Hi.ru

Hi.ru is a Russian search website that, while not necessarily harmful, has a recent history of enjoying promotions by browser hijackers. These browser hijacking attacks have been seen using multiple methods to circumvent standard Web-browsing settings and security tools, and should be assumed to be symptoms of the presence of threatening software. As always, malware researchers recommend running anti-malware scans on any PC being redirected to Hi.ru or other sites, which can be only just the most visible sign of a potentially significant security risk.

A Remarkably Intrusive Browser Greeting

Although browser hijacking campaigns may sprout up around domains grounded in phishing tactics and other, blatant attacks, even less obviously harmful sites may be promoted by similar methods. Hi.ru is one of the latest, generic search engine and advertising sites benefiting from such methods that may subvert your browser's settings intentionally for the purposes of redirecting lucrative Web traffic. All evidence available to malware experts indicates that Hi.ru hijackers are being downloaded unintentionally, via bundles with pirated software.

Once launched and installed, a Hi.ru hijacker may use one or more means of guaranteeing that the Web surfer redirects to the Hi.ru site. Examples of some techniques seen in use may include:

• Hi.ru hijackers may append additional information to your desktop shortcuts, causing them to launch with Hi.ru as a default startup page.
• Hi.ru hijackers may revise your browser's standard new tab, homepage or default search engine fields to Hi.ru manually. More than one brand of installed browser may be modified.
• Hi.ru hijackers may insert additional Registry information for hidden browser extensions, such as uStart or uSearch.

Some Hi.ru hijackers may rotate through different methods when the computer user counters any single attack, or re-implement old hijacking techniques immediately after any attempt at deleting the browser modifications. Despite the connection between Hi.ru hijackers and browser applications like uStart, malware experts have seen zero cases of a Hi.ru hijacker installing a visible browser add-on or extension that one could uninstall by standard means. Accordingly, most PC users only notice a Hi.ru hijacker by its recurring symptoms.

Saying Bye to Hi.ru Hijackers

At this article's authorship date, only one PC security company has identified Hi.ru as being a threatening site, and malware experts have failed to find any threatening content on the site. However, browser hijackers promoting non-toxic sites are just as potentially threatening to a PC as browser hijackers interested in promoting corrupted domains. No matter which browser is being affected, promptly removing a Hi.ru hijacker is a standard for bare minimum Web security that no PC owner should take for granted.

Because of their persistence on the infected systems and willingness to use multiple means of attacking your browser, any effort at uninstalling Hi.ru hijackers should include using good anti-malware tools. With respect to PC users with a heavy interest in downloading new software, those same tools also can prove useful for identifying installers for similar threats. Despite that possible protection, malware experts might advise sticking to alternate means of acquiring new programs, rather than taking the risk of download a Trojan along with a pirated product.