ClickToSearch


· Overview ·
· Origins ·
· Distribution ·
· Operation ·
· Risks ·
· Detection and Removal ·
· Research ·



Overview

Alias:

BestPhrases

Category:

Hijacker: Any software that resets your browser's settings to point to other sites. Hijacks may reroute your info and address requests through an unseen site, capturing that info. In such hijacks, your browser may behave normally, but be slower.

Adware: Software that displays popup/popunder ads when the primary user interface is not visible or which do not appear to be assocaited with the product.

Browser Helper Object: (BHO). A component that Internet Explorer will load whenever it starts, shares IE's memory context, can perform any action on the available windows and modules. A BHO can detect events, create windows to display additional information on a viewed page, monitor messages and actions. Microsoft calls it "a spy we send to infiltrate the browser's land." BHOs are not stopped by personal firewalls, because they are seen by the firewall as your browser itself. Some exploits of this technology search all pages you view in IE and replace banner advertisements with other ads. Some monitor and report on your actions. Some change your home page.

Similar Pests:

Hijacker · Adware · Browser Helper Object

Origins

Date of Origin:

November, 2003

Distribution

Prevalence:

  • ClickToSearch: < 0.00005%
  • More Info

    Clot Factor:

  • ClickToSearch: < 1
  • The "Clot Factor" is a measure of how much a pest "gums up" a machine by adding registry entries, files, and directories. As more objects are placed in a machine, manual removal becomes more difficult and more error-prone.

    Countries Affected:

    In the past three months, we have received reports of ClickToSearch in United States.

    Operation

    Storage Required:

  • ClickToSearch: at least 129 KB
  • Browser Performance:

    Likely to slow performance of Internet Explorer.

    Risks

    Privacy Policy:

    unknown

    Detection and Removal

    Automatic Removal:

    PestPatrol detects this.

    PestPatrol removes this.



    Manual Removal:

    Use "Add/Remove Programs" in the Windows® Control Panel.
    Unregister DLLs:

    Unregister these DLLs with Regsvr32, then reboot:

    Remove Files:

    Remove these files (if present) with Windows Explorer:

    Restore Settings:

    After following the instructions above, you will still need to restore your original settings and prevent this from happening again. Here''s how.

    Research

    File Analyses:

    More Info:

  • AllTheWeb, AltaVista, AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, Google, HotBot, Lycos, LookSmart, MSN, Yahoo!
  • Research By:

  • PestPatrol's Pest Research Center
  • Last Revised:

    April 15, 2005