Can a website change proxy settings in a browser?

[RC5Bri]

Something strange happened to IE and Netscape. I just opened each browser, and it couldn't connect to the internet(I'm still on dial-up). The browsers could not get to any site. So I went to the preferences/internet options and found that the direct connection was changed to go through the proxy server 127.0.0.1?!? I am not familiar with the IP addresses... is that a "personal" IP space?

I have no idea how this happened! No one else in my family would have known how to modify those values(and I was the last person to use the computer). I haven't downloaded anything strange, and I only have TCP/IP bound to my dial-up adapter(not windows networking or file sharing). I wanted to check my settings, but it appears http://grc.com is down.

I don't have a virus scanner, maybe I should go look for one. Does anybody have any idea/suggestions on how this happpend?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[goldboyd]

127.0.0.1 is the "loopback" ip address, which means it is your computer. Not sure how it could have gotten changed though.

 

[Bglad]

It happened in both browsers??? That is interesting. I could see IE getting switched somehow because it is linked to proxy settings in Windows but Netscape is not tied to those settings. It is independent.

 

[RC5Bri]

I know, it completely shocked me. I wonder if there is a file like netscape.ini where it stores the settings, and maybe a virus modified it. And if a virus modified it, why only change it to my "loop back" address?

Now I am going to search for a freeware virus scanner.