Hijacking your Browser....with another browser?

Yep, here we go again!

Last time I saw something crazy installed on a PC without permission, it was BitTorrent being installed and used to pump pirated movie files on machines plugged into a Botnet.

This time?

Some crazy fool has come up with an IM Infection (click all images to enlarge) that does "nasty things" (TM). However, don't think this one is infection-by-numbers....oh no! By the time you get to numbers 4 and 5 your eyebrows will raise in true Spock fashion. This thing:

1) Fires infection messages to all your contacts in a random and annoying fashion.
2) Fires annoying phrases that make no sense to all your contacts in a random and annoying fashion.
3) Fires messages across web-based chat and IRC. Random, annoying, etc.
4) Hijacks your desktop with a 15 second sound-file of horrible, wailing 80's guitars and plinky-plunky noises. You'll scratch out your eardrums, I guarantee it. Did I mention it plays every time you boot up your PC?
5) Installs its own browser onto your computer.

Yep, let me rewind the tape - your PC gets hijacked by a web browser that uses a fake IE logo, hijacks your IE homepage for good measure and is called....

/ drum roll

....The Safety Browser!

So safe, in fact, that it enables popups by default and hijacks your settings. Yay!

In addition, it sometimes opens up a "get free stuff" website that will hijack your machine and kill it stone dead with a nasty boatload of Ad/Spy/Malware should you click the link.

Anyone else think this sucks yet? We've already seen the first example of "When Browsers Go Wrong" here - this is another step in that direction and then some. People often ask me what the next "hot infection thingy" (technical term) will be. Did it ever occur to me that the next "hot new thingy" would be rogue Internet Browsers? Not really. All in all, pretty crazy and vaguely mindblowing.

For a full, detailed rundown of what this thing does, check out my writeup over at the Spywareguide Blog.

And crack as many Safety Dance song gags as you want!

/ Edit - Just seen that the SPG writeup is top of the Digg Security section queue with 38 votes. If you liked the article, please consider voting for it!