• Hosts File
  The Hosts file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. This file is loaded into memory (cache) at startup, then Windows checks the Hosts file before it queries any DNS servers, which enables it to override addresses in the DNS. This prevents access to the listed sites by redirecting any connection attempts back to the local machine. Another feature of the HOSTS file is its ability to block other applications from connecting to the Internet, providing the entry exists.
  This article provides details on blocking Ads, Banners, Parasites, and Hijackers, web bugs, etc. with a custom HOSTS file
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  in Software > Malware Protection with hosts malware by 22 users

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