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HijackThis Tutorial - How to use HijackThis to remove Browser Hijackers

&Spyware

By Lawrence Abrams on March 25, 2004 | Last Updated: June 12 , 2012 | Read 2,059,535 times.4 Like 30 Tweet 12

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Home > Computer Tutorials > Security Tutorials > HijackThis Tutorial - How to use HijackThis to remove Browser Hijackers & Spyware

This tutorial is also available in Spanish.

This tutorial is also available in German.

This tutorial is also available in Dutch.

Ce tutoriel est aussi traduit en franais ici.

Table of Contents

1. Warning

2. Introduction

3. How to use HijackThis

4. How to restore items mistakenly deleted

5. How to Generate a Startup Listing

6. How to use the Process Manager

7. How to use the Hosts File Manager

8. How to use the Delete on Reboot tool

9. How to use ADS Spy

10. How to use the Uninstall Manager

11. How to interpret the scan listings

12. R0, R1, R2, R3 Sections

13. F0, F1, F2,F3 Sections

14. N1, N2, N3, N4 Sections

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Most Popular Tutorials

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15. O1 Section

16. O2 Section

17. O3 Section

18. O4 Section

19. O5 Section

20. O6 Section

21. O7 Section

22. O8 Section

23. O9 Section

24. O10 Section

25. O11 Section

26. O12 Section27. O13 Section

28. O14 Section

29. O15 Section

30. O16 Section

31. O17 Section

32. O18 Section

33. O19 Section

34. O20 Section

35. O21 Section

36. O22 Section

37. O23 Section

38. O24 Section

39. Conclusion

Warning

HijackThis should only be used if your browser or computer is still having problems after running Spybot or

another Spyware/Hijacker remover. HijackThis is an advanced tool, and therefore requires advanced knowledge

about Windows and operating systems in general. If you delete items that it shows, without knowing what they

are, it can lead to other problems such as your Internet no longer working or problems with running Windows

itself. You should also attempt to clean the Spyware/Hijacker/Trojan with all other methods before using

HijackThis. If you allow HijackThis to remove entries before another removal tool scans your computer, the files

from the Hijacker/Spyware will still be left on your computer and future removal tools will not be able to find

them.

If you do not have advanced knowledge about computers you should NOT fix entries using HijackThis without

consulting an expert on using this program. If you have already run Spybot - S&D and Ad-Aware and are still

having problems, then please continue with this tutorial and post a HijackThis log in our HijackThis forum,

including details about your problem, and we will advise you on what to fix.

Introduction

HijackThis is a utility that produces a listing of certain settings found in your computer. HijackThis will scan your registry

and various othe r files for entries that are s imilar to what a Spywa re or Hijacker program would leave behind.
http://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=B7Za0MpN9UYmcAcGj6QHa3oCYDuTW75QFAAAAEAEgADgAUL3j3LD-_____wFY5JvS0X5gyQaCARdjYS1wdWItNTUwNTkwNTU3OTU5OTkwNbIBGHd3dy5ibGVlcGluZ2NvbXB1dGVyLmNvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBQGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYmxlZXBpbmdjb21wdXRlci5jb20vdHV0b3JpYWxzL2hvdy10by11c2UtaGlqYWNrdGhpcy-YAsA-wAIC4AIA6gIiNDU4NS9ucy5ibGVlcGluZ2NvbXB1dGVyL3R1dG9yaWFsc_gC_tEekAPQBZgD4AOoAwHgBAGgBh4&num=0&sig=AOD64_0bufelJUfnff8VfS75qIt9pnPprA&client=ca-pub-5505905579599905&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3dd2/3/0/%2a/a%3B271083553%3B0-0%3B0%3B96950667%3B4986-300/600%3B53859237/53769856/1%3B%3B%7Eokv%3D%3Bpc%3D%5BTPAS_ID%5D%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://d.p-td.com/r/dc/id/L21rdC80L21waWQvMjM5MDcyMzk/segid/-99/advid/1052241/pkgid/96950667/crid/53859237/url/http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/enterprise-security/shop-ultrabook-for-business.html?dfaid=1&crtvid=53859237;http://pdfcrowd.com/http://pdfcrowd.com/redirect/?url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bleepingcomputer.com%2ftutorials%2fhow-to-use-hijackthis%2f&id=ma-130428172259-2c2df1f7http://pdfcrowd.com/customize/http://pdfcrowd.com/html-to-pdf-api/?ref=pdfhttp://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=B7Za0MpN9UYmcAcGj6QHa3oCYDuTW75QFAAAAEAEgADgAUL3j3LD-_____wFY5JvS0X5gyQaCARdjYS1wdWItNTUwNTkwNTU3OTU5OTkwNbIBGHd3dy5ibGVlcGluZ2NvbXB1dGVyLmNvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBQGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYmxlZXBpbmdjb21wdXRlci5jb20vdHV0b3JpYWxzL2hvdy10by11c2UtaGlqYWNrdGhpcy-YAsA-wAIC4AIA6gIiNDU4NS9ucy5ibGVlcGluZ2NvbXB1dGVyL3R1dG9yaWFsc_gC_tEekAPQBZgD4AOoAwHgBAGgBh4&num=0&sig=AOD64_0bufelJUfnff8VfS75qIt9pnPprA&client=ca-pub-5505905579599905&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3dd2/3/0/%2a/a%3B271083553%3B0-0%3B0%3B96950667%3B4986-300/600%3B53859237/53769856/1%3B%3B%7Eokv%3D%3Bpc%3D%5BTPAS_ID%5D%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://d.p-td.com/r/dc/id/L21rdC80L21waWQvMjM5MDcyMzk/segid/-99/advid/1052241/pkgid/96950667/crid/53859237/url/http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/enterprise-security/shop-ultrabook-for-business.html?dfaid=1&crtvid=53859237;http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-start-windows-in-safe-mode/http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-remove-a-trojan-virus-worm-or-malware/http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-see-hidden-files-in-windows/http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/show-hidden-files-in-windows-7/http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/repair-windows-with-windows-startup-repair/http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/f/22/virus-trojan-spyware-and-malware-removal-logs/http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=CAOrDMpN9UY7SEtOF6wGgrIDIBM-d4sUDh6ed0m6C8a3zeBABIMeD_AFQvtGhhf3_____AWDJBqABkfDf2gPIAQOoAwHIA9EEqgSYAU_Q_Iyd7Np_Yc0JqGl8xgdcbLOHbB5qU1DUNf1GDXzCmHrwNkPKXg9MmgLL4puY-ABXgyT7ureQtCqDA1inz2ClurokK763MflA8YHHxVCq9y_4OhXDki1Xy6ALpnuLL5oSen4P5zyeTxH8RBljq6d8bGSfgpgp8k4t_IkO6oY4jxEd8qalAYKWVSpCUkHF4CRETfmbkjJ-oAYDgAfXj6Al&num=1&sig=AOD64_0Mj5KrwbZq-72kt-0-Aedoy0j-5w&client=ca-pub-0920899300397823&adurl=http://landesm.gfi.com/event-log-monitoring-sm/%3Fadv%3D28890%26loc%3D1http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=CAOrDMpN9UY7SEtOF6wGgrIDIBM-d4sUDh6ed0m6C8a3zeBABIMeD_AFQvtGhhf3_____AWDJBqABkfDf2gPIAQOoAwHIA9EEqgSYAU_Q_Iyd7Np_Yc0JqGl8xgdcbLOHbB5qU1DUNf1GDXzCmHrwNkPKXg9MmgLL4puY-ABXgyT7ureQtCqDA1inz2ClurokK763MflA8YHHxVCq9y_4OhXDki1Xy6ALpnuLL5oSen4P5zyeTxH8RBljq6d8bGSfgpgp8k4t_IkO6oY4jxEd8qalAYKWVSpCUkHF4CRETfmbkjJ-oAYDgAfXj6Al&num=1&sig=AOD64_0Mj5KrwbZq-72kt-0-Aedoy0j-5w&client=ca-pub-0920899300397823&adurl=http://landesm.gfi.com/event-log-monitoring-sm/%3Fadv%3D28890%26loc%3D1


