I got a notice that a firefox update could speed up my computer,so I ok'd it. Now avast vpn has installed itself. Did Mozilla partner with avast? I don't know what it does & didn't give permission.
Several days ago I got a message indicating that a firefox update could speed up my computer browsing, so I eventually gave permission for it, though changing my systerm makes me nervous. Now, after my computer was not letting me do anything for an extended period, today, I restarted it, and Avast vpn had been installed. Are you partnering with avast? Did this come with the Firefox update? I had a difficult time getting rid of their antivirus software before I could install the software I actually paid for from Eset. I don't want anything interfering with my antivirus software. Please advise. How can I make it go away? I've liked using Firefox and don't want to have to give it up, but am suspicious of this intrusion.
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Hi, unless you were using a very old version of Firefox it's quite likely that the notification you got was fake - there are some around unfortunately. Furthermore, Firefox has nothing to do with Avast, and anyway, would never install anything else at the same time as an update, which further reinforces that possibility.
In case malware has been installed, open the 3-bar menu > Add-ons > Extensions, then look for and remove/disable anything you don't recognise. Restart Firefox afterwards.
You can also check your Firefox Desktop shortcut for corruption: Right click on it > Properties, and in Target, make sure there is no sign of anything other than Firefox. If there is, delete that part of it. Or if it's easier, you can just delete it and recreate a new shortcut. More: Wrong home page opens when I start Firefox - How to fix.
Another thing you can do, is to search for malware in your PC's programs - look for Avast and any other recently installed programs that you don't recognise, because it may be masquerading under a different name. What is search hijacking?
You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:
- Microsoft Safety Scanner
- MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
- Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller (for more info, see this alternate TDSSKiller download page)
- AdwCleaner (for more info, see this alternate AdwCleaner download page)
- Hitman Pro
- ESET Online Scanner
Note that not all removal programs will detect all malware, so you may need to run several of them.
Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.
The best way to prevent fake update malware in the future is to install an ad-blocker; the best of which for this, seems to be - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ublock-origin
If your question is resolved by this or another answer, please help other users by marking the best reply as Solved. Thank you!
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Valgt løsning
Hi, unless you were using a very old version of Firefox it's quite likely that the notification you got was fake - there are some around unfortunately. Furthermore, Firefox has nothing to do with Avast, and anyway, would never install anything else at the same time as an update, which further reinforces that possibility.
In case malware has been installed, open the 3-bar menu > Add-ons > Extensions, then look for and remove/disable anything you don't recognise. Restart Firefox afterwards.
You can also check your Firefox Desktop shortcut for corruption: Right click on it > Properties, and in Target, make sure there is no sign of anything other than Firefox. If there is, delete that part of it. Or if it's easier, you can just delete it and recreate a new shortcut. More: Wrong home page opens when I start Firefox - How to fix.
Another thing you can do, is to search for malware in your PC's programs - look for Avast and any other recently installed programs that you don't recognise, because it may be masquerading under a different name. What is search hijacking?
You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:
- Microsoft Safety Scanner
- MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
- Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller (for more info, see this alternate TDSSKiller download page)
- AdwCleaner (for more info, see this alternate AdwCleaner download page)
- Hitman Pro
- ESET Online Scanner
Note that not all removal programs will detect all malware, so you may need to run several of them.
Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.
The best way to prevent fake update malware in the future is to install an ad-blocker; the best of which for this, seems to be - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ublock-origin
If your question is resolved by this or another answer, please help other users by marking the best reply as Solved. Thank you!