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Permanent fix for malware website lockups?

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by FredMcD

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I'm wondering if there will be a permanent fix for "fake infected" malware websites? More and more of my customers are running into fake websites locking up Firefox and they can't close it and end up calling the 800 number for "tech support". Sometimes they even pay these people. ADBlock Plus makes no difference. Seems like they're taking advantage of issues with Firefox.

Does the Mozilla team plan on a fix for this?

Here's an example of a fake "computer infection" website. WARNING, don't click this link unless you know how to get out of it.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/vlaricly/469L9/index.html

I'm wondering if there will be a permanent fix for "fake infected" malware websites? More and more of my customers are running into fake websites locking up Firefox and they can't close it and end up calling the 800 number for "tech support". Sometimes they even pay these people. ADBlock Plus makes no difference. Seems like they're taking advantage of issues with Firefox. Does the Mozilla team plan on a fix for this? Here's an example of a fake "computer infection" website. WARNING, don't click this link unless you know how to get out of it. https://s3.amazonaws.com/vlaricly/469L9/index.html

Chosen solution

hi Mr.Tom4, your sample site is no longer online so i'm unsure what kind of tactic it was using to avoid users navigating away. firefox 66, that's going to be released tomorrow will fix the rather longstanding issue of sites (mis)using constant authentication dialogs to trap users... https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=377496

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Chosen Solution

hi Mr.Tom4, your sample site is no longer online so i'm unsure what kind of tactic it was using to avoid users navigating away. firefox 66, that's going to be released tomorrow will fix the rather longstanding issue of sites (mis)using constant authentication dialogs to trap users... https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=377496

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Nice. Thanks for the quick reply. Ya, I tried that link in another computer and it didn't work either. It must have been cached or something because every time I'd go to it on that computer it would popup. It kept opening dialogs to download security.php. Krafty these people are.

Thanks for the info. Look forward to v66.

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The powers that be remove such things when they get reported. But the creators just create other such traps.


A way out of a trap page is to (force it if needed) Close Firefox. Wait about 20 seconds for Firefox to finish closing. Right-click on the Firefox icon and select Open New Window. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sometimes this works. If it opens, close it by Menu > File > Exit. This will flush out that web page from the Session Store.