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Interpreting these results can be tricky as the re are many legitimate programs that are installed in your operating

system in a similar manner that Hijackers get installed. Therefore you must use extreme caution when having

HijackThis fix any problems. I can not stress how important it is to follow the above w arning.

There are two prevalent tutorials abo ut HijackThis on the Internet currently, but neither of them explain what each of

the sections actually mean in a way that a layman can unde rstand. This tutorial, in addition, to show ing how to use

HijackThis, will also go into detail about each of the sections and what they actually mean. There is no reason w hy you

should not understand what it is you are fixing when people examine your logs and tell you what to do.

If you would like to first read a tutorial on how to use Spybot, you can click here: How to use Spybot - Search and

Destroy Tutorial

With that said, lets move on to the tutorial on how to use it. If you want to see normal sizes of the screen shots you

can click on them. Keep in mind, that a new window w ill open up when you do so, so if you have pop-up blockers it

may stop the image window from opening.

How to use HijackThis

HijackThis can be downloaded as a standalone executable or as an installer. The standalone application allows you to

save and run HijackThis.exe from any folder you wish, while the installer will install HijackThis in a specific location and

create desktop shortcuts to that executable. When using the standalone version you should not run it from your

Temporary Internet Files folder as your backup folder will not be saved after you close the program. In order to avoid

the deletion of your backups, please save the executable to a specific folder before running it. We suggest that you

use the HijackThis installer as that has become the standard way of using the program and provides a safe location forHijackThis ba ckups.

The first step is to dow nload HijackThis to your computer in a location that you know where to find it again. HijackThis

can be downloaded from the following link:

HijackThis Download Link

If you have dow nloaded the standalone application, then simply double-click on the HijackThis.exe file and then click

here to skip to the part whe re the program has started.

Otherwise, if you downloaded the installer, navigate to the location where it was saved and double-click on the

HiJackThis.msi file in orde r to sta rt the insta llation of HijackThis. When the install starts, click on the Install button to

have HijackThis installed into the C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis folder, create a desktop shortcut that

can be us ed to run the program when you need to , and to automatically launch HijackThis for the first time.

You should now see a screen similar to the figure below:
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Figure 1. HijackThis Startup screen when run for the first time

We sugges t you put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Do not show this windows when I start HijackThis,

designa ted by the blue arrow above, as most instructions you w ill given will not account for this screen. After you have

put a checkmark in that checkbox, click on the None of the above, just start the program button, designated by the

red arrow in the figure above. You will then be p resented with the main HijackThis screen as seen in Figure 2 below.
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Figure 2. Starting Screen of Hijack This

You should first click on the Config button, which is designated by the blue arrow in Figure 2, and confirm that your

settings match those found in Figure 3 below. The options that should be checked are designated by the red arrow.


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Figure 3. HijackThis Configuration Options

When you are done setting these options, press the back key and continue with the res t of the tutorial.

To have HijackThis scan your computer for possible Hijackers, click on the Scan button designated by the red a rrow in

Figure 2. You will then be presented with a screen listing all the items found by the program as seen in Figure 4.


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Figure 4. Scan Results

At this point, you w ill have a listing o f all items found by HijackThis.

If what you see seems confusing and daunting to you, then click on the Save Log button, designated by the red

arrow, and save the log to your computer somewhe re you will remember later.

To open up the log and paste it into a forum, like ours, you should following these steps:

1. Click on Start then Run and type Notepad and press OK. Notepad will now be open on your computer.

2. Click on File and Open, and navigate to the directory where you saved the Log file.

3. When you see the file, double click on it. The log file should now be opened in your Notepad.

4. Click on Edit and then Select All. All the text should now be selected .

5. Click on Edit and then Copy, which will copy all the selected text into your clipboard.
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6. Go to the message forum and create a new message.

7. Title the message : HijackThis Log: Please help Diagnose

8. Right click in the message a rea where you would normally type your message , and click on the paste option. The

previously selected text should now be in the message.

9. Press Submit

If you would like to see information about any of the o bjects listed, you can click once on a listing, and then press the

"Info on selected item..." button. This will bring up a screen similar to Figure 5 below:

Figure 5. Object Information

When you a re done looking at the information for the various listings, and you fee l that you are knowledgeable

enough to continue, look through the listings and select the items you would like to remove by placing checkmarks in

the checkboxes next to ea ch listing as shown in Figure 6. At the end of the document we have included some basic

ways to interpret the information in these log files. By no means is this information extens ive enough to cover all

decisions, but should help you de termine what is legitimate o r not.


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df d mi b PRO i Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Figure 6. Select an item to Remove

Once you have se lected the items you would like to remove, press the Fix Checked button, designated by the blue

arrow, in Figure 6. HijackThis w ill then prompt you to confirm if you would like to remove those items. Press Yes or No

depending on your choice.

