker enabled on your browser. Pop-ups are not just annoying; they can be malicious as well. Be vigilant of seemingly harmless pop-up ads that would just ask us to click an “OK or “Close Window”, it’s a common trick used by browser hijackers.
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Disable all your add-ons and toolbars. While most add-ons are convenient or just harmless, some of them are hijacking tools in disguise. Disable your add-ons and toolbars for now – and ONLY install stuff that is verified safe by your browser’s developer.
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If you have been a victim of hijacking already, run a registry cleaner to erase all system changes the hijacking caused on your PC.Make sure to back up your files before doing any registry cleaning and make sure you know what you’re doing – registry cleaning can cause problems when done incorrectly.
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Have anti-hijacking software such as HijackThis.Antivirus software can catch some hijacking software, but not all the time. If you already downloaded safe, tried-and-tested anti-hijacking software, perform a full system scan immediately.
Prevention is always better than cure – it is always sensible to take precautionary measures to stop browser hijacking rather than damage control.
Malware always Hijack Browsers and Documents
Problems like this usually happen after installing third-party software from an unknown or unverified source. But the problem can always be prevented from further damaging the system by your antivirus. Installing very reliable antivirus software makes sure that your computer is free from unwanted and suspicious programs that might do harm on your data and make changes to some of your installed software.
If you are planning on installing a program on your computer, make sure to scan the file to install so you can be sure that it is not infected. But there are times that scanning the file doesn’t help and I’ve encountered one instance of that where the file appears to be clean even after scanning it with Norton Antivirus and the problem was only detected while it is being installed. The container file seems to hide the suspicious code very perfectly and will only extract it during the installation. If you are not sure about the file, don’t install it. And also make sure that you will be downloading the file from reputable websites.
