Various viruses that enter your PC can act more or less aggressively and interfere with the normal operation of the device to a greater or lesser extent.
The most dangerous of them affect the system resources of the computer , the less dangerous ones affect external programs.
This article will consider the virus of the first group About:Blank. We explain what it is, how it works on a PC and how to get rid of it.
How is it manifested?
The presence of this virus on your computer is very easy to suspect.
It has a specific effect on the browser by changing its start page.
Now, when you open the browser, instead you see a blank page, in the address bar of which appears the inscription about:blank page (blank form).
But even if the virus hit only one browser at once, then over time it will still spread to others, as it acts through the system registry.
At the same time, such a tab cannot be changed by simply reassigning the start page. Even if you reassign it for the current session, then the next time you open any browser, this about:blank form will appear again. It may not make significant changes in the operation of the computer.
That is, you will not notice delays in work and failures in various programs, except for the browser. However, changes will be made to the computer’s registry and auto run process log.
What changes does it make?
At first glance, it seems that such a virus is quite “harmless” – after all, it simply changes the start page in the browser.
However, this is not the case – it affects system processes and files. This malware is very easy to get, as it often hides under banner ads on popular and news sites, but it is quite difficult to get rid of it.
In addition, this virus is a trojan , that is, it gets full access to your operating system and all the information that is stored in it.
How to discover about:blank page?
The main and most obvious sign of the presence of such a threat is the very fact that an empty form appears in the browser instead of the start page.
But you can certainly detect the presence of such a virus when working with the registry, the auto run log. It is also effective to check with an antivirus, since such software is detected quite effectively by most modern anti viruses.
After entering the computer, the threat writes its code in the system registry in order to perform its constant auto run when the computer is turned on and the browser is opened.
Even without using the system registry, you can find it, but for this you need to view the auto run log. If you found the host .exe process in it, then the virus is present on your PC anyway.
How to fix about:blank page?
Removing a virus is sometimes not easy enough.
The fact is that standard specialized utilities, the same anti viruses, do not always do this efficiently enough – residual files and traces of malware are often stored in the registry , which can affect the operation of the computer and browsers .
Removing the browser itself and reinstalling it also, in most cases, does not work, since the virus immediately starts in the new browser after it is installed.
Antivirus For starters, you can try to use the antivirus already installed on your computer. To do this, follow the algorithm:
- Run the program;
- Select Deep or Full Scan(depending on the type of antivirus);
- Wait for it to finish (this may take several hours, but you cannot use a quick scan, since it often does not detect this threat);
- In the list of found threats, determine the one that causes the problem in question;
- If the antivirus prompts you to place the file in quarantine, do not do this, as this measure is not effective;
- Remove the threat.
Now restart your computer and restart your browsers again.
If the start page still remains empty, then try using a different antivirus.
Some of these utilities are considered to be better at identifying threats than others.
Special utilities
Spy Hunter and Security Stronghold give the best results.
Spy Hunter Spy Hunter is perfectly compatible with all versions of the Windows operating system , it is lightweight, works and installs quickly, and does not take up much space in the device’s memory.
It is able to remove malicious software automatically in about:blank, and this specific utility comes with comprehensive computer virus protection (which already requires installation).
Using this program is very simple:
- Download it by this link;
- Install the program by unpacking from the archive in a folderDownloads(if no other save location has been configured);
- Launch the program from the desktop shortcut that it will automatically create;
- Click the button Scanning the main window of the program;
- When the scan is completed, a list of found threats will appear ;
Remove all malicious files.
After that, restart your computer and launch the browser again.
Most likely, you will not notice any signs of the virus.
Security Strong hold
This program is effective in dealing with this type of virus, but it can detect all the others that are on your PC.
You can download it from the link Then unzip the archive and install the software.
- Run a system scan by clicking the top button on the left menu −Scan Your System;
- Wait until the program completes the scan (during the scan, all browsers must be closed, as in the previous case);
- You will see a list of threats – click on the one you want to remove;
- Click on the buttonRemove, after which the utility will completely remove the malicious file;
- Click on the button restore, after which the program will try to restore it, but you should not do this when it comes to the about:blank virus, because after that the computer will still not work normally;
- Once the uninstall is complete, close the program and restart your PC.
Try restarting your browsers. The virus will no longer be in them.
Browser settings
A fairly simple and effective method in about:blank for removing such a virus is to completely reset settings and other browser settings.
In different browsers, such a procedure will have a different algorithm.
If you have a Google Chrome browser , then do it like this:
- Open the browser and find in the upper corner to the right of the address bar an icon in the form of three horizontal stripes;
- A menu will open – find the button in itSettings;
- Click on it – the settings panel will open in the browser window;
- Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the button at the very bottomShow advanced settings;
- Scroll the page all the way down again – there you will see a buttonReset;
- Click on it; A window will appear in which you need to confirm the reset – do it; Wait for the reset to finish and restart your browser.
The method is good because although all browser settings are returned to their original state, this does not affect saved passwords, bookmarks , etc.
However, all malicious extensions will be removed, pop-ups and the virus will disappear.
A completely similar method for resetting browser settings from Yandex , assembled on the same engine.
In the Firefox browser, this process will be slightly different.
But its main meaning is the same – all add-ons, extensions and plugins will be deleted, but bookmarks, passwords and other user information will be preserved.
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In this case, the virus and pop-ups will disappear.
In order to reset settings in Firefox, do the following:
- Open the browser and find the icon with four horizontal lines to the right of the address bar – click on it;
- A menu will open in which you need to find the line Information for solving problems, and then click on it;
- A new page will open – find the section in itBrowser setup; In it, find the line clear Firefox ;
- Click on this button , and give the program confirmation of the action in the window that appears;
- Wait for the procedure to finish and restart your browser.
- Removing a virus in Internet Explorer is inconvenient and takes longer.
- You can do this as follows: Launch the browser and in the upper right corner find the gear icon;
- Click on it and select the item from the menu that opens.
- A small window will open in which you need to go to the tab
- Check the checkbox next to the lineDelete personal
- After that press the button
Task Scheduler
Malicious programs, like any other, create certain tasks that are registered in the scheduler .
In some cases, they can be performed after the removal of the program itself, and even restore it.
For this reason, remove all tasks created by the virus fromTask Scheduler needed immediately after cleaning from the virus itself.
To do this, do the following:
- Open the windowRun- to do this, hold down at the same timeWin+R;
- In the window that opens, enter msc in the input field and press Enter;
- A new window will openTask Scheduler;
- In the left part of the window, in the folder tree, selectScheduler Library;
- A list of all scheduled tasks will appear in the middle part of the window;
- Select a task and click on it;
- Click the tab at the bottom of the window Action sand see exactly what each job does;
- If you see that it launches the browser, sending it to a third-party site (as in the example),
- then you can safely delete such a task;
- View all assignments this way;
- To delete, right-click on the task, and in the menu that opens, select Delete.
After that, close the scheduler and restart your PC.
