How to Prevent Browser Hijack

Browser hijacking means that a malicious code has taken over and modified the settings of your browser, without your permission. There are several ways a hijacking software can reach a computer. It may come as part of a freeware installation that is supported by adware or spyware, so always read carefully the disclaimers appearing during the install process, and watch for additional programs that are being installed along with the main software (toolbars, add-ons and so on) – make sure you uncheck them, and if this is not possible give up on installing the program alltogether. It can also come through an infected or misleading e-mail, file share or a drive-by download. Rogue security software developers are also known for browser hijacking, usually pretending that your system is infected and redirecting to their download page.

Browser Hijack Prevention.

1. Take care while installing any new software. Never click Next, Next, Next blindly.
2. Opt-out of any third-party software.
3. Never install plugins or extensions of doubtful credibility and uninstall the one’s you do not need.
4. If you can, install a software that can keep a watch on your system in real-time – something like UPCleaner. UPCleaner is not only a permanently Windows optimization tool, but also an easy browser protector. Its web browser protection may secure your browser entirely with the one-click lock including your hompage, search engine and browser shortcuts.
5. Harden your ActiveX settings. Open Internet Options > Security > Internet > Custom Level. In the ActiveX section, set Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt, Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable and Initialize and Script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable.

Change Home Page in Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera browsers

The home page of a web browser is the page which opens when you launch it. Most browsers come with a pre-set home page. In other cases, you may have some software change your home page. In this post we will see how to set, reset or change the home page in Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera browsers. Most browsers even let you set multiple home pages.

Change Home Page

You may set a search engine, a favorite website, a social site as your home page or you could set it so that a blank page opens when you launch your browser. If you wish to set a blank page to open you have to use about:blank in place of the URL.

Change home page in Internet Explorer

Launch your Internet Explorer, click on Settings in the top right side and select Internet Options. Under the General tab itself, you will see the setting to create one or multiple home page tabs. If you wish to open one site you have to type in a single URL like say http://www.thewindowsclub.com/. If you wish to open multiple tabs, you have to type each URL on a separate line. If you wish to open a blank page, type about:blank. You can also use about:Tabs which is the same as selecting Use new tab button, or the Current page which may be open in your Internet Explorer.

Once you have done this, click on Apply / OK.

Set home page in Firefox

Open Firefox and click on Open Menu in the tope right corner. Select Options and right under the General tab you will see Startup settings. You can use the Current page which may be open in your Firefox, anyone from your Bookmarks or set it to open a blank page using about:blank.

Click OK and exit.

Change home page in Chrome

In Chrome, click on the Customize and control Google Chrome button in the top right corner. Select Settings. You will see these options under On startup. You can select:

Open the new tab page

Continue where you left off

Open a specific page or set of pages. Clicking the Set pages link will allow you to set your new home page or pages.

Add a new URL or select the current page and click OK and exit.

Set home page in Opera

After you have launched Opera, in the top left corner, click on the Customize and control Opera button. From the drop-down menu, select Settings. You will see the following options under On startup. You can select:

Continue where I left off

Open the start page

Open a specific page or set of pages

Clicking on the Set pages link will allow you to add a new page or use current pages. Once you have set your preferences, click on OK and exit.

Prevent your home page from changing

Let’s say that you already set the homepage, but something is changing it. There are a couple of reasons why this might be happening. For example, your security software changed it. Or malware did it. To prevent your home page from changing, you can use UPCleaner to secure your browser entirely including homepage, search engine and browser shortcuts.

Ultimate PC Cleaner  is not only a permanently free cleaner, but also an easy browser protection program. It may secure your browser with the one-click lock, which blocks websites in more than 70 categories, including pornography, gambling, drugs, violence/hate/racism, malware/spyware, phishing.

Highly Recommended Parental Control Software

Kids these days often know more about computers and the Internet than their parents. They can find almost anything on the Internet, including things parents wish they hadn’t found. There are tons of parental control solutions available, at prices from moderate to quite high. Fortunately, there are also a few free ones, and some of them are quite good.

Norton Online Family

Norton Online Family is free software that lets parents monitor the websites their children visit as well as what they search for online and who they chat with. Not only can parents set time-limits for how long their offspring can use the PC for, they can also see their social networking activities and even receive an email report about all of the kid’s online activities.

Windows Live Family Safety

Microsoft’s free parental controls software, Windows Live Family Safety, is part of its Windows Live Essentials package that includes MSN Messenger and Microsoft’s webmail client. Users can block specific sites and applications as well as controlling how long kids can use a computer.For more information on the parental controls software see our How to use Windows Live Family Safety tutorial.

K9 Web Protection

K9 Web Protection is a comprehensive parental controls and web filtering package that will keep the whole family safe online.
The program is able to block access to many web sites, according to their category: pornography, drugs, hacking, gambling, hate sites and more. Some pre-defined profiles speed up this process. Selecting ‘High’, for instance, blocks almost everything and is suitable for very young children, while the ‘Minimal’ profile is more relaxed, a better option for teenagers.

UPCleaner

UPCleaner – the Ultimate PC Cleaner is, in simplest terms, a disk cleanup tool as the best Windows PC optimization tools. Its web security protection is also a free internet filter and parental control software for your home Windows. UPCleaner puts you in control of the Internet so you can protect your kids. It may secure your browser with the one-click lock, which blocks websites in more than 70 categories, including pornography, gambling, drugs, violence/hate/racism, malware/spyware, phishing.

