{"id":4154,"date":"2025-03-18T14:13:05","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T22:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antivirusaz.com\/faq\/?post_type=ht_kb&#038;p=4154"},"modified":"2025-03-18T14:13:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T22:13:05","slug":"what-is-browser-hijacking","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.antivirusaz.com\/faq\/art\/what-is-browser-hijacking\/","title":{"rendered":"What is browser hijacking?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Browser hijacking<\/strong> happens when unwanted software takes control of your web browser. It can change your homepage, default search engine, or install unwanted toolbars and extensions\u2014often without your permission. The goal is usually to redirect you to specific websites, show you ads, or collect your browsing data. Hijackers can slow down your browser, compromise your privacy, and make it harder to use the internet normally. They often come bundled with free software downloads or through malicious websites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Browser hijacking happens when unwanted software takes control of your web browser. It can change your homepage, default search engine, or install unwanted toolbars and extensions\u2014often without your permission. The goal is usually to redirect you to specific websites, show you ads, or collect your browsing data. Hijackers can slow down your browser, compromise your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"ht-kb-category":[12],"ht-kb-tag":[486],"class_list":["post-4154","ht_kb","type-ht_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","ht_kb_category-threats-vulnerabilities","ht_kb_tag-browser-hijacking"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is browser hijacking?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.antivirusaz.com\/faq\/art\/what-is-browser-hijacking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is browser hijacking?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Browser hijacking happens when unwanted software takes control of your web browser. It can change your homepage, default search engine, or install unwanted toolbars and extensions\u2014often without your permission. The goal is usually to redirect you to specific websites, show you ads, or collect your browsing data. 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