12 Other security issues

12.1 Home page hijackers

A home page hijacker is malicious code, quite often attached to a web page, that resets the home page on your browser to one designated by the writer of the code rather than the one you chose. Although this is a low security threat, at the very least these hijackers cause inconvenience, and may give offence.

Because of the covert way in which the hijackers are installed it is difficult to reset your home page to your original choice. Every time you re-start your computer and open the browser window you will find that the home page has been hijacked.

To restore the original settings it is necessary to know which program has been installed. If this happens to you, seek expert advice, as it is possible to damage your computer setup.