How to clean up the unsafe software called “Babylon”

Users.

I cleaned up “Babylon” software because there was the request for deletion. As a result of the operation, I felt that it is difficult to prevent from it. 

Therefore, I would like to explain how to clean up it and do the tentative preventive measures. The Office  continues to test about the steps. 

Is Babylon software threat?

I cannot allege that it’s the threat because I could not get the sure information. (the information was reported in some blogs that it served as a spyware, but they cannot be verified. 

However, at least, I can say, “The software involves an unwanted function” because it is very hard to remove the software. Moreover, the software try to install to a PC without the user’s acceptant or it tries to camouflage the installation. I think that it is very serious issue because the approaches are adware or spyware.

Do you know what happen when Babylon was installed?

I don’t know about the detail information, but at least, the web browsers in your PC will be forcibly overwritten for always running Babylon system even if you change the settings or remove Babylon software.  Concretely, the following activities were reported.

• Create the Babylon toolbar in a web browser and a user cannot remove it.
• The search engine in a web browser is changed to Babylon.
• Startup page of a web browser changes to Babylon web site and a user cannot change the page setting.

* Even if you remove Babylon software, the Babylon system will continue alive.

Where does Babylon come from?

Basically, it seems that free softwares involve Babylon. Therefore, when a user installs a free software, the possibility to be installed is high. Especially, Babylon is automatically installed without the user’s acceptance. I think that it is very important issue. 

Related Inforamtion

• Moziila Forum

How to clean up Babylon

* By the following operation, I think that you can stop the Babylon activity and remove program code in the PC.
*  However, so some registry information regarding “Babylon” may not be removed. For editing the registry information, there is the high risk of breaking the OS, so please carry it out under your own responsibility. 

Step 1. Try to remove Babylon by using normal operation

• Uninstall all software related to “Babylon”, such as “Babylon toolbar”.
• Uninstall all add-on related to “Babylon” in the web browsers and restart them.

Step 2. Change the startup page of the web browsers.

• Manually change it in the setting of the web browsers.

Step 3. Special operation

(Firefox)

1. Input “about:config” in the address bar (url) in “Firefox”. The hidden system preferences will be displayed.
2. Search “Babylon” keyword  and Reset the value of all searched items (Right-click on the value)
3. Restart Firefox and repeat step 1 and 2 until all value are reset (By the reset, the font type of the value will be reset)

(Google Chrome)

1. Click on “Spanner” button in the top menu and select “Options”.
2. Click on “Extensions” in the left side menu and remove the extensions regarding “Babylon”.
3. Click on “Bases” in the left side menu and change the setting in “On startup” and “Search”.

Step 4. Remove folders

• If there is “Babylon” folder in “Program Files” in C drive, please remove it.
  * If it cannot remove, please restart the PC and try again 

Step 5. Tentative Preventive Measures using the strong tool

1.  Install the free cleanup utility for adware and spyware called “Spybot Search & Destory”.  Then, you scan all data and clean up the detected threat. 
2. Restart the PC and repeat the scan and cleanup until the tool cannot detect any threat. 

About Step 5, please  see How to install and use a "Spybot Search & Destory" tool..

Prevention

Basically, you need to pay attention about the following measures.
Unfortunately, when your PC is infected,  the backward incidence is very important.

• Installation of the latest security software and the update of virus definition.
• Update of the latest security patches for the OS and Application.

About above measures, please  see Recommendation of PC Security Check (Windows/Macintosh) .

Backward Incidence

1st June, 2012  Chief of Information Processing Office: Kitani.
4th June, 2012  Added information regarding Google Chrome
26th October, 2012 Added information regarding the registry