How To Use SpyHunter 5's HOSTS File Protection

The HOSTS file is used by Windows to map domain names to IP addresses. When resolving a domain name, the HOSTS file is checked before your service provider's DNS servers are queried.

Malware may attempt to surreptitiously write an entry to your HOSTS file to transparently point a trusted domain name (such as www.enigmasoftware.com) to a malicious server that is in no way affiliated with the actual domain name. This opens the door for phishing activities, injection of intrusive ads into webpages and other difficult to detect malicious redirections. These malicious actions have the potential to severely compromise your online security.

To combat these threats, SpyHunter 5 offers configurable advanced features designed to protect your Windows HOSTS file from unauthorized modification.

To check the status of the HOSTS File Protection, click the "Settings" menu item in the main SpyHunter 5 window. In the "Settings" window that opens, click the "Network" tab. If the checkbox next to "Activate HOSTS File Monitor" is checked, the HOSTS File Protection feature is active. If it IS NOT checked, just click the checkbox to activate the feature.

When its HOSTS File Monitor is active, SpyHunter 5 will monitor your HOSTS file for any additions, deletions, or modifications. If SpyHunter 5 detects that your HOSTS file has been modified, it will alert you with a dialog window. The dialog will visually display what has been added to or removed from the Windows HOSTS file since SpyHunter 5 last checked it. Anything that was added will be highlighted in blue, and anything that was removed will be highlighted in red.

You can cancel the changes by clicking the "Restore"button, to have SpyHunter 5 restore the previous version of the Windows HOSTS file. If you intentionally modified your HOSTS file (manually or through an application), click the "Accept" button to allow the changes.

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