ShopNav


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



Overview

Summary:

ShopNav is a search-hijacker implemented as an Internet Explorer Browser Helper Object, with an updater process run at startup. Address bar searches, the Search explorer bar, unknown domains, and, in some variants, non-www server names entered into the address bar without the preceding 'http://' will be sent to Srng's controlling server www.srng.net, which redirects to a search service at apps.webservicehost.com.

Alias:

Adware/NavHelper [Panda], Spyware.Shopnav [Symantec], Srng

See Also:

Grokster

Category:

Search Hijacker: Any software that resets your browser's settings to point to other sites when you perform a search. 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. Search results when such a hijacker is running will sometimes differ from non-hijacked results.

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.

Toolbar: A group of buttons which perform common tasks. A toolbar for Internet Explorer is nomally located below the menu bar at the top of the form. Toolbars may be created by Browser Helper Objects.

Variants:

  • ShopNav.IE
  • ShopNav.SN
  • ShopNavSearch.Srng
  • Similar Pests:

    Search Hijacker · Browser Helper Object · Toolbar

    Origins

    Group:

    srng.net

    By This Group:

    ShopNav.IE ·

    Mailing Address:

    srng.net, 250 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 USA

    Phone:

    415.760.8615 fax: 415.760.8615

    EMail:

    wvinc2003@yahoo.com

    URL:

    http://srng.net/
    http://pop.popuptoast.com/search/9886/search.html

    Date of Origin:

    Variants from February, 2003 to August, 2004

    Distribution

    Distribution:

    Distributed with Grokster since March, 2003.

    Prevalence:

  • ShopNav: 9.3%
  • ShopNavSearch.Srng: 1.3%
  • More Info

    Clot Factor:

  • ShopNav: 7
  • 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.

    Growth:

  • ShopNav: Insufficient data to report growth
  • Operation

    Platform:

    Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP

    Advertising:

    No.

    Storage Required:

  • ShopNav: at least 2229 KB
  • Browser Performance:

    Likely to slow performance of Internet Explorer.

    Risks

    Security Issues:

    Yes. Can download, install, and run unknown code from its controlling servers.

    Stability Issues:

    None known.

    Detection and Removal

    Automatic Removal:

    PestPatrol detects this.

    PestPatrol removes this.



    Manual Removal:

    Follow these steps to remove ShopNav from your machine. Begin by backing up your registry and your system, and/or setting a Restore Point, to prevent trouble if you make a mistake.
    Stop Running Processes:

    Kill these running processes with Task Manager:

    Remove AutoRun Reference:

    Go To the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
    If you find the value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run\srng, delete it and reboot the machine immediately.



    Unregister DLLs:

    Unregister these DLLs with Regsvr32, then reboot:

    Clean Registry:

    Remove these registry items (if present) with RegEdit:

    Remove Files:

    Remove these files (if present) with Windows Explorer:

    Remove Directories:

    Remove these directories (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:

  • Andrew Clover
  • PestPatrol's Pest Research Center
  • Last Revised:

    April 04, 2005