How to restore items mistakenly deleted

HijackThis comes with a backup and restore procedure in the event that you erroneous ly remove an entry that is

actually legitimate. If you have configured HijackThis as was shown in this tutorial, then you should be able to restore

entries that you have previously deleted. If you have had your HijackThis program running from a temporary directory,

then the restore procedure will not work.

If the configuration setting Make backups before fixing items is checked, HijackThis will make a backup of any entries


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df di b PRO i Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

that you fix in a directory called backups that resides in the same location as Hijackthis.exe.

If you start HijackThis and click on Config, and then the Backup button you will be presented w ith a screen like Figure

7 below . You will have a listing of all the items that you had fixed previously and have the option of restoring them.

Once you resto re an item that is listed in this screen, upon scanning again with HijackThis, the entries w ill show up

again.

Figure 7. Restoring a mistakenly removed entry

Once you are finished restoring those items that were mistakenly fixed, you can close the program.


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df di b PRO i A d l ? T t th HTML t PDF API

How to Generate a Startup Listing

At times when you pos t your log to a message forum asking for assistance, the pe ople helping may ask you to

generate a listing of all the programs that automatically start on your computer. HijackThis has a built in tool that will

allow you to do this.

In order to do this go into the Config option when you start HijackThis, which is des ignated by the blue arrow in Figure

2, and then click on the Misc Tools button at the top. You should see a screen similar to Figure 8 below .

Figure 8. Generating a StartupList Log.


12/46df di b PRO i A d l ? T t th HTML t PDF API

You will then click on the button labeled Generate StartupList Log which is is designated by the red arrow in Figure 8.

Once you click that button, the program will automatically open up a notepad filled w ith the Startup items from your

computer. Copy and paste these entries into a message and submit it.

Hopefully with either your knowledge or help from others you will have cleaned up your computer. If you wo uld like to

learn more detailed information abo ut what exactly each section in a scan log means, then continue reading.

How to use the Process Manager

HijackThis has a built in process manager that can be used to e nd processes as well as see what DLLs are loaded in

that process. To access the process manage r, you should click on the Config button and then click on the Misc Toolsbutton. You should now see a new screen w ith one of the buttons being Open Process Manager. If you click on that

button you will see a new s creen similar to Figure 9 below.


13/46df di b PRO i

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Figure 9. HijackThis Process Manager

This window w ill list all open processe s running on your machine. You can then click once on a process to select it, and

then click on the Kill Process button designated by the red arrow in Figure 9 above. This will attempt to end the

process running on the computer.

If you would like to terminate multiple processes a t the same time, press and hold do wn the control key on your

keyboard. While that key is pressed, click once on each process that you want to be terminated. As long as you hold

down the control button while selecting the additional processes, you will be able to select multiple processes at one

time. When you have selected all the processes you would like to terminate you would then press the Kill Process

button.

If you would like to see what DLLs are loaded in a selected process, you can put a checkmark in the checkbox labe led

Show DLLs, designa ted by the blue a rrow in the figure above. This will split the process screen into two sections. The

fi t ti ill li t th lik b f b t h li k ti l th b tt ti ill


14/46df di b PRO iAre you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

first section will list the processes like be fore, but now w hen you click on a particular process , the bottom section will

list the DLLs loaded in that process.

To exit the process manager you need to click on the back button twice w hich will place you at the main screen.

How to use the Hosts File Manager

HijackThis also has a rudimentary Hosts file manage r. With this manager you can view your hosts file and de lete lines

in the file or toggle lines on o r off. To access the Hosts file manager, you should click on the Config button and then

click on the Misc Tools button. You should now see a new screen w ith one of the buttons being Hosts File Manage r. If

you click on that button you will see a new screen s imilar to Figure 10 be low.

Figure 10: Hosts File Manager


15/46df di b PRO iAre you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Figure 10: Hosts File Manager

This window will list the contents of your HOSTS file. To delete a line in your hos ts file you wou ld click on a line like the

one de signated by the blue arrow in Figure 10 above. This will select that line of text. Then you can either de lete the

line, by clicking on the Delete line(s) button, or toggle the line on or o ff, by clicking on the Toggle line(s) button. It is

possible to select multiple lines a t once using the shift and control keys or dragging your mouse over the lines you

would like to interact with.

If you delete the lines, those lines w ill be deleted from your HOSTS file. If you toggle the lines, HijackThis will add a #

sign in front of the line. This will comment out the line so that it will not be use d by Windows. If you are unsure as to

what to do, it is always sa fe to Toggle the line so that a # appea rs before it.

To exit the Hosts file manager you ne ed to click on the back button tw ice which will place you at the main screen.

How to use the Delete on Reboot tool

At times you may find a file that stubbo rnly refuses to be deleted by conventional means. HijackThis introduced, in

version 1.98.2, a method to have Windows delete the file as it boots up, before the file has the chance to load. To do

this follow these steps:

1. Start Hijackthis

2. Click on the Config button

3. Click on the Misc Tools button

4. Click on the button labe led Delete a file on reboot...

5. A new window will open asking you to select the file that you would like to delete on reboot. Navigate to the file

and click on it once, and then click on the Open button.

6. You will now be asked if you would like to reboot your computer to de lete the file. Click on the Yes button if you

would like to reboot now, otherwise click on the No button to reboot later.

How to use ADS Spy

There is a particular infection called Home Search Assistant o r CWS_NS3 that w ill sometimes us e a file called an

Alternate Data Stream File to infect your computer. These files can not be se en or deleted using normal methods .ADS Spy was designed to help in removing these types of files. For those w ho are interes ted, you can learn more

about Alternate Data Streams and the Home Sea rch Assistant by reading the following articles:

Windows Alternate Data Streams [Tutorial Link]

Home Search Assistant Analysis [Tutorial Link]

To use the ADS Spy utility you would start HijackThis and then click on the Config button. Then click on the Misc Tools

button and finally click on the ADS Spy button. When the ADS Spy utility opens you w ill see a screen similar to figure

11 below.
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Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Figure 11: ADS Spy

Press the Scan button and the program will start to scan your Windows folder for any files that are Alternate Data

Streams. If it finds any, it will display them similar to figure 12 be low.


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pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Figure 12: Listing of found Alternate Data Streams

To remove one of the disp layed ADS files, simply place a checkmark next to its entry and click on the Remove selectedbutton. This will remove the ADS file from your computer. When you are done , press the Back button next to the

Remove selected until you are a t the main HijackThis screen.

