A user is reporting that they are clicking on search results and being redirected to the wrong sites. Which of the following should a technician check FIRST?

Temporary Internet Files are cached web content and do not control or influence where the browser navigates when a link is clicked.

Malware commonly modifies a system's proxy settings to route all web traffic through an attacker-controlled server, which intercepts search result clicks and redirects the user to malicious or unwanted sites. This is a common symptom of browser hijacking or DNS-redirecting malware. Checking proxy settings first is the correct diagnostic step because this attack vector directly and specifically causes the described symptom.

Cookies store session and preference data but do not have the capability to redirect navigation from search results to different URLs.

Windows Firewall controls network access at the connection level but does not redirect or modify the destinations of web requests.