What is Spyware?

BHOs

What are they?

BHO stands for Browser Helper Object, although in technical circles they're more commonly called Browser Hijacker Objects. BHOs are additions to your web browser that supposedly improve it's functionality and whilst some are perfectly safe and do indeed improve your web surfing experience, there are a lot of more malicious and annoying BHOs out there that can, in extreme cases, even steal sensitive information from you.

What do they do?

After integrating themselves into your browser, most BHOs add an extra 'toolbar' to the top of your browser window. This toolbar is used to access the extra functions that the BHO provides. Examples of these extra functions include:

- Search bars
- Internet radio station access
- TV listings
- Weather information
- Form completion tools (automatically fills in web based forms with your personal details)
- Pop up ad blockers

Actually, BHOs can be quite usefull and not all of them pose any danger to you or your computer. The Google Toolbar is an example of a safe BHO, and many of the major search engines such as Yahoo also provide toolbars that are perfectly OK.

Unfortunately, BHOs can also be used as a form of Adware or even worse. Some of them, particularly ones that fill in forms automatically for you, could potentially be used to steal your personal information. Some of them also continuously reset your homepage to a search engine, adult oriented site or Warez site. These sites often display lots of pop-up ads, meaning that every time you open your web browser, you get inundated with pop-ups!

Who uses them?

As mentioned above, numerous companies that offer web-based services such as search engines use BHOs legitimately in an attempt to get people to use their services as opposed to those of their competitors. BHOs are also used by advertising companies as a way of enticing people into installing Adware onto their PCs. They're also used by more unscrupulous Web Sites to 'Hijack' your homepage, increasing the number of hits to their site. This enables them to charge more for advertising.

What's the risk to me and my PC?

It depends. Generally speaking, BHOs do not slow down your PC much since they are tiny programs that integrate into your existing web browser. However, Adware related BHOs can cause some of the same negative effects as Adware applications, e.g. lots of pop-up ads. Homepage Hijackers can cause major annoyance but are not generally dangerous as such, whilst BHOs that complete forms for you should be approached with the uptmost caution.

How do I prevent / get rid of them?

Good question! Since BHOs literally attach themselves to other programs (usually Internet Explorer, but occasionally also Windows Explorer) they can be quite difficult to get rid of. They don't always appear in your 'Add / Remove Programs' list in the control panel, and not all of them have an 'uninstall' entry in their options menu, if indeed they have an options menu at all.

Even those that do have an entry in add / remove programs aren't guaranteed to uninstall. Spyware removal programs are able to get rid of some BHOs, but by no means all. Often, the only way is to remove them manually by deleting certain files and adjusting various settings in the Windows registry and configuration files. This, of course, should only be attempted by professional PC engineers.

BHOs usually get into your PC in much the same way as Adware. Be cautious of what you are installing, especially if your asked to install something in order to view a web page!

 

 

 

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