Gangnamgame.net

Gangnamgame.net is a website promoting the famous 'Gangnam Style' Korean music video. Although threat experts found no cases of Gangnamgame.net hosting threatening content, this domain has recently come under increased scrutiny for its indirect involvement in browser-hijacking campaigns that may harm your PC's overall state of security. PC owners needing to remove Gangnamgame.net pop-ups or similar symptoms should use tried and true anti-malware procedures for disinfecting their machines.

When Your Browser Dances to a Threat's Melody

Although threat authors often appreciate the utility in redirecting their targets to sites that could induce further harm, only some browser hijackings may result in such attacks. Other browser-hijacking threats, while not necessarily less threatening, may exist for the simple purpose of promoting advertising content or sites that pose no danger to the visitor's computer. By hosting no content other than harmless K-pop-related media, but benefiting from the functions of what is unmistakably threatening software, Gangnamgame.net is an especially recent example of the latter type of destination.
Gangnamgame.net's registration dates from early September, with browser hijacking campaigns becoming associated with Gangnamgame.net shortly thereafter. Threats responsible for these attacks exploited default Windows tools, such as the Command Prompt, for generating Gangnamgame.net pop-ups without needing to specialize in any single browser. Chrome, Firefox, and even Edge all have been confirmed for being affected by these attacks, although other brands of browsers may be just as vulnerable.
Malware experts also saw this threat using similar Windows-based methods of blocking the computer user's access to common security products. Examples of software being barred include premium anti-malware products and specialized system analysis applications. However, the Gangnamgame.net hijacker appears to use a simple file name-based method of blocking these programs. Renaming the affected files (such as from ''mbam.exe' to 'randomcharacters.exe') can help you regain access to them even while the threat is in operation.

Pulling Your Browser out of Gangnamgame.net's Game

Gangnamgame.net hijackers currently are estimated to be being distributed in cracks for popular games, such as the latest release of Metal Gear Solid. These threats may install themselves automatically, utilize hibernation timers to avoid being detected, and possess some degree of resistance to simple methods of anti-malware analysis. Even if contact with Gangnamgame.net precipitates no further problems, all PC users should treat Gangnamgame.net hijackers as direct threats to their system's security.
Removing components of a Gangnamgame.net hijacker related to its most obvious attacks may not remove the rest of the threat, which may re-implement its attacks after a reboot. To remove a Gangnamgame.net hijacker or similar threat, malware experts recommend using updated anti-malware tools from Safe Mode, a feature that's available in most modern OSs. However, Web surfers who make sure to ignore potentially threatening (and illicit) download sources are unlikely to face any immediate risk from the Gangnamgame.net hijacking campaign.