How to use the Uninstall Manager

The Uninstall Manager allows you to manage the e ntries found in your control panel's Add/Remove Programs list.

When cleaning malware from a machine entries in the Add/Remove Programs list invariably get left behind. Many users

understandably like to have a clean Add/Remove Programs list and have difficulty removing these errant e ntries. Using

the Uninstall Manage r you can remove these entries from your uninstall list.

To access the Uninstall Manager you would do the following:


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g y g

1. Start HijackThis

2. Click on the Config button

3. Click on the Misc Tools button

4. Click on the Open Uninstall Manager button.

You will now be presented with a screen similar to the one below:

Figure 13: HijackThis Uninstall Manager

To deletean entry simply click on the entry you w ould like to remove and then click on the Delete this entry button. If

you want to change the program this entry is associated with you can click on the Edit uninstall command button and

enter the path to the program that should be run if you double-click on that entry in the Add/Remove Programs list.


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g

This last function should only be used if you know what you are doing.

If you are asked to save this list and post it so someone can examine it and advise you as to what you should remove,

you can click on the Save list... button and s pecify where you would like to save this file. When you press Save button

a notepad w ill open w ith the contents of that file. Simply copy and paste the contents of that notepad into a reply in

the topic you are getting he lp in.

How to interpret the scan listings

This next section is to help you diagnose the output from a HijackThis scan. If you are still unsure of wha t to do, or

would like to ask us to interpret your log, paste your log into a post in our Privacy Forum.

Every line on the Scan List for HijackThis starts with a section name. Below is a list of these se ction names and the ir

explanations. You can click on a section name to bring you to the appropriate section.

Section Name Description

R0, R1, R2, R3 Internet Explorer Start/Search pages URLs

F0, F1, F2,F3 Auto loading programs

N1, N2, N3, N4 Netscape/Mozilla Start/Search pages URLs

O1 Hosts file redirection

O2 Browser Helper Objects

O3 Internet Explorer toolbars

O4 Auto loading programs from Registry

O5 IE Options icon not visible in Control Panel

O6 IE Options access restricted by Administrator

O7 Regedit access restricted by Administrator

O8 Extra items in the IE right-click menu

O9 Extra buttons on main IE button toolbar, or extra items in IE 'Tools' menu

O10 Winsock hijacker

O11 Extra group in IE 'Advanced Options' window

O12 IE plugins

O13 IE Default Prefix hijack

O14 'Reset Web Settings' hijack

O15 Unwanted site in Trusted Zone

O16 ActiveX Objects (aka Downloaded Program Files)

O17 Lop.com/Domain Hijackers

O18 Extra protocols and protocol hijackers

O19 User style sheet hijack

O20 AppInit_DLLs Registry value Autorun

O21 ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad

O22 SharedTaskScheduler

O23 Windows XP/NT/2000 Services

O24 Windows Active Desktop Components


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It is important to note that certain sections use an internal white list so that HijackThis will not show known leg itimate

files. To disable this white list you can start hijackthis in this method instead: hijackthis.exe /ihatewhitelists.

In our explanations of each section we w ill try to explain in layman terms what they mean. We will also tell you wha t

registry keys they usually use and/or files that they use. Finally we w ill give you recommenda tions on wha t to do with

the entries.

R0,R1,R2,R3 Sections

This section covers the Internet Explorer Start Page, Home Page , and Url Search Hooks.

R0 is for Internet Explorers starting page and search assistant.

R1 is for Internet Explorers Sea rch functions and other characteristics.

R2 is not used currently.

R3 is for a Url Search Hook. An Url Search Hook is used when you type an address in the location field of the brow ser,

but do not include a protocol such as http:// or ftp:// in the address. When you enter such an address, the brow ser

will attempt to figure out the correct protocol on its own, and if it fails to do so, will use the UrlSearchHook listed in the

R3 section to try to find the location you entered.

Some Registry Keys: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main: Start Page

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main: Default_Page_URL

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main: Default_Page_URL

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main: Search Page

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main: Search Page

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchURL: (Default)

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main: Window Title

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings: ProxyOverride

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Connection Wizard: ShellNext

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main: Search Bar

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\URLSearchHooks

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch =

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant

Example

Listing

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page =

http://www.google.com/

A common question is what does it mean when the word Obfuscated is next to one of these entries. When something

is obfuscated that means that it is being made difficult to perceive or understand. In Spyware te rms that means the

Spyware o r Hijacker is hiding an entry it made by converting the values into some other form that it understands

eas ily, but humans would have trouble recognizing, such as adding entries into the registry in Hexadecimal. This is just


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another method of hiding its presence and making it difficult to be removed.

If you do not recognize the web site that either R0 and R1 are pointing to, and you want to change it, then you can

have HijackThis sa fely fix these , as they will not be detrimental to your Internet Explorer install. If you would like to

see what s ites they are, you can go to the site, and if it's a lot of popups and links, you can almost always de lete it. It

is important to note tha t if an RO/R1 points to a file, and you fix the entry with HijackThis, Hijackthis will not delete that

particular file and you will have to do it manually.

There are certain R3 entries that end with a underscore ( _ ) . An example of what one would look like is:

R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - {CFBFAE00-17A6-11D0-99CB-00C04FD64497}_ - (no file)

Notice the CLSID, the numbers between the { }, have a _ a t the end of it and they may sometimes d ifficult to remove

with HijackThis. To fix this you w ill need to delete the pa rticular registry entry manually by going to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\URLSearchHooks

Then delete the CLSID entry under it that you w ould like to remove. Please leave the CLSID , CFBFAE00-17A6-11D0-

99CB-00C04FD64497, as it is the valid default one .

Unless you recognize the software being used as the UrlSearchHook, you should generally Google it and after doing

some research, allow HijackThis to fix it

F0, F1, F2, F3 Sections

These sections cover applications that are loaded from your .INI files, system.ini and win.ini, in Windows ME and be low

or their equivalent places in the registry for Windows NT based versions. The Windows NT based versions are XP,

2000, 2003, and Vista.

A F0 entry corresponds to the Shell= statement, under the [Boot] section, of the System.ini file. The Shell= statement

in the system.ini file is used to de signate w hat program would act as the she ll for the operating system.

