Is Your Browser Hijacked?

There are unscrupulous sites in cyberspace that will capture the data you send to and from the Internet for the purposes of marketing or possibly malicious activity. These sites can collect, analyze and store everything you send and receive from your computer browser to any web site. Such data may include passwords, hotmail emails, credit card numbers, account names, etc.

How does one become a victim?

Have you installed the latest Christmas tree screensaver, or a program to make your internet faster? If you have, you may become a victim. A piece of software will have to be installed on the system to make this possible. Please avoid the temptation of installing every free enticing software you find.

How do I know if my browser has been hijacked?

Here is a quick test: If you know the IP address your ISP has provided to you, try clicking on the link below and see if it matches the output on the page:

http://www.whatismyip.com

If you attempt this from the UCF campus network, you should get a 132.170.x.y address. If the first pair of numbers are not 132.170, then you have a hijacked browser.

If you are not certain about your IP address, click on the link below and enter the IP address obtained from http://www.whatismyip.com.

http://www.arin.net  (enter the IP in the Search Whois box.)

Is this your Internet Service Provider?

How do I remove such software?

Download and install a spy-ware removal program, such as Ad-aware or Spybot - Search & Destroy. Links to these programs are:

Ad-aware: http://www.lavasoft.com/support/download/

Spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/

How do I avoid becoming a victim in the future?

• Stay vigilant and avoid installing software that you don't know its purpose. Please avoid the temptation of installing every free enticing software you find.

• Keep your system up-to-date www.windowsupdate.com

• Run an up-to-date antivirus program with anti spy-ware features

• Use your computer with an account with limited privileges. Use an account with administrative privileges for administrative tasks.

• Change your passwords regularly

  • If you have found a spy-ware software on your computer using the tools above, please change your Internet account passwords

• For additional information visit Security Tips for Everyone

For questions or concerns, please call the Service Desk at 407-823-5117, or email Servicedesk@mail.ucf.edu