ANSWERS: 2
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Yes, this problem is caused by some malware (adware, spyware, browser hijackers, etc.). Unfortunately, I do not know how to manually remove pests like these, however here are links to two free programs that can possibly automatically remove it: Ad-aware (Personal Edition is free) - http://www.lavasoftusa.com Spybot: Search and Destroy - http://security.kolla.de Be sure to update both programs before scanning with them. Sometimes it is necessary to do a manual removal, and HijackThis can be invaluable for that purpose: http://www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html When run, the program makes a list of Windows registry entries related to Internet Explorer hijackings that can be deleted. The list can be saved in a log for analysis, and unless you know what you're doing, do NOT delete anything in the list. If you don't know what you're doing, there are online message boards that you can post your log in and someone will help you. I recommend the HijackThis forum at VirtualDr, an excellent tech-help message board. Here is a link to that forum: http://discussions.virtualdr.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=71
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It's not necessarily malware. A great many possible typographical errors for popular websites have been registered by porn operators. So the mistyped URL can be resolved and you end up somewhere you didn't mean to go. One of the most egregious ones, for example (finally taken down, under enormous pressure), a couple of years back, was www.whitehouse.com. The official web site of the White House in Washington, DC is www.whitehouse.gov, but if by force of habit you inadvertently typed .com, you were at a porn site. A disgusting trick, sure, but one which apparently snags enough new customers to be worthwhile. And because it's all an automated system that's making no value judgements, there's really not much you can do to stop it from happening, unless you have Internet filtering software that blocks it for you.
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