Home Rogue Websites Shopica.com

Shopica.com

Posted: September 12, 2011

Shopica.com is a fraudulent search engine website that offers inaccurate, harmful and advertisement-based results, instead of the genuine shopping links that Shopica.com claims to be able to provide. Like many similar websites that have been analyzed by SpywareRemove.com anti-malware researchers, Shopica.com uses a variant of the Google Redirect Virus to redirect your web browser to Shopica.com, regardless of your wishes. Because Shopica.com browser hijackers can also contain spyware-related functions or be able to install other types of malicious software, you should consider any contact with Shopica.com to be evidence of a potentially severe PC threat on your computer. Although attempts to shut down Shopica.com infections via web browser settings are futile, suitable security software can remove Shopica.com infections without trouble.

Signs of a Shopica.com Infection, Telling You Where to Shop

Shopica.com browser hijackers are installed via browser security vulnerabilities. You can reduce, but not eliminate these vulnerabilities by keeping your browser fully-patched, using strict security settings and disabling scripts (such as Java and Flash) for websites that you don't trust. Although not all of Shopica.com's attacks are obvious, SpywareRemove.com malware experts have found several symptoms of Shopica.com browser hijacks that can be seen with ease:

  • Pop-ups that display advertisements, fake security alerts or fake prize-winning contests.
  • Browser eedirect attacks that force your web browser towards Shopica.com (especially after you attempt to use a popular search engine).
  • A locked homepage that refuses to be changed from Shopica.com, regardless of your browser settings.

These symptoms are also in line with similar browser hijackers and equivalently harmful websites, such as Tubley.com, Toseeka.com, Yousearchpage.com, shoppro.com, Brittaniasearch.com, Therelatedsearch.com and Clearask.com. You should consider any of these symptoms, even if they don't match up with Shopica.com directly, to be a sign of an equally dangerous browser hijacker infection and utilize appropriate security software in turn.

While you're combating symptoms of a Shopica.com infection, you should also avoid interaction with Shopica.com-affiliated links or pop-ups; both Shopica.com links and Shopicia.com pop-ups are highly likely to be vectors for further infection.

The Hidden Attacks Under Shopica.com's Obvious Threats

The immediate dangers and inconveniences that Shopica.com infections create are relatively obvious, but some of their other functions aren't as simply to spy. Other hazards that SpywareRemove.com malware experts have noted in relation to Shopica.com browser hijacks, include but aren't restricted to:

  • Spyware-related activities, including capturing screenshots, keylogging (recording your keyboard typing to a log file) and other attacks that try to steal private information, including passwords and banking data.
  • The installation of other types of malicious software in the style of dropper Trojan attacks.

Both of these attacks may alter your system settings in minor but detectable ways, such as by opening network ports or adding exceptions to your firewall. Other than these minor alterations and the possibility of minor performance degradation, there are no visible symptoms for the two attacks noted above.

You should delete a Shopica.com browser hijacker at the first opportunity and with the right security software, rather than attempting to remove Shopica.com by altering your web browser in any way.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

The following files were created in the system:



C:\WINDOWS\.exe File name: C:\WINDOWS\.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
C:WindowsSystem32TDSSmain.dll File name: C:WindowsSystem32TDSSmain.dll
File type: Dynamic link library
Mime Type: unknown/dll
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\.dll File name: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\.dll
File type: Dynamic link library
Mime Type: unknown/dll
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\.exe File name: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\.exe File name: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe

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