Home Malware Programs Browser Hijackers 98p.com

98p.com

Posted: January 18, 2012

98p.com Screenshot 198p.com is a fraudulent site that pretends to offer helpful search results, but is really in it for dishing up results to sites for its own profit. Because 98p.com has also been observed to utilize browser hijackers to maliciously influence traffic, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers don't recommend that you try to use any of 98p.com's search features or even click any link that's associated with 98p.com. Even simple contact with 98p.com may result in a browser-redirecting Trojan being installed on your PC via browser exploits, and you should always use a good anti-malware product to scan your computer after any contact with 98p.com – especially if your web browser displays typical symptoms of being hijacked, such as redirects to 98p.com, pop-ups or unusual security settings.

98p.com – a Site That's a Legitimate Danger to Your Browser Even in 2012

Despite 98p.com's attempts to market itself as an alternative to other search engines, 98p.com is quickly ousted as an inadequate replacement even with just a few moments of interaction. Search queries based on 98p.com may occasionally redirect you to legitimate sites (due to search results that 98p.com borrows from other search engines), but may also direct your browser to advertisements, phishing hoaxes, scamware-promoting sites and sites that use scripted attacks against your PC. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers, accordingly, recommend that you immediately close 98p.com if you ever accidentally navigate to 98p.com and avoid prolonged interaction with 98p.com above all else.

98p.com, by itself, is an easily circumnavigated threat to your PC, but contact with 98p.com may also result in your PC being attacked by 98p.com's browser hijackers. Part of the symptoms you may endure with a browser hijacker for 98p.com aboard your computer include:

  • Redirects to 98p.com from other websites, particularly other search engines (such as Google and Yahoo Search).
  • Having 98p.com set as your home page.
  • Being unable to change your web browser's settings or have your setting changes reversed after you reopen your browser.

Permanently Eschewing 98p.com for Real Search Engines

Under most circumstances, you shouldn't try to remove a 98p.com-based PC threat, including its browser hijackers, by merely removing your web browser, since browser hijackers like 98p.com's own often make deep seated changes to the Registry and other OS components. However, competent anti-malware software can find and remove all system changes by 98p.com's browser hijacker and the hijacker itself, regardless of whether or not it's delivered in a form that's specific to any particular brand of web browser. SpywareRemove.com malware experts recommend that you scan your PC after even minor contact with 98p.com to guard against the possibility of drive-by-downloaded PC threats.

However, because 98p.com was noted as a threat in mid-January of 2012, you may be required to update your anti-malware product's threat database to achieve total identification and removal. Any threat database with an older date than the above may be unable to identify 98p.com's browser hijacker or may only identify 98p.com in generic terms, which can sometimes allow for malicious components to remain on your computer.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:



%Windows%\system32\consrv.dll File name: %Windows%\system32\consrv.dll
File type: Dynamic link library
Mime Type: unknown/dll
%Windows%\system32\DRIVERS\mrxsmb.sys File name: %Windows%\system32\DRIVERS\mrxsmb.sys
File type: System file
Mime Type: unknown/sys
{random}.exe File name: {random}.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
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