I moved a bunch of posts from the Brickfolio and Price Guide Thread here to keep the discussion about redirect and other search problems in one place.
First the summary... If you are getting redirected to other sites while navigating BrickPicker, your computer or home router has been infected by a virus known as a browser/search hijacker. These virus' will intercept your "clicks" that bring you to another web page (internal or external to the current website, doesn't matter).
The nitty gritty... It appears that this particular virus has a few variants - adfoc.us, activities.aliexpress.com, etc. It is also really good at choosing different names for it's installed program or installed add-on. I have yet to find the source, but all things point to some "bad" links being posted in a forum post somewhere that people have clicked on... once you've clicked, it seems antivirus and malware programs have been slow on the uptake to fix it this time around (for those curious, this type of exploit is discussed on internet forums as far back as 2010).
Note: If you don't know how to reconfigure your router, seek the help of your favorite IT nerd. If you don't have the manual for it, Google the model now to find and save the instructions.
The solution... if simply clearing your browser's cache and cookies doesn't work (a safe first step) as best I can figure right now.
1) Disconnect all computers from the internet (don't worry about phones or tablets, but it doesn't hurt to turn them off).
Turn OFF the wireless connection, or
Unplug ethernet cables
Go through the list of installed browser plug-ins and installed programs to see if any just don't make sense.
The list of potential candidates is too long to mention, but generally the names are poorly constructed, rip-off names from other well-known companies or literally scream fake (examples I'm making up TruSearch, MyAdFilter, etc).
2) Find your home router, RESET it to factory default settings. Rebooting will not necessarily work.
If you use the router supplied by your internet provider, please ensure that:
You know the username and password to log back in.
You know how to set it up properly ... If it provides your home internet & TV this may be less straightforward than an off the shelf router.
Routers should have a small pin-hole type reset switch on the back of them near the power cable plug. Leave it connected to the power, insert a paper clip into the hole and hold the button until the lights on the front flash indicating it was reset.
3) Go to each computer in your house and do the following to reset the IP/DNS settings on your computer.
(OS Note: I'm a windows guy, so I'm providing instructions for Windows 7 but the procedure is similar for other OSes)
Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center
Click on your default connection (usually Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection) and select Properties.
On the Networking tab, select the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) item and click Properties
Under General tab:
Select "Obtain an IP address automatically".
Select "Obtain DNS server address automatically".
Save all your changes and reboot your computer if you changed anything.
4) After saving or rebooting, you need to flush the DNS cache:
Open a command prompt by clicking the "start" button and typing cmd.exe into the search box.
Press enter when windows finds the match,
Type ipconfig /flushdnsat the prompt, press enter then close the command prompt.
Repeat 3 & 4 on all computers in your house before the next steps.
5) Reconnect one computer to the internet, i.e. turn on the wireless connection or plug the ethernet cable back in.
Connect to your router from your browser (pull out that saved instruction manual) and make the following changes:
Change the default administrator password!!
Turn off remote administration (this isn't the same as what you are doing now).
Note: Every router brand is different, so there are no generic instructions for this step.
Reconnect to the internet by entering your username and password now.
Reconnect all the other computers.
Install a GOOD antivirus program (anti-malware not so much).
You should be good to go.... A bit of advice for future.
- If this happens again, you may have cheated on one of the above steps, clicked the malicious link again or still have not removed the offending virus from the infected computer.
- If you're relying on the router supplied by your internet provider, you shouldn't. Often we aren't allowed to administer them... but they are vulnerable too. Buy a good third party router and connect your router to the supplied router. Then connect devices in your home to the one you just bought. That way, you have better control over your home network at all times.
- Don't trust unknown malware removal programs. Always Google the product name and add "review" or "feedback" or "scam" (etc) to see if it is legit before installing it.
I hope this helps someone. Credit to many other internet sites who've tried to document this where the big corps have failed.