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Question

Difficulty: EasyWeb Browser Security and Pop-Up/Redirect Troubleshooting

A user's web browser consistently redirects all typed domain names to an unfamiliar advertising website. The technician confirms that no rogue browser extensions are installed and the browser settings are set to defaults. Which of the following Windows files should the technician inspect next for unauthorized domain-to-IP address mappings?

  1. The local hosts fileAnswer
  2. B
    The temporary Internet cache folder
  3. C
    The Windows Security Event Log
  4. D
    The System Environment Variables file

Answer

The local hosts file
The Windows hosts file static table takes precedence over DNS server queries. Malicious software often alters this file to silently map popular domain names to malicious IP addresses, causing browser redirects even when browser settings and extensions are completely clean.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the symptom
The web browser continuously redirects legitimate web destinations to an unwanted advertising site.
Redirections occur when domain name resolution is tampered with.
2
Rule out browser-level causes
No malicious extensions or altered proxy/search engine settings exist in the browser.
Since the browser configuration is clean, the redirection root cause resides at the OS network resolution layer.
3
Inspect OS-level host resolution settings
Check the hosts file located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts for static malicious entries mapping legitimate domain names to unauthorized IP addresses.
Windows evaluates the local hosts file prior to querying external DNS servers.

Key Concept

Troubleshooting Web Browser Redirects via the Windows Hosts File
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Topics

Web Browser Security and Pop-Up/Redirect Troubleshooting

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