Search being redirected.

[MichaelM]

I've having a problem with Google search. I carry out a search and get the search results, if I then click on a link, it may or may not re-direct me to Goomer results or Vimeo or something similar - shopping results. Or I may be offered a list of adult friend finder/chat sites.

If I search for an image of a Dogue de Bordeaux, then that's what I want to see, not a list of buy Dogue pet supplies, Adult dogueing etc etc !

I'm running AVG, update and scan regularly, have tried a scan but got no results. Any advice on how to clean this up please?


Thanks

Michael

 

[ian turner]

check your hosts file for anything iffy (realistically that would be anything other than local 127.0.0.0) that looks like a redirection of google.
Then go into the settings for your network settings as in those for the actual connection be it wired or wireless and look under tcp properties
and make sure it's set to auto for the obtain dns server and not to some fixed values in which case select auto again.
Usually these highjackers are redirecting the dns but if both of those are okay then download malwarebytes and use that to scan your system.

 

[HLaB]

Try downloading a security program which will find and remove the problem.

I've got adaware on this pc at the moment it finds and it removes things, Spyware etc which AV doesn't always find.

 

[gbb]

Got the same problem at the moment on two laptops. It wont be (if its the same problem as mine) a virus. It could be your (if you're using one) router.
I'm pulling my hair out at the moment.
We use Community Feedback, you post a Hijack log, they analyse it and make recommendations. On mine, its NOT a virus. We've run so many different virus/malware programs, they just dont find anything.
As Ian turner states, check your Hosts file, but nothing other than the correct host in mine.

I'll be reading Ians post in detail later re network settings...havnt tried that yet.

I sypathise, its doing my head in.

 

[MichaelM]

I've managed to clear it by running Malawarebytes - though I don't really know the hows and whys of what it did.

Searching my pc, I found 4 hosts files -I don't know which is which or what each is for.

I really should make the effort to learn more about how my pc works - one day.....

Thanks for the replies.


Michael

 

[ian turner]

Searching was unnecessary as the link in my original post gave a list of locations for various os and for windows it's in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
Adaware was never that good for finding real nasties and a tendency to list a large number of mostly harmless tracking cookies.

 

[gbb]

Searching was unnecessary as the link in my original post gave a list of locations for various os and for windows it's in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
Adaware was never that good for finding real nasties and a tendency to list a large number of mostly harmless tracking cookies.

In my limited knowledge, agreed.
Reading forums etc, i realised (and hoped) there could be extra host files (but sadly in my case there were'nt any extra) and these can cause the problem.....

 

[2Loose]

Adaware was never that good for finding real nasties and a tendency to list a large number of mostly harmless tracking cookies.

Agreed in my experience.

Spybot Search & Destroy partnered with Malwarebytes alongside my Antivirus has never failed to cleanup my system so far. (touch wood)

 

[gbb]

Ok, after many attempts and headscratching i think mines sorted.
My main puter was getting redirected to K-Directory amongst others, not all the time but frequently and my two wireless laptops were suffering similar problems.
I think its several issues not one.
Reading about hosts files, i'd checked one laptop but it only showed the correct file, so assumed thats not the problem. BUT...looked at the host files in the main puter...there were three, one being rhino summat or other. Deleted the unwanted ones...no problems since on that computer.

But the laptops display similar problems, ran many malware / antivirus programs, no change. Checked the hosts files again, no problem. I read somewhere it could be the router. I'm not very patient or good with computer issues so its a minefield for me. I decided to reset the router and reconfigure my security settings (its a DLink router) After more headscratching..user names and passwords i couldnt remember, setting up new passwords, setting up new networks with the laptops....it seems to have stopped the problems at the moment. Fingers crossed....

 

[gbb]

So far, so good. Laptops and main puter are running fine.
Jeez, i know i'm not very good or patient with routers in particular, but i've changed the passwords and settings so many times...and with hindsight, its not rocket science, it's just getting into the correct procedure.
Set my encryption to WPA-SK something or other....all seemed fine, until i wanted to get the i-Pod on...it just wouldnt have it. Went through it all again and set the encryption to WEP, new passwords and keys, reste all the laptops again...all running fine. Actually they load up a lot faster than before.
Had problems with the SSID (your router name display)...i set it to the old ID, but then i couldnt log on with the new passwords !!! So go through the same procedure again !!!
So how the hell does someone 'infect' your router ?

 

[ian turner]

They don't they hack in.
If your password is the default and it's not setup to limit login to internal network users only then a brute force webscan
may break into it. Though I thought that default settings would prevent that but not at home to check and the works belkin
router has an idiot level interface that doesn't take you into the main status page on login.
Try setting the encryption to WPA2-PSK with TKIP rather than AES as WEP can be broken quite easily and I believe there
are weaknesses in WPA-PSK as well.

 

[gbb]

They don't they hack in.
If your password is the default and it's not setup to limit login to internal network users only then a brute force webscan
may break into it. Though I thought that default settings would prevent that but not at home to check and the works belkin
router has an idiot level interface that doesn't take you into the main status page on login.
Try setting the encryption to WPA2-PSK with TKIP rather than AES as WEP can be broken quite easily and I believe there
are weaknesses in WPA-PSK as well.

Errrr

I may be trying to understand something that i dont need to know anyway (thats the engineer in me) but...
Password was default ...as in Admin and blank password. It was WEP and AFAIK, it was never set to limit network users.
What is a brute force webscan ?
I did set it to WPA-PSK, (no reason why..i dont know the value of one over the other....i'm an idiot PC wise and not ashamed to admit it ) but struggled to get the i-Pod to connect. This may not even be anything to do with WPA, but when i reset it all to WEP....no problem with the i-Pod.

TKIP ?

Appreciate your input BTW

 

[ian turner]

As in ping whole ranges of ip addresses and if you get a response try throwing a default login at it.
Company used to use a netgear ethernet modem (no router capability) plugged into a firewall and the
firewall was logging failed login attempts from somewhere in china as the modem had a hack vulnerability
in it's original firmware that this hacker had obviously tried as the password was not set to default.
When you select the WPA2-PSK on the router there will be an option for Encryption method and you should select TKIP
rather than AES to get your ipod touch to connect