Example

Listing:F0 - system.ini: Shell=Explorer.exe badprogram.exe

Files Used: c:\windows\system.ini

The Shell is the program that would load your desktop, handle window management, and allow the user to interact

with the system. Any program listed after the shell statement will be loaded when Windows starts, and act as the

default shell. There were some programs that acted as valid shell replacements, but they are generally no longer

used. Windows 95, 98, and ME all used Explorer.exe as their shell by default. Windows 3.X used Progman.exe as its

shell. It is also possible to list other programs that w ill launch as W indows loads in the same Shell = line, such as

Shell=explorer.exe badprogram.exe. This line will make both programs start when Window s loads.

A F1 entry corresponds to the Run= or Load= entry in the win.ini file. Like the system.ini file, the win.ini file is typically

only used in Windows ME and below.


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Example

Listing

F1 - win.ini: load=bad.pif

F1 - win.ini: run=evil.pif

Files Used: c:\windows\win.ini

Any programs listed a fter the run= or load= will load when Window s starts. This run= statement was used during the

Windows 3.1, 95, and 98 years and is kept for backwards compatibility with older programs. Most modern programs do

not use this ini setting, and if you do not use older program you can rightfully be suspicious. The load= statement was

used to load drivers for your hardware. On Window s NT based systems (Windows 2000, XP, etc) HijackThis will show

the entries found in win.ini and system.ini, but Windows NT base d systems will not execute the files listed there.

F2 and F3 entries correspond to the equivalent locations as F0 and F1, but they are instead stored in the registry forWindows versions XP, 2000, and NT. These versions of Window s do not use the system.ini and win.ini files. Instead for

backwards compatibility they use a function called IniFileMapping. IniFileMapping, puts all of the contents of an .ini file

in the registry, with keys for each line found in the .ini key stored there . Then when you run a program that normally

reads their settings from an .ini file, it will first check the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping for an .ini mapping, and if

found will read the se ttings from there instead. You can see that the se entries, in the examples below, are referring to

the reg istry as it will contain REG and then the .ini file which IniFileMapping is referring to.

F2 entries are displayed when there is a value that is not whitelisted, or considered safe, in the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon under the values Shell

and Userinit.

ExampleListings:

F2 - REG:system.ini: UserInit=userinit,nddeagnt.exe

F2 - REG:system.ini: Shell=explorer.exe beta.exe

Registry Keys: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell

The Shell registry value is equivalent to the function of the Shell= in the system.ini file as described above. The

Userinit value specifies what program should be launched right after a user logs into Windows. The default program

for this key is C:\windows\system32\userinit.exe. Userinit.exe is a program that res tores your profile, fonts, colors, etc

for your username. It is possible to add further programs that w ill launch from this key by sepa rating the programs

with a comma. For example: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit

=C:\windows\system32\userinit.exe,c:\windows\badprogram.exe. This will make both programs launch when you login and is a common place for trojans, hijackers, and spyware to launch from. It should be no ted tha t the Userinit and

the Shell F2 entries will not show in HijackThis unless there is a non-whitelisted value listed.

F3 entries are displayed when there is a value that is not whitelisted in the registry key

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows under the values load and run.These entries

are the Windows NT equivalent of those found in the F1 entries as described above.

Example

Listings:F3 - REG:win.ini: load=chocolate.exe

F3 - REG:win.ini: run=beer.exe

R i t K HKCU\S ft \Mi ft\Wi d NT\C tV i \Wi d \l d


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Registry Keys: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\load

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\run

For F0 if you see a statement like Shell=Explorer.exe something.exe, then you can generally delete it, but you should

first consult Google and the s ites listed below .

For F1 entries you should google the entries found here to de termine if they are legitimate programs. You can also

search at the sites below for the entry to see what it does.

For F2, if you see UserInit=userinit.exe, with or without nddeagnt.exe, as in the above example, then you can leave

that entry alone. If you see UserInit=userinit.exe (notice no comma) that is still ok, so you should leave it alone . If you

see another entry with userinit.exe, then that could potentially be a trojan o r other malware. The same goes for F2Shell=; if you see explorer.exe by itse lf, it should be fine, if you don't, as in the above e xample listing, then it could be

a potential trojan or malware. You can generally delete these entries, but you should consult Google and the sites

listed below.

Please be aware that when these entries are fixed HijackThis does not delete the file associated with it. You must

manually delete these files.

Site to use for research on these entries:

Bleeping Computer Startup Database

Answers that work

Greatis Startup Application Database

Pacman's Startup Programs ListPacman's Startup Lists for Offline Reading

Kephyr File Database

Wintasks Process Library

N1, N2, N3, N4 Sections

These sections are for Netscape and Mozilla Browsers Start and default search pages.

These entries are stored in the prefs.js files stored in different places under the C:\Documents and

Settings\YourUserName\Application Data folder. Netscape 4's entries are s tored in the prefs.js file in the program

directory which is ge nerally, DriveLetter:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\default\prefs.js.

N1 corresponds to the Netscape 4's Startup Page and default search page.

N2 corresponds to the Netscape 6's Startup Page and default search page.

N3 corresponds to Netscape 7' Startup Page and default search page.

N4 corresponds to Mozilla's Startup Page and default search page.

Files Used: prefs.js

As most spyware and hijackers tend to target Internet Explorer these are usually safe. If you see web sites listed in

here that you have not set, you can use HijackThis to fix it. There is one known site that does change these se ttings,

and that is Lop com which is discussed here
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and that is Lop.com which is discussed here.

O1 Section

This section corresponds to Host file Redirection.

The hosts file contains mappings for hos tnames to IP addresses .For example, if I enter in my host file:

127.0.0.1 www.bleepingcomputer.com

and you try to go to ww w.bleep ingcomputer.com, it will check the hosts file, see the entry and convert that to the IP

address of 127.0.0.1 instead of its correct address.

Host file redirection is when a h ijacker changes your hosts file to redirect your attempts to reach a certain web site to

another site. So if someone added an e ntry like:

127.0.0.1 www.google.com

and you tried to go to www.goog le.com, you would instead get redirected to 127.0.0.1 which is your own computer.

Example

ListingO1 - Hosts: 192.168.1.1 www.google.com

Files Used: The hosts file is a text file that can be edited by any text editor and is stored by de fault in the following

places for each Operating System, unless you chose to install to different paths -

Operating System Location

Windows 3.1 C:\WINDOWS\HOSTS

Windows 95 C:\WINDOWS\HOSTS

Windows 98 C:\WINDOWS\HOSTS

Windows ME C:\WINDOWS\HOSTS

Windows XP C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

Windows NT C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

Windows 2000 C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

Windows 2003 C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

The location of the Hosts file can be changed by modifying the Registry key below for Windows NT/2000/XP.

