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FireFox-patch.js update window keeps popping up from adchoices

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  • Last reply by James

Swim222
Swim222
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I, like all my friends who are using FireFox (the latest version) are getting a pop-up window coming up from random websites asking us to update firefox because it is out of date. We are pretty sure this popup (it fills the whole screen and looks like a mozilla screen/website) is coming from "adchoices" because it will randomly come up from eBay, Yahoo Mail and many other websites. It asks us to download and run a java-script file which I am going to try to attach to this email with the "Add images" button. The file the popup website is trying to get us to run is called "firefox-patch.js". Of course we don't run it because it's obviously a scam but someone who is not computer savvy would probably be tricked into running it. You really need to find out where this is coming from and automatically have firefox block it.

Thanks, Bruce

I, like all my friends who are using FireFox (the latest version) are getting a pop-up window coming up from random websites asking us to update firefox because it is out of date. We are pretty sure this popup (it fills the whole screen and looks like a mozilla screen/website) is coming from "adchoices" because it will randomly come up from eBay, Yahoo Mail and many other websites. It asks us to download and run a java-script file which I am going to try to attach to this email with the "Add images" button. The file the popup website is trying to get us to run is called "firefox-patch.js". Of course we don't run it because it's obviously a scam but someone who is not computer savvy would probably be tricked into running it. You really need to find out where this is coming from and automatically have firefox block it. Thanks, Bruce

Chosen solution

You are right that this is not from Mozilla or the Firefox web browser as this is a scam trying to trick inexperience Firefox and or Windows users into running this file. It does not target Mac OSX and Linux users.

The way Firefox updates are done has not changed over the years as updates are done internally in Firefox (with a .mar type of file) whether on Windows, Mac OSX or Linux or by download from mozilla.org like say www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

You could try using a adblocker extension like uBlock Origin to block theses fake ads if you keep getting them. https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/

Mozilla would love to shut this down but it has not been so simple as it is more elaborate to somebody just creating some fake sites and serving this firefox-patch.js file. Only the users who get this was able to see it so it makes it harder to reproduce and to use page to try and find out details on where and how the malicious ads are happening.

Unfortunately this has gone on for over a few months now with one or two new sites reported almost everyday. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/712056/ and https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/712075

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/i-found-fake-firefox-update

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James
James
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  • Top 10 Contributor
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Chosen Solution

You are right that this is not from Mozilla or the Firefox web browser as this is a scam trying to trick inexperience Firefox and or Windows users into running this file. It does not target Mac OSX and Linux users.

The way Firefox updates are done has not changed over the years as updates are done internally in Firefox (with a .mar type of file) whether on Windows, Mac OSX or Linux or by download from mozilla.org like say www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

You could try using a adblocker extension like uBlock Origin to block theses fake ads if you keep getting them. https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/

Mozilla would love to shut this down but it has not been so simple as it is more elaborate to somebody just creating some fake sites and serving this firefox-patch.js file. Only the users who get this was able to see it so it makes it harder to reproduce and to use page to try and find out details on where and how the malicious ads are happening.

Unfortunately this has gone on for over a few months now with one or two new sites reported almost everyday. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/712056/ and https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/712075

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/i-found-fake-firefox-update

Modified by James