21:13
Faizan
On forums and support pages, many Web surfers frequently report erratic behavior when clicking on search results from Google and other search engines. The answer to these pleas for advice is usually that the computer has been infected by a virus. Google redirecting to Google, however, is a different phenomenon and has nothing to do with viruses.
Redirection
If the name of a file containing a Web page, or its path, or any part of its address changes, all links pointing to that page will break. This includes the links that form part of search results from Google and other search engines. Users clicking on broken links (also known as dead links) are shown an error screen that says that the page could not be found. This does not mean that the page does not exist. The page exists, but not at the given address. To avoid annoying dead links, website administrators notify the Web server of the Web page's new address. The Web server then replies to any request for that page with the new address. The browser fetches the page from the new location and usually the user is unaware that the displayed page is not at the address originally requested.
Malicious Redirection
The worrying behavior reported by distressed surfers manifests itself as an illogical redirect. If you click on a link for TV listings and arrive at a poker website, the redirection is noticeable and worrying. This type of redirection is caused by a category of virus called “adware.” Adware is distributed to earn someone money by forcing members of the public to visit particular websites. It does not damage the computer and so is not categorized by anti-malware sites as high risk. However, its behavior is annoying and can unpredictably switch strategies or suspend its activities for a period. It is not in the interests of adware to redirect visitors to Google back to Google. This type of redirection is not caused by a virus.
Google Redirection Virus
The virus most closely connected to Google redirects is sometimes called the “Google Redirect Virus.” Each anti-virus system gives the virus its own name. Microsoft Malware Protection Center identifies it by the name Win32/Alureon. Symantec calls it Backdoor.Tidserv. This virus is notorious for its ability to redirect the results of a Google search to a page of its choice. However, it never redirects Google results back to Google.
Google To Google
The only organization that redirects Google's visitors back to Google is Google. Google is able to detect the country a visitor is located in and adjust its presentation accordingly. (see Reference 1). If a Spanish surfer types in “www.google.com” for a Web address, Google will immediately redirect the browser to “www.google.es.” This can be annoying if a English-speaking surfer, resident in a foreign country, or travelling only wants to see results from google.com. Sometimes Google guesses the visitor's location incorrectly and shows the wrong country page. Google will not redirect the address “www.google.com/ncr” and so surfers who want to avoid being redirected away from google.com should use that address instead.
RedirectionIf the name of a file containing a Web page, or its path, or any part of its address changes, all links pointing to that page will break. This includes the links that form part of search results from Google and other search engines. Users clicking on broken links (also known as dead links) are shown an error screen that says that the page could not be found. This does not mean that the page does not exist. The page exists, but not at the given address. To avoid annoying dead links, website administrators notify the Web server of the Web page's new address. The Web server then replies to any request for that page with the new address. The browser fetches the page from the new location and usually the user is unaware that the displayed page is not at the address originally requested.
Malicious Redirection
The worrying behavior reported by distressed surfers manifests itself as an illogical redirect. If you click on a link for TV listings and arrive at a poker website, the redirection is noticeable and worrying. This type of redirection is caused by a category of virus called “adware.” Adware is distributed to earn someone money by forcing members of the public to visit particular websites. It does not damage the computer and so is not categorized by anti-malware sites as high risk. However, its behavior is annoying and can unpredictably switch strategies or suspend its activities for a period. It is not in the interests of adware to redirect visitors to Google back to Google. This type of redirection is not caused by a virus.
Google Redirection Virus
The virus most closely connected to Google redirects is sometimes called the “Google Redirect Virus.” Each anti-virus system gives the virus its own name. Microsoft Malware Protection Center identifies it by the name Win32/Alureon. Symantec calls it Backdoor.Tidserv. This virus is notorious for its ability to redirect the results of a Google search to a page of its choice. However, it never redirects Google results back to Google.
Google To Google
The only organization that redirects Google's visitors back to Google is Google. Google is able to detect the country a visitor is located in and adjust its presentation accordingly. (see Reference 1). If a Spanish surfer types in “www.google.com” for a Web address, Google will immediately redirect the browser to “www.google.es.” This can be annoying if a English-speaking surfer, resident in a foreign country, or travelling only wants to see results from google.com. Sometimes Google guesses the visitor's location incorrectly and shows the wrong country page. Google will not redirect the address “www.google.com/ncr” and so surfers who want to avoid being redirected away from google.com should use that address instead.
Posted in: google