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\: DatabasePath

If you see entries like the above e xample, and they are not the ir for a specific reason that you know about, you can

safely remove them.

If you see an entry Hosts file is located at C:\Windows\Help\hosts , that means you are infected with the

CoolWebSearch. If the Hosts file is located in a location that is not the default for your operating system, see tab le

above , then you should have HijackThis fix this as it is most likely caused by an infection.

You can also download the program HostsXpert which gives you the ability to restore the defau lt host file back onto

your machine To do so download the Hos tsXpert program and run it When it opens click on the Restore Original
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your machine. To do so , download the Hos tsXpert program and run it. When it opens, click on the Restore Original

Hosts button and then exit HostsXpert.

O2 Section

This section corresponds to Browser Helper Objects.

Browser helper objects are plugins to your browser that extend the functionality of it. They can be used by spyware as

well as legitimate programs such as Google Toolbar and Adobe Acrobat Reader. You must do your research whendeciding whethe r or not to remove any of these as some may be legitimate.

Registry Keys: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects

Example

Listing

O2 - BHO: NAV Helper - {BDF3E430-B101-42AD-A544-FADC6B084872} -

C:\Program Files\Norton Antivirus\NavShExt.dll

There is an excellent list of known CSLIDs associated with Browse r Helper Objects and Toolbars, compiled by Tony

Klein, here: CLSID List . When consu lting the list, using the CLSID which is the number between the curly brackets in

the listing. The CLSID in the listing refer to registry entries that conta in information about the Browser He lper Objects

or Toolbars.

When you fix these types of entries with HijackThis, HijackThis will attempt to the delete the offending file listed. There

are times that the file may be in use even if Internet Explorer is shut down. If the file still exists after you fix it with

HijackThis, it is recommended that you reboot into sa fe mode and delete the offending file.

O3 Section

This section corresponds to Internet Explorer toolbars.

These are the toolbars that are underneath your navigation bar and menu in Internet Explorer.

Registry Keys: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar

Example

Listing

O3 - Toolbar: Norton Antivirus - {42CDD1BF-3FFB-4238-8AD1-7859DF00B1D6} - C:\Program

Files\Norton Antivirus\NavShExt.dll

There is an excellent list of known CSLIDs associated with Browse r Helper Objects and Toolbars, compiled by Tony

Klein, here: CLSID List . When consu lting the list, using the CLSID which is the number between the curly brackets in

the listing. The CLSID in the listing refer to registry entries that conta in information about the Browser He lper Objects

or Toolbars.

When you fix these types of entries, HijackThis will not de lete the o ffending file listed. It is recommended that you

reboot into safe mode and delete the offending file.

O4 Section
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O4 Section

This section corresponds to certain registry keys and startup folders that are used to automatically start an application

when Windows starts. O4 keys are the HJT entries that the majority of programs use to autos tart, so particular care

must be used w hen examining these keys. The O4 Registry keys and directory locations are listed below and app ly, for

the most part, to all versions of Windows.

As of HijackThis version 2.0, HijackThis will also list entries for other users that a re actively logged into a computer at

the time of the scan by reading the information from the HKEY_USERS registry key. If a user is not logged on at the

time of the scan, their user key will not be loaded, and therefore HijackThis will not list their autoruns. When working

on HijackThis logs it is not advised to use HijackThis to fix entries in a pe rson's log when the user has multipleaccounts logged in. We advise this because the other user's processes may conflict with the fixes we are having the

user run.

The current locations that O4 entries are listed from are:

Directory Locations:

User's Startup Folder: Any files located in a user's Start Menu Startup folder will be listed as a O4 -

Startup. This location, for the new er versions of Window s, are C:\Documents and

Settings\USERNAME\Start Menu\Programs\Startup or under

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu in Vista. These entries will be

executed when the particular user logs onto the computer.

All Users Startup Folder: These items refer to app lications that load by having them in the All Users

profile Start Menu Startup Folder and will be listed as O4 - Global Startup. This location, for the newe r

versions of Windows, are C:\Documents and Se ttings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup or under

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup in Vista. These entries will be executed

when any user logs onto the computer.

Startup Registry Keys: O4 entries that utilize registry keys will start with the abbreviated registry key in the entry

listing. Examples and their descriptions can be seen be low. For all of the keys be low, if the key is located under HKCU,

then that means the program will only be launched w hen that pa rticular user logs on to the computer. If the entry is

located under HKLM, then the program will be launched for all users that log on to the computer.

Note: In the listing below, HKLM stands for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKCU stands for HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

The Run keys are used to launch a program automatically when a user, or all users, logs on to the machine.

Run keys:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

The RunOnce keys are used to launch a service or background process whenever a user, or all users, logs on to the

computer. Once the program is successfully launched for the first time its entry will be removed from the Registry so it

does not run again on subsequent logons.

RunOnce keys:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce


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HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

The RunServices keys are used to launch a service or background process whenever a user, or all users, logs on to

the computer.

RunServices keys:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices

The RunServicesOnce keys are used to launch a service or background process whenever a user, or all users, logs on

to the computer. Unlike the RunServices keys, when a program is launched from the RunServicesOnce key its en try will

be removed from the Registry so it does not run again on subsequent logons.

RunServicesOnce keys:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce

The RunOnceEx keys are us ed to launch a program once and then remove itself from the Registry. This particular key

is typically used by installation or update programs.

RunOnceEx key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

The Policies\Explorer\Run keys are used by network administrator's to set a group policy settings that has a

program automatically launch when a user, or all users, logs on to the computer. Under the Policies\Explorer\Run key

are a series of values, which have a program name as their data. When a user, or all users, logs on to the computer

each of the values under the Run key is executed and the corresponding programs are launched.

