HijackThis (also HiJackThis or HJT) is a
free and open-source
Free and open-source software (FOSS) is a term used to refer to groups of software consisting of both free software and open-source software where anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source ...
tool to detect malware and adware on
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. It was originally created by Merijn Bellekom, and later sold to
Trend Micro
is an American-Japanese multinational cyber security software company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan and Irving, Texas, United State.Other regional headquarters and R&D centers are located around East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and ...
. The program is notable for quickly scanning a user's computer to display the most common locations of malware, rather than relying on a
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...
of known spyware. HijackThis is used primarily for diagnosis of malware, not to remove or detect spyware—as uninformed use of its removal facilities can cause significant software damage to a computer. Browser hijacking can cause malware to be installed on a computer.
On February 16, 2012, Trend Micro released the HijackThis source code as open source and it is now available on the
SourceForge
SourceForge is a web service that offers software consumers a centralized online location to control and manage open-source software projects and research business software. It provides source code repository hosting, bug tracking, mirrorin ...
site.
Use
HijackThis can generate a
plain-text
In computing, plain text is a loose term for data (e.g. file contents) that represent only character (computing), characters of readable material but not its graphical representation nor other objects (Floating point numbers, floating-point numb ...
logfile detailing all entries it finds, and some entries can be fixed by HijackThis. Inexperienced users are advised to exercise caution or seek help when using the latter option. Except for a small whitelist of known safe entries, HijackThis does not discriminate between legitimate and unwanted items. HijackThis attempts to create backups of the files and registry entries that it fixes, which can be used to restore the system in the event of a mistake.
A common use is to post the logfile to a
forum
Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to:
Common uses
* Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States
*Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city
**Roman Forum, most famous example
*Internet ...
where more experienced users can help decipher which entries need to be removed. Automated tools also exist that analyze saved logs and attempt to provide recommendations to the user, or to clean entries automatically.
Use of such tools, however, is generally discouraged by those who specialize in manually dealing with HijackThis logs: they consider the tools dangerous for inexperienced users, and neither accurate nor reliable enough to substitute for consulting with a trained human analyst.
Later versions of HijackThis include such additional tools as a
task manager
In operating systems, a task manager is a system monitor program used to provide information about the processes and applications running on a computer, as well as the general status of the computer. Some implementations can also be used to t ...
, a
hosts-file editor, and an
alternate-data-stream scanner.
HijackThis reached end-of-life in 2013 and is no longer developed.
However, the team has recommended an unofficial replacement called HijackThis Fork that is being developed by Stanislav Polshyn.
HijackPro
During 2002 and 2003, IT entrepreneur Glenn Bluff (owner of Computer Hope UK) made several attempts to buy HijackThis. This led to the joint development of HijackPro, a professional version of HijackThis with the built-in capabilities to kill processes similar to killbox. HijackPro had 2.3 million downloads from an illegal download site in 2003 and 2004 and was being found on sites claiming it was HijackThis and was free. HijackPro was sold to
Touchstone software
TouchStone Software Corporation, Inc., founded in 1982, is an American software developer for the personal computer (PC) industry, specializing in system update technology.[Phoenix Technologies
Phoenix Technologies Ltd is an American company that designs, develops and supports core system software for personal computers and other computing devices. The company's products commonly referred to as BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or fir ...]
in 2007 to be integrated into
DriverAgent.com along with Glenn Bluff's other company Drivermagic.com.
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://sourceforge.net/projects/hjt/
Spyware removal
Portable software
Free security software
Windows-only free software
Formerly proprietary software
Discontinued software