Received Firefox message for a 'patch' with a download file. I tried but Malwarebytes blocked it. Tuned off Malwarebytes and Avast warned about virus. How to
With so many security issues I am not sure if the Firefox d/l was legit. It would not run because Malwarebytes stopped it. I turned off Malwarebytes (reluctantly) to see if it would run. Then my Avast sent out a couple virus warnings that scared me out of continuing. I have had this before with Malwarebytes and turning it off worked. But Avast never gave me that other warning. I ran a Malwarebytes scan = ok. Then I ran an Avast smart scan = ok. Now how do I keep Firefox up to date in the future?
Thank you
John h
All Replies (2)
If you get a pop-up message asking to update Firefox or plugins or scanning for malware then such a message is likely a scam and you should NEVER respond to such an alert to avoid getting infected with malware.
- only update Firefox via "Help > About" or by downloading and installing Firefox from the Mozilla server and never via a pop-up or link on a web page.
- plugins should only be updated via the plugin itself or by visiting the home page of the plugin.
See also:
Do not try to run it!
For the past year, malware distributors have been setting up fake pages and pushing a patch that can cause a stubborn infection in the Windows registry. The page usually has a stolen copy of the Firefox icon on an orange background, and a weird address that changes every day when you look at the address bar. This is not how Firefox updates.
Since the redirects to these phishing sites are distributed through major ad networks on popular sites, you may wish to consider using an ad blocking extension such as: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/ad.../ublock-origin/.
And congratulations on having great security software that protected your system. Many are not so well prepared.