What is wrong with my computer/browser?

October 10, 2019 12:11 PM

My Google searches (in Gmail and in browser) are autofilling with "team reviled". Running antivirus turns up nothing. Google fu is failing me. Help!
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic to Technology (7 answers total)

What OS, what browser, and how do you mean filling up?
posted by chasles at 12:17 PM on October 10, 2019

Check to see if you accidentally bookmarked a search, as the browser could be opening the bookmark.
posted by theora55 at 12:34 PM on October 10, 2019

Response by poster: Ah sorry - didn't state my assumptions. I'm in Firefox (with latest update). I use Windows 10 (just ran a long update last night). Sometimes the Google search bar at the top of Gmail just shows "team reviled" as if I had typed it into search (I have never looked for this term prior to having this problem). When I've done a search on the Google web page, the results show, but I no longer see my original search terms in the search bar, instead I see "team reviled." It is the weirdest thing.
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 12:41 PM on October 10, 2019

Maybe some kind of malware that's hijacking/redirecting your search engine?

I'd try running Malwarebytes. Also Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool.

posted by bluecore at 12:50 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

You could try running the Firefox add-ons/settings reset.

Read through that whole article before doing the reset, since it clears a lot of stuff!
posted by gregr at 12:51 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

I see Cafe Press has some “Team Reviled” merch, so I’m betting on some kind of marketing malware. I avoided including a link since ... screw spammers.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 6:01 PM on October 10, 2019

Response by poster: Not really resolved. In the end it seemed to be an interaction with my LastPass password manager, but things cleared up when the next update came in.
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 11:46 AM on November 10, 2019