HijackThis
| HijackThis
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| Basic data
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| developer | Merijn Bellekom (until 2007), Trend Micro (until 2013), Polshyn Stanislav (since 2013) |
| Current version | 2.9.0.18 (v3) (January 14, 2019) |
| operating system | Windows |
| category | Diagnosing and removing malware |
| License | GPLv2 |
| github.com/dragokas | |
HijackThis , sometimes abbreviated as HJT , is free software for Windows that diagnoses and removes malware . Originally created by Merijn Bellekom , it was sold to Trend Micro in 2007 . The program takes a heuristic approach to detecting malware : instead of relying on a database of known malware, it scans a computer, generates a list of differences from a known malware-free environment, and allows the user to decide what is on that list System should be removed.
More recent versions of HijackThis include additional tools such as a task manager , an editor for the hosts file and a scanner for alternate data streams .
HijackThis is primarily used to diagnose malware infestations, as careless use of its removal options can cause significant software damage to a computer.
On January 18, 2012, Trend Micro published the source code under the GPLv2 on SourceForge . Until then, HijackThis was freeware . The last version of Trend Micro appeared as beta with the number 2.0.5 in 2013.
From version 2.0.6, HijackThis is being further developed as a fork by the Ukrainian Polshyn Stanislav . Version 2.9.0.18 (called version 3 by the developer) appeared on Stanislav's GitHub page on January 14, 2019 .
commitment
HijackThis generates plain text - logs with detailed records on all findings. Most of these entries can be removed or turned off by HijackThis. Inexperienced users are advised to be careful with the last option, as HijackThis does not differentiate between wanted and unwanted entries. The user can inadvertently block important programs, which can render the operating system or peripheral devices inoperable. However, HijackThis tries to make backup copies of files or registry entries that it removes, which can be used to restore the system after a failure.
Prior to version 2.0.6, the log files were placed in internet forums , where more experienced users could help decide which entries should be removed. There were also tools that analyzed the log files and tried to clean them up automatically or to make suggestions to the user. However, the use of these tools has at times been criticized as potentially dangerous to inexperienced users, and too unreliable and imprecise to replace a human analysis. When Trend Micro stopped development in 2013, the tools mentioned above for evaluating the log files also disappeared. This is why anti-malware forums such as trojaner-board.de or bleepingcomputer.com now refer to more informative and comprehensive scan programs such as Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b How HijackThis is used to remove browser hijackers + spyware (HijackThis tutorial in German). June 6, 2005, accessed January 25, 2009 .
- ↑ Heise.de, February 20, 2012: HijackThis is now open source
- ↑ Fork Progression of Polshyn Stanislav
- ↑ Instructions for FRST, which clarify the range of functions
Web links
- Github project (English)