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What Is A Browser Change
Some settings have been changed in your browser. It is possible you just selected a new home page or something, but it could also be a bad website or program that just made some changes to your browser's settings. If you didn't make the changes described on the Details, you probably should Fix the settings.

Malicious programs and websites can do a variety of changes, including:

  • Changing your homepage. This is done to redirect you to a new place, often that shows you lots of popup ads.
  • Switching to make your Internet searches go somewhere else. Again, to redirect you to a new place.
  • Changing your Proxy Server settings. This can make everything you do in your browser be routed through a server the bad people provide and control. They can watch it all with this one: what you fill in on forms, every page you visit, everything. (And if they stop their server your browser won't work anymore either!)
  • Setting so your Internet Connection Settings are loaded off a website. Similar to changing your Proxy settings, but allowing the website to change other things too. This can make everything you do in your browser be routed through a server the bad people provide and control. They can watch it all with this one: what you fill in on forms, every page you visit, everything. (And if they stop their server your browser won't work anymore either!)
  • Disabling the "Tools->Internet Options" menu and hiding the "Internet Options" control panel. This is a nasty trick that is sometimes also done when your home page is changed. Hiding/disabling the places where you can change your Internet Options makes it much harder for you to fix your home page or other browser settings that have been altered!
  • Changing the animated logo on the right side of the toolbar. This is sometimes done by your Internet Provider or others when installing their software.
  • Changing the window title so it has some other name instead of "Microsoft Internet Explorer". This is sometimes done by your Internet Provider or others when installing their software.
  • Changing the "Prefixes" that Internet Explorer uses to add the right thing when you type a partial address. If an address you type starts with "www." these prefix settings let Internet Explorer know to add "http://". But it can be changed to somthing like "http://evil.net/" so everything is redirected through some other servers!
  • Adding a special "Style Sheet" which is normally used for things like visually impaired people to set so every page shows bigger text or high contrast for easier reading. But a malicious program can use this special style sheet to change other settings in Internet Explorer every time it starts.

One or more of these changes have been made!