Spyware Information: CWS.about:blank
This is a hijacker application. Hijackers take control of your web browser's settings, and usually change your homepage, search page or other default pages to point to web sites owned by the hijacker. Since the hijackers can make money based on the number of visits to their web sites, they benefit from forcing you to view their web sites each time your web browser opens.
Hijackers don't normally damage your computer or steal your personal information.
- Size: 7,976 bytes
- Threat level: Medium (more info...)
- Detections: 5,189 this month: 1
- Author: CoolWebSearch.com
- Appeared: 9/22/2004
Research
- Method of infection: CWS.about:blank is installed by drive-by download from certain websites.
- Advertising: CWS.about:blank changes the browser's homepage to about:blank. Whenever the browser is pointed to certain websites, such as hotmail.com, CWS.about:blank redirects the browser to about:blank. The about:blank page then displays a multitude of ads and popups.
- Browser degradation: CWS.about:blank causes significant browser performance degradation. It also changes the browser's homepage.
- Privacy issues: CWS.about:blank has access to all data travelling through the browser, and likely records personal information and sends it to its controlling servers.
- Privacy policy: None.
Spyware Detection Stats
- Spyware Fingerprints: 91,859
- Detections: 6,792,650
- Detections this Month: 797
Spyware Search
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