Why do I get Malware when I install Firefox on my PC?
On Saturday the 7th June I was experiencing problems with Netflix on IE and Chrome. The technical help department of Netflix suggested I install Firefox which is their favoured browser.
I used Google.com to search for Firefox and clicked the top link it returned (firefox.download-4-free.com/).
This installed Firefox, Pc-Optimizer a nasty ad-filled search engine and some other Malware on my Windows PC. It then took me about an hour to remove all of the Malware that came with Firefox.
Why do you allow other sites to bundle your software with an installer that comes with a lot of Malware? Surely this is simply de-valuing your product by giving users an initial bad experience?
As a senior software developer at Cisco, I understand the challenges and amount of effort that go into developing any software product, but due to this initial bad experience I will be very wary about using Mozilla software in future.
I recommend that you act to prevent other sites de-valuing your product in the future and I would also suggest that you enquire why Google is promoting sites that bundle Malware with their competitors products. I am sure that there is no way that Google would allow people to package Malware with Chrome. (Note if I "Google" chrome all of the results on the first page belong to Google.)
Regards
Mark A.J. Pashley BEng.
All Replies (4)
Please provide that feedback to Mozilla here: https://input.mozilla.org/en-US/feedback
That's a paid advertisement, so Google will always place it ahead of the organic results. And Google's take-down policies are quite limited.
Fortunately, our security software blocks the actual download; sorry to hear yours did not.
That was a Google Ad link above the real search results.
You can report fraudulent sites at http://www.mozilla.org/legal/fraud-report/ as they prefer reporting there instead of in bugzilla.
They even have a bug that is limited access in bugzilla tracking these sites that were reported.
No version of Firefox for any OS from www.Mozilla.org ever comes with any viruses, malware or bundled with something like a toolbar or application.
Marqueemark wrote: but due to this initial bad experience I will be very wary about using Mozilla software in future.
No need to be wary about using Mozilla products if you actually get it from Mozilla.org which is clean and you only get the Firefox browser.
The download-4-free dot com site has multiple browsers listed there (including Google Chrome) and they do note on bottom that it may come with some stuff and for Firefox they do mention "This offering is not affiliated or endorsed by Mozilla - official makers of Firefox 29.0.1" so that should have been a flag to perhaps not download from there.
Modified by James
Advertised Bundled & third party downloads. IIRC this is a known problem and I think there was talk about trying to challenge some of the adverts and even possibly consider Mozilla placing some. (It was mentioned in a recent meeting* of support staff)