The Internet has become one of the most powerful tools in all of history. Not only does it provide access to a nearly unlimited amount of information, but you can even use it to run entire businesses online.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come without its drawbacks, and there is always the risk of dealing with computer viruses. If you notice that your Internet browser constantly switches to the Bing search engine on its own, there’s a good chance your computer may be infected with the Bing redirect virus.
Let’s take a look at everything you should know about it.
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So, What Exactly Is This Virus?
As the name suggests, the Bing redirect virus essentially hijacks your browser and forces it to display search results on Bing as opposed to those of another search engine.
For example, you might type “best places to find Chinese food New York City” in Google’s search bar only to be redirected to Bing instead. Although it can be concerning to have your activity controlled in this way, the Bing redirect virus doesn’t present any glaring dangers.
More often than not, this virus is implemented by hackers to force a large number of users to encounter certain search results or advertisements. But, this doesn’t mean that it comes without risk.
Some hackers use this virus to establish a reliable way for them to collect your search history, web activity, and even IP address. This information can then be used for malicious purposes or sold to a third party.
So, it’s in your best interest to take action against this virus as soon as you notice it.
How Does My Computer Get Infected?
As with any other virus, there’s a large number of ways in which your computer could have become infected. More often than not, this occurs from downloading a file from a suspicious source.
But, it can also occur if you visit a website that installs harmful software onto the user’s computer. Regardless of how you got this virus in your machine, the results are the same — your browsing activity is manipulated by a hacker, putting you at risk.
What Are the Dangers of It?
As previously mentioned, there aren’t any overt dangers associated with the Bing redirect virus. In fact, you might not realize that you have it on your computer for weeks or even months.
As time goes on, however, data about how you use your computer is sent to another individual. Depending on how you use your computer and whether or not you were specifically targeted by this criminal, the consequences could range from mild to severe.
For example, if someone specifically targeted you with this virus because you frequently use your computer to handle confidential projects, a large number of complications could arise in the future.
If you happened to be part of a widespread attack, however, the hacker may or may not be able to procure sensitive information from your browsing activity. In the most concerning scenarios, victims could experience identity theft, blackmail, or even the exposure of trade secrets.
In general, however, most users will simply find this virus to be an annoyance as opposed to something harmful.
How Can I Fix It?
Whether your computer is full of sensitive data or sparse browsing activity, it is still highly recommended that you remove this software from your machine.
To get started, you’ll need to check to see if a malicious application has been granted permission on your user account to make changes to your computer. By navigating to your user account info, you can then check which applications are allowed to make changes on their own.
If you find a program here that you do not recognize, or you find one that was recently added without your permission, chances are it is associated with the virus.
Similarly, you should also take a look at your list of active browser extensions. Any extension that has seemingly installed and activated on its own is likely the culprit.
In this scenario, you should immediately delete the extension from your browser.
Finally, take a look at your running applications through your task manager. Browse through this list while looking for programs that you don’t recognize.
It’s important to note that you shouldn’t immediately disable an application just because you aren’t quite sure what it is or where it came from. Many internal system processes may have unfamiliar or suspicious names.
It’s worth researching the name of the application before you decide to take action. Otherwise, you may cause your computer to run inefficiently.
You can go now to this resource to learn more info about removing the Bing redirect virus.
How Can I Prevent It in the Future?
Fortunately, is relatively easy to prevent virus infection on your machine.
Most notably, you should never download files from suspicious sources. This means websites, unknown email centers, etc.
Additionally, you should ensure that your computer’s software is the most current version. You should do the same for your computer’s antivirus program, and you should run this program at least once per week.
These factors combined will minimize the chances of you dealing with malware in the future.
Dealing With the Bing Redirect Virus Can Seem Difficult
The above information, though, will ensure that you handle the situation as smoothly as possible. From here, you’ll be able to minimize the impact the Bing redirect virus has on your browsing activity.
Want to learn more info you should keep in mind? Be sure to explore what the rest of our blog has to offer.
