Yahoo keeps hijacking my Chrome over Google

[the lynx]

I normally use Google in my Chrome as my default search engine. Today I discovered that Yahoo has hijacked my browser as the default search engine without my permission. I kept going back to Settings and change it back to Google as my default search engine, and I even remove Yahoo altogether from the list of search engines, leaving only Google, but each time I close and open my browser, it goes back to Yahoo. Gawd it is so annoying and frustrating!

I looked it up and it seems that I'm not the only one who faced this problem. Some people tried running the scan and found a malware linked to Yahoo, removed it and solved the problem. But I've been scanning my computer all day and I found nothing.

Hope someone can help me with this one. Thanks.

[Wd40]

I had this problem in my previous laptop. Although it was not yahoo, it was some other shady search engine. I am surprised A reputed company like yahoo has been involved in this. Anyways from what I remember it is not easy to get rid of this problem, IIRC, I had to make some changes to the registry entries.

Worst part is when I googled for the issue, I came across solutions where they asked me to install something to remove the malware. How am I supposed to trust this when the malware actually originated, when I installed something innocent.

[Strong Eagle]

Run the free version of malwarebytes to see what has hijacked your computer.

[zzm9980]

Sometimes it isn't malware, but an application you recently installed and agreed to allow to do this without realizing. For example, Java actually will do this.

Go to My Computer, Uninstall Applications. I believe you could sort by the date you installed. Go through the list and see if you see something new you installed right around the time this started. Or even better, take the time to remove everything that you don't use and or don't know what it is.

Also go through chrome and check your extensions to see if there any recently installed extensions they could be doing it.

[ecureilx]

Recall the last installed application .. that's the culprit mostly .. as zzm. Suggested

[Strong Eagle]

Sometimes it isn't malware, but an application you recently installed

It's still malware crap... and the so called "legit" software purveyors who install this crap ought to be hung out to dry.

It's one reason I have uninstalled Java, the others being that it creates exploits in your browser, and you're not running anything that needs it anyway.

[zzm9980]

Sometimes it isn't malware, but an application you recently installed

It's still malware crap... and the so called "legit" software purveyors who install this crap ought to be hung out to dry.

It's one reason I have uninstalled Java, the others being that it creates exploits in your browser, and you're not running anything that needs it anyway.

Call it as you like (and I do agree with your opinon), but the malware cleaners won't pick these kinds of things up. My post was purely pragmatic for Lynx

[Strong Eagle]

zzm, I'm using Webroot and it picks these up and ID's them as 'PUP's... potentially unwanted programs... MalwareBytes does it as well... although I've not seen Yahoo hijacking the browser search before.

[zzm9980]

zzm, I'm using Webroot and it picks these up and ID's them as 'PUP's... potentially unwanted programs... MalwareBytes does it as well... although I've not seen Yahoo hijacking the browser search before.

When I see yahoo do it, it's a choice you agree to in the install wizard. Unfortunately it's often preselected and not too prominent, so easy to click through.

[Akimbo]

Have you found an application called Spigot, lynx? That's usually the culprit...

[sundaymorningstaple]

Following on to the above....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxP1JluWcXc

How to remove the Spigot Malware

[the lynx]

Thanks guys.

Ran the checks. Not malware. Checked the recently installed applications. Wasn't able to pin point which one. Went through my extensions and tools. Nothing unusual. Gave up. Uninstalled and re-installed Chrome. Solved.