An adware virus showed up after installing V24 automatically
After Firefox automatically installed version 24.0 an adware virus started showing immediately. Everytime I started Firefox the adware virus activated creating popups with colorful adveritizing pictures. I didn't bother to read what the popups said. IE didn't had any problems. I then search the internet for ways to remove it and by using Adwcleaner and Malwarebytes I was able to clean my PC. This is the first virus I ever had in my PC. My antivirus is Avast and it always did a good job except this time when it didn't detected the virus. I have turned off the automatic updates for Firefox.
I am not saying that the virus came from the same place the Firefox update came from but the virus did started acting up immediately after the update finished and Firefox restarted.
All Replies (8)
From where did you download Firefox?
Always download Firefox from official Mozilla site www.mozilla.org.
What browser you use to make this post? Your browser user agent string is weird.
It was an automatic update from Firefox. Now I have turned that feature off. I don't remember the browser I used but at this moment I am using Firefox. The virus affected only Firefox. Like I said before, I am not saying that definitively the virus came alongside Firefox but it sure seemed so because it started functioning together with Firefox after the automatic restart after the automatic update.
What browser you had used to make the first post here?
When I ask you from where did you had download Firefox I mean from where did you had download the installer.
Can you provide some non-personal information from your Firefox?
- Click the Firefox button at the top left, then click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information from the submenu. If you don't have a Firefox button, click the Help menu at the top and select Troubleshooting Information from the menu.
Now, a new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.
- At the top of the page, you should see a button that says "Copy text to clipboard". Click it.
- Now, go back to your forum post and click inside the reply box. Press Ctrl+V to paste all the information you copied into the forum post.
If you need further information about the Troubleshooting information page, please read the article Use the Troubleshooting Information page to help fix Firefox issues.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Do a malware check with some malware scanning programs on the Windows computer.
Please scan with all programs because each program detects different malware.
All these programs have free versions.
Make sure that you update each program to get the latest version of their databases before doing a scan.
- Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php - AdwCleaner:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Removal-Tools/AdwCleaner.shtml - SuperAntispyware:
http://www.superantispyware.com/ - Microsoft Safety Scanner:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx - Windows Defender: Home Page:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx - Spybot Search & Destroy:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html - Kasperky Free Security Scan:
http://www.kaspersky.com/security-scan
You can also do a check for a rootkit infection with TDSSKiller.
- Anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller:
http://support.kaspersky.com/5350?el=88446
See also:
- "Spyware on Windows": http://kb.mozillazine.org/Popups_not_blocked
I originally downloaded the installer from Mozilla. But, the updates come in regularly and install themselves. I don't know from where the Firefox application is downloading the updates. Let clear up something , as I said before I removed the virus the same day it installed itself using AdwCleaner and Malwarebytes. I wrote here just to let you pleople know what happened to me. I no longer have the problem. Here is my Firefox troubleshooting information:
Application Basics ------------------ Name: Firefox Version: 24.0 User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/24.0 Extensions ---------- Name: Adobe Acrobat - Create PDF Version: 1.2 Enabled: false ID: [email protected] Name: avast! Online Security Version: 8.0.1497 Enabled: false ID: [email protected] Name: HP Smart Web Printing Version: 4.51 Enabled: false ID: [email protected] Name: RealDownloader Version: 1.3.3 Enabled: false ID: {DF153AFF-6948-45d7-AC98-4FC4AF8A08E2} Important Modified Preferences ------------------------------ browser.cache.disk.capacity: 358400 browser.cache.disk.smart_size.first_run: false browser.cache.disk.smart_size.use_old_max: false browser.cache.disk.smart_size_cached_value: 358400 browser.places.smartBookmarksVersion: 4 browser.startup.homepage_override.buildID: 20130910160258 browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone: 24.0 extensions.lastAppVersion: 24.0 gfx.direct3d.last_used_feature_level_idx: 1 network.cookie.prefsMigrated: true places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 104858 plugin.disable_full_page_plugin_for_types: application/pdf plugin.importedState: true privacy.sanitize.migrateFx3Prefs: true Graphics -------- Adapter Description: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT Adapter Drivers: nvd3dumx,nvwgf2umx,nvwgf2umx nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um Adapter RAM: 512 Device ID: 0x0614 Direct2D Enabled: true DirectWrite Enabled: true (6.2.9200.16571) Driver Date: 6-21-2013 Driver Version: 9.18.13.2049 GPU #2 Active: false GPU Accelerated Windows: 1/1 Direct3D 10 Vendor ID: 0x10de WebGL Renderer: Google Inc. -- ANGLE (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT Direct3D9Ex vs_3_0 ps_3_0) windowLayerManagerRemote: false AzureCanvasBackend: direct2d AzureContentBackend: direct2d AzureFallbackCanvasBackend: cairo JavaScript ---------- Incremental GC: true Accessibility ------------- Activated: false Prevent Accessibility: 0 Library Versions ---------------- NSPR Expected minimum version: 4.10 Version in use: 4.10 NSS Expected minimum version: 3.15.1 Basic ECC Version in use: 3.15.1 Basic ECC NSSSMIME Expected minimum version: 3.15.1 Basic ECC Version in use: 3.15.1 Basic ECC NSSSSL Expected minimum version: 3.15.1 Basic ECC Version in use: 3.15.1 Basic ECC NSSUTIL Expected minimum version: 3.15.1 Version in use: 3.15.1
Gewysig op deur cor-el
I have the same experience. Following upgrade of Firefox v19 to 25 into a known clean Win 7 OS from the official Mozilla/Firefox download page my system was immediately bombarded with advertising in windows numerous enough to interfere with use of the page. Some was obviously corrupt such as a window indicating a Win media player update that does not exist from Microsoft. The window even mimicked the MS page style. The adware logged after this FF25 installation by SpyBot is iCrossRider, Delta.Toolbar, and weDownloadMgr.
I maintain a sterile-as-possible machine with a strong firewall and other protective software but despite all my efforts, and without being informed of ad bots, Mozilla has conspicuously brought itself to the current trend of out-of-control advertising for revenue generation. Its trespass any way you consider it. Whether or not I can re-sterilize my system I will no longer support the Mozilla organization and will promptly remove their software permanently. Period.
This practice of delivering undeclared adware and spyware with software is intolerable. I will advise everyone I contact about this practice and recommend further upgrades of Mozilla products not be attempted. So long and good riddance.
L Melton
Gewysig op deur b747fe
Sorry but Mozilla does NOT include any malware or forms of Ads in their Firefox installs in any version of Firefox for any OS from www.mozilla.org
You may have already been infected and if Firefox was made your default browser it may have targeted it as a result. To me you are unfortunately jumping to the conclusion that Mozilla was to blame because of the coincidence of getting this after a Firefox install.
Think about it, if your claim was true on Firefox 25.0.1 it would be a hot topic around the internet including here as Mozilla would lose far too much for what little gain they would get in adding such.
Some download sites like download.com aka cnet have their own installers that add well crap alongside the program install.
_________________
To get you on path of cleaning your computer of this stuff (which did not come in Firefox install). Malwarebytes, > http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php Super AntiSpyware > http://www.superantispyware.com/ Ad-Aware > http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ Spybot, Search & Destroy > http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html Avast, > http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
If these don't find it or can't clear it, post in one of these forums for specialized malware removal help:
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?showforum=27 http://bleepingcomputer.com/ http://www.spywareinfoforum.com/
_________________
Thanks to Daifne for the original list on mozillaZine forums.
Gewysig op deur James
Hi L Melton, can you check your download history for the source of that bad update? If it's no longer in your downloads, check your history to see whether you can find the page that linked you to it.