MSN SmartTags is a spyware program disguised as a Windows XP process.  It displays itself as a browser enhancing toolbar that is part of the Windows system.  According to Zdnet article about MSN SmartTags:  “SMART TAGS ARE A NEW FEATURE in Office XP that associates an Office document with other resources. It is very much like a hyperlink, except Smart Tags can link you to applications or information other than what resides on another Web page. Some Smart Tags offer help with commonly used application features while others look at the content of the document and offer a specific function when it finds the sort of information it knows about.”

That is to say that it creates hyperlinks in your Office documents that link to their affiliate web pages.  They are not, in any way, actually part of the MSN network, despite what they say.  It also hijacks your browser by monitoring your keystrokes there and linking you to affiliate pages based on this activity.

MSN SmartTags is not only an unnecessary program, it is also malicious in that it monitors your browsing and your keystrokes.  It also will bog down your computer’s resources and make it run slower.  Your browser is also subject to crashes.

You should remove MSN SmartTags is you are infected.  While it is possible to remove it using manual removal techniques, this is not for the average user to perform.  It is tedious work, it is time consuming, and it is hazardous to your computer’s registry.  You should use a spyware removal tool such as SpyZooka to remove this threat.

Spyware Type: Browser Hijacker, Toolbar

Associated Files:
%system%\msnbho.dll
%windows%\system\msnbho.dll
%system%\msnbho.dll
%windows%\system\msnbho.dll
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\clsid\ {9dd4258a-7138-49c4-8d34-587879a5c7a4}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\browser helper objects\ {9dd4258a-7138-49c4-8d34-587879a5c7a4}
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\classes\clsid\ {9dd4258a-7138-49c4-8d34-587879a5c7a4}
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\browser helper objects\ {9dd4258a-7138-49c4-8d34-587879a5c7a4}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\classes\clsid\ {9dd4258a-7138-49c4-8d34-587879a5c7a4}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\browser helper objects\ {9dd4258a-7138-49c4-8d34-587879a5c7a4}