Policies\Explorer\Run keys:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run

A complete listing of other sta rtup locations that are not necessarily included in HijackThis can be found here :

Windows Program Automatic Startup Locations

A sample of the type of O4 listings that you can se e in HijackThis can be seen below:

04 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install

O4 Gl b l S Ad b R d S d L h l k D \P Fil \Ad b \A b
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Example

Listings:

O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = D:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat

7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Policies\Explorer\Run: [user32.dll] C:\Program Files\Video ActiveX Access\iesmn.exe

O4 - S-1-5-21-1222272861-2000431354-1005 Startup: numlock.vbs (User 'BleepingC omputer.com')

O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-21-1229272821-2000478354--1005\..\Run: [Windows Defender] "C:\Program Files\Windows

Defender\MSASCui.exe" -hide (User 'BleepingComputer.com')

Looking at the examples above, we see 5 different startup entries, with 2 of them being for users who are logged on

in the background. If an entry starts with a long series of numbers and contains a username surrounded byparenthesis at the end, then this is a O4 entry for a user logged on in the background. Let's break down the examples

one by one.

04 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install - This entry corresponds to a startup launching from

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runfor the currently logged in user. The name of the

Registry value is nwiz and w hen the entry is started it will launch the nwiz.exe /install command.

O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = D:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat

7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe - This entry corresponds to a program started by the All Users Startup Folder

located a t C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.

O4 - HKLM\..\Policies\Explorer\Run: [user32.dll] C:\Program Files\Video ActiveX Access\iesmn.exe - This

entry corresponds to a value located under the

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run key. The name of the Registry value is

user32.dll and its data is C:\Program Files\Video ActiveX Access\iesmn.exe. This particular example happens to

be malware related.

O4 - S-1-5-21-1222272861-2000431354-1005 Startup: numlock.vbs (User 'BleepingComputer.com') -

This particular entry is a little different. As you can see the re is a long se ries of numbers before and it state s at

the end of the entry the user it belongs to. Those numbers in the beginning are the user's SID, or security

identifier, and is a number that is unique to each use r on your computer. This SID translates to the

BleepingComputer.com Windows user as shown at the end of the entry. The rest of the entry is the same as a

normal one, with the program being launched from a user's Start Menu Startup folder and the program being

launched is numlock.vbs.

O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-21-1222272861-2000431354-1005\..\Run: [Windows Defender] "C:\Program

Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe" -hide (User 'BleepingComputer.com') - This type of entry is similar

to the first example, except that it belongs to the BleepingComputer.com user. This is just anothe r example of

HijackThis listing other logge d in user's au tostart entries.

Now that w e know how to interpret the entries, let's learn how to fix them. When you fix O4 entries, Hijackthis will not

delete the files associated w ith the entry. Instead, you must delete these manually afterwards, usually by having the

user first reboo t into safe mode. The Global Startup and Startup entries work a little d ifferently. HijackThis w ill delete

the shortcuts found in these e ntries, but not the file they are pointing to. If an actual executab le resides in the Global

Startup or Startup directories then the offending file WILL be deleted.

When e xamining O4 entries and trying to de termine what they are for you should consult one o f the following lists:

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Answers that work

Greatis Startup Application Database

Pacman's Startup Programs List

Pacman's Startup Lists for Offline Reading

Kephyr File Database

Wintasks Process Library

Windows Startup Online Database

O5 Section

This section corresponds to having your Internet Explorer control show in the Control Pane l.

It is possible to disable the see ing of a control in the Control Panel by adding an entry into the file called control.ini

which is stored , for Windows XP at least, in c:\windows\control.ini. From within that file you can specify which spe cific

control panels should not be visible.

Files User: control.ini

Example

ListingO5 - control.ini: inetcpl.cpl=no

If you see a line like abo ve then tha t may be a s ign that a p iece of software is trying to make it difficult for you to

change your se ttings. Unless it is there for a specific known reason, like the administrator set that policy or Spybot -

S&D put the restriction in p lace, you can have HijackThis fix it.

O6 Section

This section corresponds to an Administrative lock down for changing the options o r homepage in Internet e xplorer by

changing certain settings in the registry.

Registry Key: HKCU\Software\Po licies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions

Example

ListingO6 - HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions

These options should only appear if your administrator set them on purpose or if you used Spybots Home Page and

Option Lock down features in the Mode -> Advanced Mode -> Tools -> IE Tweaks section.

O7 Section

This section corresponds to Reged it not being allowed to run by changing an entry in the registry.

Registry Key: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
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Registry Key: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

Example

Listing

O7 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System:

DisableRegedit=1

Please note that many Administrators at offices lock this dow n on purpose so having HijackThis fix this may be a

breach of corporate po licy. If you are the Administrator and it has been enabled w ithout your permission, then have

HijackThis fix it.

O8 Section

This section corresponds to extra items being found in the in the Context Menu of Internet Explorer.

Registry Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\MenuExt

Example

Listing

O8 - Extra context menu item: &Google Search -

res://c:\windows\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmsearch.html

Each O8 en try will be a menu option that is shown w hen you right-click on Internet Explorer. The program shown in

the entry will be what is launched w hen you actually select this menu option. Certain ones, like "Browse r Pal" should

always be removed, and the rest should be researched using Google. An example of a legitimate program that you

may find here is the Google Toolbar.

When you fix these types of entries, HijackThis does no t delete the file listed in the entry. If you need to remove this

file, it is recommended that you reboot into safe mode and delete the file there.

O9 Section

This section corresponds to having buttons on main Internet Explorer toolbar or items in the Internet Explorer 'Tools'

menu that are not pa rt of the default installation.

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extensions registry key.

Example

ListingO9 - Extra Button: AIM (HKLM)

If you do not need these buttons or menu items or recognize them as malware, you can remove them safely.

When you fix these types of entries, HijackThis will not de lete the o ffending file listed. It is recommended that you

reboot into safe mode and delete the offending file.

O10 Section

This section corresponds to Winsock Hijackers or otherwise known as LSP (Layered Service Provider).


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LSPs are a way to chain a piece o f software to your Winsock 2 implementation on your computer. Since the LSPs are

chained together, when Winsock is used, the data is also transported through each of the LSPs in the chain. Spyware

and Hijackers can use LSPs to s ee a ll traffic being transported over your Internet connection.

You should use e xtreme caution when deleting these objects if it is removed without prope rly fixing the gap in the

chain, you can have loss o f Internet access.

Example

ListingO10 - Broken Internet access because of LSP provider 'spsublsp.dll' missing

Many Virus Scanners a re starting to s can for Viruses , Trojans, etc at the Winsock level. The prob lem is that many tend

to not recreate the LSPs in the right order after deleting the o ffending LSP. This can cause HijackThis to see a problem

and issue a wa rning, which may be similar to the example above, even though the Internet is indeed s till working. You

should therefore seek advice from an experienced user when fixing these errors. It is also advised that you use

LSPFix, see link below, to fix these.

