Malware tries to manipulate your system in various ways and the hosts file is a popular target. In this way, it is possible that you will be unnoticed to various rogue websites. Now you can check and edit this file yourself, but HostsMan makes it a lot easier for you.
HostsMan
PriceFor free
Language
English
OS
Windows 7/8/10
Website
//www.abelhadigital.com/hostsman/ 8 Score 80
- Pros
- Auto-updates of various injection lists
- Easy backup management
- User-friendly editor
- Negatives
- Especially for advanced users
You will find the text file hosts in the map %systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc. Apart from some comment lines, you will only find the line here by default 127.0.0.1 localhost back, but you can make all sorts of useful adjustments here. Rather than entering it from Notepad, use HostsMan for this.
blacklists
Run HostsMan as administrator. From the program window, you can then choose from some reliable sources, including MVPS Hosts, hpHosts, Malware Domain List, et cetera. These are lists where host names of rogue servers or tracking servers are linked to the local IP address 127.0.0.1 (or 0.0.0.0). When you are subsequently directed to such a server, the hosts file injected with these lists will ensure that such a connection is not established. You can also add other online sources to this yourself. If you prefer, you can get and install updates to these lists automatically.
Editor
Thanks to a built-in editor, you can also edit the hosts file yourself. If you want to have a rule ignored, you only have to check that rule in the editor. You can also add your own entries from the context menu. That could be something like 192.168.0.200 NAS, so that from now on you only nas typing in the address line of your browser instead of a tricky IP address. The editor also includes a display filter, so that possible malicious entries (hijacks) immediately stand out.
backup
Before making any changes or injecting a new list, make a backup of your current hosts file. This can also be done very easily from the built-in backup manager. Then you only have to select the desired backup to be able to restore it after pressing the button.
Conclusion
Many users are not aware of the existence or function of the hosts file. However, thanks to HostsMan, it becomes a lot easier to use this file as a means against hijackers and related malware, to edit it in a user-friendly way and to make backups.
