Clicking a link in an email sends Firefox to dropbox.com
I'm using Thunderbird 31.0 and Firefox 31.0 on Netrunner (based on Kubuntu) 64-bit. After recently upgrading to these versions, clicking any link in any email in Thunderbird sends Firefox to dropbox.com. I'm therefore worried about malware. Can you please help?
All Replies (9)
Have you cleared your browsers history and cookies ?
Hi Toad Hall. I have tried that. I've also tried using a Mozilla build of Firefox, as well as downgrading Thunderbird to an earlier version, yet the problem persists.
check your hosts file for redirects see http://www.robgolding.com/blog/2008/11/26/the-hosts-file-in-ubuntu/
The hosts file looks fine, and certainly no mention of dropbox.
Please confirm that you have run a full scan on your computer to check for malware, virus etc.
On Linux? I didn't think it was possible. What software do you suggest I use?
OK I've been trying to fix this myself. There was some kind of dropbox desktop entry in ~/.local/share/applications, which I deleted. But now clicking a link in Thunderbird opens Chromium, not Firefox. So following some instructions I found, I added a new string in the config editor:
network.protocol-handler.app.http /usr/bin/firefox
Apparently Thunderbird will honour this setting! But it doesn't. it still opens links in Chromium. How do I get it to open links in Firefox?
I suggest you reset that preference to default. Setting an external protocol handler app is rather a silly thing to do unless you really have to and then you need to specify HTTP and HTTPS.
BTW there are anti virus programs for Linux, just as there is potentially Malware for it. Do not be deluded by the old chestnut that there are no viruses for Linux. The mac people used to crow about the same thing. Now they are buying anti virus programs. But I will not lecture, read what Symantec has to say http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/do-we-really-need-antivirus-linux
Have you checked what the default HTTP handler on your system is? Some linux instructions here http://kb.mozillazine.org/Default_browser#Linux
"Setting an external protocol handler app is rather a silly thing to do unless you really have to and then you need to specify HTTP and HTTPS."
Well I'm sorry I did a "silly" thing like following instructions on Mozilla's own website. And I clearly did have to since nothing else I'd tried so far had worked.
Symantec's antivirus software is garbage, as anyone who's spent more than a month with a Windows PC will tell you. Therefore I disregard their advice.
Yes, the default HTTP handler was indeed Firefox.
The point is moot now. I've given up and found a different solution entirely, so this question can be closed.