Usually you would get to a phishing site directly by mistyping, or from the search itself. You can avoid a lot of phishing sites with the following: '''Tools > Options > Security'''<br> ''Known attack sites can be blocked here, uses information reported to Firefox and to Google.''<br> [x] Warn me when sites try to install add-ons<br> [x] Block reported attack sites<br> [x] Block reported web forgeries Having a good '''hosts''' file on your system can protect your entire system cross-application and all browsers and all your Firefox profiles against a lot malware. The '''hosts''' file must coded for www.example.com, example.com, anything.example.com -- '''Adblock Plus''' is more generic and can do more with less coding. See links below. '''More information:''' on extensions and keyword shortcuts * [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/ Adblock Plus :: Add-ons for Firefox] * [http://adblockplus.org/en/filters#basic Writing Adblock Plus filters] * [http://www.siteadvisor.com/ McAfee SiteAdvisor Software -- Website Safety Ratings and Secure Search] * [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/wot-safe-browsing-tool/ Web of Trust - Safe Browsing Tool :: Add-ons for Firefox] * [http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File] * [http://userstyles.org/styles/42848 Google - Highlight harmful site alert - Themes and Skins for www.google - userstyles.org] * [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Problematic_extensions Problematic extensions - MozillaZine Knowledge Base] (McAfee Site Advisor is listed as problematic, read information) * My notes on extensions -- http://dmcritchie.mvps.org/firefox/firefox.htm#ext_table * [http://dmcritchie.mvps.org/firefox/kws.htm Firefox Keyword Shortcuts] (and bookmarklets) Just so you don't miss important information about Adblock Plus, be aware that it does nothing by itself -- it needs filters. Be sure to install the "EasyList (US)" filter subscription. In your google search settings (preferences), you can filter adult content, but that is not phishing * http://www.google.com/preferences?complete=0&hl=en Phishing protection comes from your browser using collected phishing data -- not from the Google search itself where you might see a warning. * (Google Chrome) http://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py?answer=99020 * (Firefox) already covered what you need to set in security options more http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ensuring-your-information-is-safe.html ---- ''corrected to read Tools > Options > Security''

Do a malware check with some malware scanning programs.<br /> You need to scan with all programs because each program detects different malware.<br /> Make sure that you update each program to get the latest version of their databases before doing a scan.<br /><br /> *http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php - Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware *http://www.superantispyware.com/ - SuperAntispyware *http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx - Windows Defender: Home Page *http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html - Spybot Search & Destroy *http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php - Ad-Aware Free See also: *"Spyware on Windows": http://kb.mozillazine.org/Popups_not_blocked

Forgot to ask you what do you have for '''keyword.URL''' in your '''about:config''' entries. ---- References in case you don't know about about:config * '''[https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Location+bar+search Location bar search]''' * [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Location_Bar_search#Location_Bar_search_.28external_-_search_engine.29 Location Bar search (external - search engine)]