Spybot can generally fix these but make sure you get the latest version as the older ones had prob lems. There is a

tool designed for this type of issue that would probably be better to use, called LSPFix. For a great list of LSP and

whether or not they are valid you can visit SystemLookup's LSP List Page.

O11 Section

This section corresponds to a non-default option group that has been added to the Advanced Options Tab in Internet

Options on IE.

If you look in your Internet Options for Internet Explorer you will see an Advanced Options tab. It is poss ible to add an

entry under a registry key so that a new group would appea r there.

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AdvancedOp tions

Example

ListingO11 - Options group: [CommonName] CommonName

According to Merijn, of HijackThis, there is only one known Hijacker that us es this and it is CommonName. If you seeCommonName in the listing you can sa fely remove it. If it is another entry, you should Google to do some research.

O12 Section

This section corresponds to Internet Explorer Plugins.

Internet Explorer Plugins are pieces of software that get loaded when Internet Explorer starts to add functionality to

the browser. There are many legitimate plugins available such as PDF viewing and non-standard image viewers.

Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\internet explorer\plugins
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Example

ListingPlugin for .PDF: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\PLUGINS\nppdf32.dll

Most plugins are legitimate, so you should definitely Google the o nes you do not recognize be fore you delete them.

One known plugin that you should delete is the Onflow plugin that has the extension of .OFB.

When you fix these types of entries with HijackThis, HijackThis will attempt to the delete the offending file listed. There

are times that the file may be in use even if Internet Explorer is shut down. If the file still exists after you fix it with

HijackThis, it is recommended that you reboot into sa fe mode and delete the offending file.

O13 Section

This section corresponds to an IE DefaultPrefix hijack.

The default prefix is a se tting on Windows that spe cifies how URLs that you enter w ithout a preceding, http://, ftp://,

etc are hand led. By default Windows w ill attach a http:// to the beginning, as that is the de fault Windows P refix. It is

possible to change this to a de fault prefix of your choice by editing the registry. The Hijacker known as CoolWebSearch

does this by changing the default prefix to a http://ehttp.cc/? . That means w hen you connect to a url, such as

www.google.com, you will actually be going to http://ehttp.cc/?www.google.com, which is actually the web s ite for

CoolWebSearch.

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix\

Example

ListingO13 - WWW. Prefix: http://ehttp.cc/?

If you are experiencing problems similar to the one in the example above, you should run CW Shredder. This program is

used to remove all the known varieties of CoolWebSearch that may be on your machine. You can read a tutorial on

how to use CW Shredder here:

How to remove CoolWebSearch with CoolWeb Shredder

If CWShredder does not find and fix the problem, you should always let HijackThis fix this entry when it is found.

O14 Section

This section corresponds to a 'Reset W eb Settings' hijack.

There is a file on your computer that Internet Explorer uses w hen you rese t options back to their Windows default.

That file is stored in c:\window s\inf\iereset.inf and contains all the default settings tha t will be used. When you reset a

setting, it will read tha t file and change the particular setting to wha t is stated in the file. If a Hijacker change s the

information in that file, then you will get re infected when you res et that setting, as it will read the incorrect

information from the iereset.inf file.
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Example

ListingO14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://www.searchalot.com

Please be aware that it is possible for this setting to have been legitimately changed by a Computer Manufacturer or

the Administrator of machine. If you do not recognize the address, then you should have it fixed.

O15 Section

This section corresponds to sites or IP addresses in the Internet Explorer Trusted Zone and Protocol Defaults.

Trusted Zone

Internet Explorer's security is based upon a set of zone s. Each zone has different security in terms of what scripts and

applications can be run from a site that is in that zone. There is a security zone called the Trusted Zone. This zone has

the lowest security and allows scripts and applications from sites in this zone to run without your knowledge. It is

therefore a popular setting for malware sites to us e so that future infections can be ea sily done on your computer

without your knowledge as these sites will be in the Trusted Zone..

Registry KeysHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet

Settings\ZoneMap\Domains

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InternetSettings\ZoneMap\Domains

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet

Settings\ZoneMap\Ranges

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet

Settings\ZoneMap\Ranges

Example Listing O15 - Trusted Zone: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com

O15 - Trusted IP range: 206.161.125.149

O15 - Trusted IP range: 206.161.125.149 (HKLM)

Which key, Domains or Range s, is used by Internet Explorer is dete rmined by the URL that the use r is trying to rea ch.

If the URL contains a domain name then it will search in the Domains subkeys for a match. If it contains an IP address

it will search the Ranges subkeys for a match. When domains are adde d as a Trusted Site or Restricted they are

assigned a value to signify that. If they are assigned a *=4 value, that domain will be entered into the Res tricted Sites

zone. If they are given a *=2 value, then that domain will be added to the Trusted Sites zone.

Adding an IP address works a bit differently. Under the SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet

Settings\ZoneMap\Ranges key you may find other keys called Range s1, Ranges2, Ranges 3, Ranges4,... Each of these

subkeys correspond to a pa rticular security zone/protocol. If you add an IP address to a security zone, Window s will

create a subkey starting with Ranges1 and designate that subkey as the one that will contain all IP addresses of a

particular security zone for a particular protocol. For example, if you added h ttp://192.168.1.1 as a trusted sites,

Windows would create the first available Ranges key (Ranges1) and add a value of http=2. Any future trusted h ttp://

IP addresses will be added to the Range1 key. Now if you added an IP address to the Restricted sites using the http


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protocol (ie. http://192.16.1.10), Windows would create another key in sequential order, called Range 2. This would

have a va lue of http=4 and any future IP addresses added to the restricted sites w ill be placed in that key. This

continues on for each protocol and se curity zone se tting combination.

If you ever see any domains or IP addresses listed here you should generally remove it unless it is a recognizable URL

such as one your company uses. The most common listing you will find here are free.aol.com which you can have fixed

if you want. I personally remove all entries from the Trusted Zone a s they are ultimately unnecessary to be there.

ProtocolDefaults

When you us e IE to connect to a site, the security permissions that a re granted to that site are determined by the

Zone it is in. There are 5 zones w ith each being as sociated w ith a specific identifying number. These zones with their

associated numbers are:

Zone Zone Mapping

My Computer 0

Intranet 1

Trusted 2

Internet 3

Restricted 4

Each of the protocols that you use to connect to a site, such as HTTP, FTP, HTTPS, are then mapped to a one of these