What's a Browser Hijacker? Print

A browser hijacker is a program that alters your computer's browser settings so that you are redirected to websites that you had no intention of visiting, like pornographic websites. Browser hijackers can also be responsible for a variety of non-technical problems. Employees have lost jobs because of content and links found on their computers at work; people have been charged with possession of illegal material; and personal relationships have been severed or strained. In one case in the United States, a Russian immigrant was convicted for possession of child pornography, although he claims to have been the victim of a browser hijacker.