Me dot fo Browser Hijacker

Me dot fo is a browser hijacker - just one of the different types of applications that fall within the broader category of "potentially unwanted applications".

Potentially unwanted applications are a gray area in software. Software that is classified as a potentially unwanted application is not nearly as dangerous to your system's health and security as full-blown malware such as viruses, trojans, or ransomware. However, a potentially unwanted application will usually diminish your user experience in some way, may spy on you, or cause additional, more dangerous malware to be downloaded to your system.

In the case of the me dot fo browser hijacker, it behaves in a pretty predictable and conventional way. The hijacker will change your browser's integrated default search engine used and will swap out your usual home page to a different one.

The issue with all of this is that those actions take place without the user's express permission. Browser hijackers get their name from the fact that they change browser settings and alter things inside your browser quietly and without sufficient disclosure. In a lot of cases, hijackers also work hand in hand with ad networks and you may find that your browsing experience is suddenly burdened with a lot of additional ads that were not there before. This is one of the main ways browser hijackers generate revenue for their authors.

The usual way a potentially unwanted app such as a browser hijacker will end up on your PC is through bundle installers. Those are software bundles commonly found on some free download websites. Inside them, there may be one legitimate app, bundled together with more potentially unwanted ones. The installer of the package never discloses fully what is contained inside and the PUAs end up on your system.