Add-on Browser Helper Object

Browser Helper Object Add-on

A friend of mine called asking for help with her computer as she could no longer get her e-mail. When Internet Explorer opened all that you could see was an outline of where the address and status bar should have been. The AVG logs showed over a hundred files being deleted and or quarented automatically every day. Zonealarm was active and seemed to be working ok. I installed and ran Adaware and SpyBot that I d/l on another computer. Both found and removed hundreds of malware etc. but still IE6 would not open. AVG, Adaware and SpyBot were able to get their updates ok, so it seemed that only IE6 was affected. The Windows Update icon opened to Microsoft just fine. The only update needed was IE7 so it seemed like the thing to do as IE6 was broken. The d/l and install of IE7 took quite a long time but seemed to go ok. But when I opened IE7 the same problem as IE6, a broken outline of the application with a "To help protect your computer, Windows has closed this program ". On the 2nd attempt to open IE7 same broken outline with a "Internet Explorer has encountered a problem with an Add-on and needs to close" the Add-on name was wtywhphx.dll

I disconnected the lan cable and from another computer I started researching Add-ons and BrowserHelperObjects. I tried a couple of programs but they all needed to be registered and I could not do that with a broken IE. TrueSword4 did produce a list and I started manually deleting files and register entries after a dozen or so I tried IE7 again and it opened. Looking over the Tools dropdown I noticed the Manage Add-ons. There were over 50 entries, all were enabled. I had no idea what most of them were so I Disabled all of them, closed IE7, hooked up the lan cable, opened IE7 and all looked ok while the IE7 Welcome screen played. But after closing and opening IE7 again it crashed again with yet another Add-on being named. So I manually deleted a few more from the TrueSword4 list and finally IE7 started working.

This machine is used by a working mom and her 3 teenagers each with their own User sign-on. When they logged on I had to Disable the Add-ons for each User, a real pain. Also I discovered that each User has it's own IE cache files and to clear them out each User has to do their own. Then also the Admin user folder has it's own set that has to be manually deleted. What a rat nest.

At least IE7 lets you "see" the Add-ons but they seem to come back even if they are disabled. There is no way for the user to stop them from being added. From my research, it seems that there are more malicious Add-ons than any other type of malware, key-loggers, play-list stealers, banking and password stealers etc. There are hundreds of these on this machine and I suspect most XP users are the same, at least those using Internet Explorer. Firewalls can not help because the Add-on becomes part of IE and if you allow IE then the Add-on is also allowed. If the User clicks on a page to install a Add-on, the Add-on could end up doing anything in addition to what the User intended it to do and most Add-ons seem to be "Added" without the Users knowledge.

Something must be done about controlling the Add-ons. None of the Anti-virus or Malware programs identify corrupt Add-ons. The OS should not allow anything to attach to IE unless it is Certified. I will be attempting to disable IE on this machine and switch over to either Netscape or FireFox whatever that does not allow "Add-ons" at least until I see a fix for this in Microsoft Update.

 

You're right. Tie up the kids and don't let them use it.

Seriously though, I've never had an ounce of trouble when it comes to malicious add-ons. I've never had one. If the OS and IE are updated regularly and if security settings are set to even their default levels, nothing will install without somebody clicking OK. My guess is either the puter isn't kept updated very well or everytime they are prompted to install the newest greatest gizmo, they click yes.

Although none of them are absolutely necessary, I'd find it hard to live without several of the add-ons I have. Good luck with your task. If it's as bad as you say, I have a feeling it might be easier to just format and start over.

As for disabling IE and using Firefox, it's an OK thing I guess but they still can download anything they want and bring in the bugs that way. Don't forget about those file sharing programs the kids all seem to like so well. They'll get you too. The only real answer to the problem is to teach them a bit about the dangers of downloading junk from the net. Otherwise, I fear they'll just end up back in the same boat again. IE or no IE.

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