How to stay safe while web browser online

With the amount of malware currently prowling the internet it’s very important to fully protect your computer from online dangers. This is important for everyone, not just the overly security conscious.

1. Ensure Your Computer Is Not Infected

The first thing you should do when securing your system is to ensure that your computer is not already infected with malware.

2. Basic Approaches To Staying Safe

An important aspect of protecting your computer is making sure that if anything bad does happen, your important information will still be safe.


One of the most important things to do in order to keep your computer safe from malware,aside from making sure that your computer is protected with a password, is to make sure that Windows Update is set to automatically update.


If you’re not confident that a site is safe you should investigate it using the methods. Also, in addition to making sure that sites are safe, you should also make sure that anything you download from a site is not dangerous.


For information about this, and similar services, please read this article about the three basic Approaches To Staying Web Browser Safe.

3. Prevent Future Infections By Using web Security Software

UPCleaner web security protection is a free internet filter and parental control software for your home Windows or Mac computer. UPCleaner puts you in control of the Internet so you can protect your web safe.

Seven Ways to Protect You Online Shopping

The internet is a staple in many people’s everyday lives. It is a great place full of wonderful information, but it is also full of many dangers. The price of banking, shopping, and interacting online might be your personal information. To stay safe on the internet, use the following strategies.

1.Choose strong passwords.

Passwords are like the key to your accounts – only the person with the key can access them. When choosing a password, you want to make sure you choose one that is unique, strong, and not easily guessed by strangers or those close to you. Choose a password that uses letters, numbers, lower case, upper case, and characters.

2.Be mindful when installing programs or agreeing to terms.

When you sign up for newsletters, install programs, or agree to anything, read the fine print. If you do not want to receive junk mail or get put on a telemarketer list, look for a small box near the bottom of the page that asks if you want to receive information and offers from other companies. The best sites will have a statement listed that they will not sell your name to other companies (though they may still send you e-mails themselves).

3.Do not give out personal details to strangers.

Don’t give your full name, address, or phone number to anyone online that you don’t trust or know. This is especially important in chat rooms, when negotiating jobs or deals, or making plans through meet-up sites.

4.Don’t fall prey to phishing scams.

Phishing e-mails are messages that appear to be from legitimate companies, such as your bank or stores where you’ve shopped, that provide links to fake websites and ask for personal information.

5.Keep your eyes peeled for online scams.

Online scams crop up everywhere. These scams can pop up in e-mails, tweets, Facebook posts, and many other places. Don’t click on links that don’t look like a real address or contains a lot of letters and characters that look like gibberish.

6.Limit the information you share on social media.

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media sites are part of most people’s every day lives. On Facebook, people post their maiden names, their parents’ names, their birthdays, the birthdays of their children, their hometowns, their home address, their home and cell phone numbers, along with myriad other personal information. This information gives anyone with a computer just about every essential piece of information about you.[9] Limit what you share online to protect your identity and privacy.

7.Have multiple e-mail accounts.

It’s best to have three accounts. Multiple e-mails help you separate different aspects of your life, gives you official and non-official addresses, and can help you cut down on spam and privacy issues.

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Limit the information you share on social media

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media sites are part of most people’s every day lives. On Facebook, people post their maiden names, their parents’ names, their birthdays, the birthdays of their children, their hometowns, their home address, their home and cell phone numbers, along with myriad other personal information. This information gives anyone with a computer just about every essential piece of information about you.

Limit what you share online to protect your identity and privacy.

Sharing too many details on social media sites can put you in physical danger as well. Letting the internet know where you live and when you will not be at home may lead to someone breaking into your house – especially when they see all the photos of your new TV, computers, and jewelry. Too many personal details, like your home address, phone number, and daily whereabouts and habits, gives stalkers plenty of information to use against you.
Many secure sites, like banking, insurance, loan, and school websites, require security questions. These questions include: “What is your mother’s maiden name?”, “What is your paternal grandmother/father’s name?”, “What town did you grow up in?”, or “What is your father’s birthday?” These answers can be found easily on some people’s Facebook pages.

Sharing this kind of information can result in identity theft.
When choosing security questions, don’t choose ones that have answers easily discovered on social media. Choose harder questions only you know the answer to.

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Choose a strong password to protect your identity on the Internet shopping

Passwords are like the key to your accounts – only the person with the key can access them. When choosing a password, you want to make sure you choose one that is unique, strong, and not easily guessed by strangers or those close to you.Choose a password that uses letters, numbers, lower case, upper case, and characters.

Choosing password or 1234 is lazy – and easily guessable. Choosing birthdays of those close to you (or yourself) is probably also not safe. The longer your password is, the harder it will be to guess. Also try leaving out letters, or substituting numbers for letters.

Try passwords that reference phrases or things significant only to you. For example, if the name of your beloved childhood goldfish was Sir Bubbles, swap out some of the letters for numbers and you can end up with a very nice password like s1rbubb735 that only you understand.

Make sure to choose passwords that are easily remembered or write them down. If you write down your passwords, don’t leave them in plain sight. Don’t keep them on your computer desk by your computer.

Never use the same password for different accounts. If you don’t want to come up with and keep track of dozens of different passwords, come up with a base password (ex. s1rbubb735) and tack a logical modifier onto it for each account. For example, on Amazon, use amzns1rbubb735; on Gmail, use gmails1rbubb735 or for Twitter twitts1rbubb735.

It is good practice to change your password every few months.

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