Two of the more troubling spyware applications are about:blank and se.dll.  Each of these is a program that hijacks your web browser, pops up unwanted advertising on your screen, slows your system, and transmits your personal information.  Both of these are very difficult to remove from your computer.  In fact, they are very similar to the CoolWebSearch spyware discussed in an earlier article.  Unfortunately, there is no tool designed to rid your system of these pests at the moment.

Each of these takes the form of a DLL, a “library” of little programs that other programs access to accomplish certain tasks.  Basically, a DLL can sit on your system, quietly load itself into memory, and patiently “listen” for certain things to happen while you use your computer.  Both about:blank and se.dll, listen for things to happen in Internet Explorer.  This is how they are able to take over your browser, and since they are always loaded into memory, they are very difficult to delete. 

Purging your system of these is a complex process that involves several advanced techniques.  Editing the registry, ferreting out hidden system files, and the like.  Listing all of the steps that you need to take to accomplish all of this is beyond the scope of this article, but you can find lots of very good information about the process on the web.  Some of these sites are: 

http://www.pchell.com/support/aboutblank.shtml 

http://www.securiteam.com/securityreviews/5RP0L0UD5U.html 

There are also many web-based forums where you can get personalized help from advanced computer users. Some of these are: 

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum55.html 

http://www.computing.net/security/wwwboard/wwwboard.html 

http://computercops.biz/forums.html 

If you plan to undertake manual removal of spyware such as about:blank and se.dll, make sure you understand what you’re getting into.  Review the tutorial websites and read other people’s posts on the forums.  This is an involved task, but if you do your homework and prepare, you should be able to free your computer from these malicious programs.  

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