Alexa Related script file discovered

[RF]

Hi Experts,

Search and Destroy discovered the following file: RELATED.HTM in my
WINNT\web\ folder.

Does anyone know what it is supposed to do?

How to block this in future?

TIA

RF




<script>

//Build the query
userURL=external.menuArguments.location.href;
RelatedServiceURL="http://www.google.com/ie?as_rq=";

//Perform simple check for Intranet URLs
//this is where the http or https will be, as found by searching for ://
but skip res:
protocolIndex=userURL.indexOf("://",4);
serverIndex=userURL.indexOf("/",protocolIndex + 3);
urlresult=userURL.substring(0,serverIndex);

//Check if Intranet URL - then open search bar

if (urlresult.indexOf(".",0) < 1) userURL="Intranet URL";
finalURL = RelatedServiceURL + encodeURIComponent(userURL);
external.menuArguments.open(finalURL, "_search");

</script>

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

RF wrote:

> Hi Experts,
>
> Search and Destroy discovered the following file: RELATED.HTM in my
> WINNT\web\ folder.
>
> Does anyone know what it is supposed to do?

Redirects Internet Exploder to a search site.

> How to block this in future?

Use Notepad or other editor, and change this line:

> RelatedServiceURL="http://www.google.com/ie?as_rq=";

to:

RelatedServiceURL="hXXp://www.google.com/ie?as_rq=";

(Note the X's)

The version on my Windows 2000 box used msn.com instead of google.

RelatedServiceURL="hXXp://related.msn.com/related.asp?url=";

--
-bts
-Motorcycles defy gravity; cars just suck

[RF]

Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:
> RF wrote:
>
>> Hi Experts,
>>
>> Search and Destroy discovered the following file: RELATED.HTM in my
>> WINNT\web\ folder.
>>
>> Does anyone know what it is supposed to do?
>
> Redirects Internet Exploder to a search site.
>
>> How to block this in future?
>
> Use Notepad or other editor, and change this line:
>
>> RelatedServiceURL="http://www.google.com/ie?as_rq=";
>
> to:
>
> RelatedServiceURL="hXXp://www.google.com/ie?as_rq=";
>
> (Note the X's)
>
> The version on my Windows 2000 box used msn.com instead of google.
>
> RelatedServiceURL="hXXp://related.msn.com/related.asp?url=";
>

Thank you B.T.S. for the very interesting comments.

Does it apply to IE only or Firefox too. I use Firefox mostly.

What do the X's do?

Thanks again.

RF

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

RF wrote:

> Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:
>> RF wrote:
>>> Hi Experts,
>>>
>>> Search and Destroy discovered the following file: RELATED.HTM in my
>>> WINNT\web\ folder.
>>> Does anyone know what it is supposed to do?
>>
>> Redirects Internet Exploder to a search site.
>>
>>> How to block this in future?
>>
>> Use Notepad or other editor, and change this line:
>>> RelatedServiceURL="http://www.google.com/ie?as_rq=";
>>
>> to:
>> RelatedServiceURL="hXXp://www.google.com/ie?as_rq=";
>>
>> (Note the X's)
>>
>> The version on my Windows 2000 box used msn.com instead of google.
>>
>> RelatedServiceURL="hXXp://related.msn.com/related.asp?url=";
>>
>
> Thank you B.T.S. for the very interesting comments.

You're welcome.

> Does it apply to IE only or Firefox too. I use Firefox mostly.

Don't remember. Probably IE only. I doubt if Firefox has any need to
look in the C:\WINNT\web\ directory.

> What do the X's do?

Renders the hTTp request invalid. When I first discovered that file
(circa 1999?), I just munged the URL, in case deleting the file caused
IE to not work.

You probably could also rename the file, maybe to: NOT-RELATED.TXT
I didn't test it, since I use the Windows box so seldom.

--
-bts
-Motorcycles defy gravity; cars just suck