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Ad virus connected to Firefox files?

  • 3 replies
  • 4 have this problem
  • 22 views
  • Last reply by TheBottleOS

This virus attacked me last time and the only solution was to restore my computer to factory conditions. Around a year after restarting my whole computer, the virus attacked again.

The virus infects my Firefox browser by putting ads everywhere. If I click on spot that seems empty, I get redirected and sent to some phony site. They even changed the texts into links and those texts had little pop-ups. I went though a video and downloaded and started Malwarebytes, CCleaner, ComboFix, and at the end, got a plugin Adblock Plus. All of these were pretty helpful with other viruses but the one infecting Firefox still lived through all that. I tried looking in the program files for any files that might seem bad and deleted some that looked like ad viruses but nothing changed. Plus, I still might have skipped over the file that infects Firefox but I aimed for the files with weird names. I did the "Control Panel, Programs, Uninstall" but couldnt find 'name'(The name of the virus will be shown in the pictures). I tried every simple way to get rid of a virus.

I tried to get some help on a forum but got recommendations for programs I already have(Malwarebytes was the most common request and I already have it and ran it). Even the programs I dont have like Eset, I am sure it will be useless to me. The only thing I learned from that forum is that no one knew what I was dealing with, and backup and restores are my only solution. I want to find out what this virus is, instead of having to backup and restore all the time. And I dont want to keep getting suggestions to other programs. The pictures should be a dead giveaway for anyone who actually knows what this is. The pictures show ads by 'name' but last time I had this virus, the ad was not called 'name' before, so it must be the type of virus to change its name? I dont know.. But I went to a site(I wont post its name, but the web address seems trustworthy) which told me how to uninstall 'name'. I am sure this is the only website that actually address the virus as 'name' because google-ing 'ad virus name' does not help. But the site told me to "Control Panel, Programs, Look for name, Uninstall". The only problem was I could not find 'name'. I even tried uninstalling programs that could be 'name'. So the common solution for stuff like this is downloading virus protections like Malwarebytes or uninstalling programs. But none of these things are working

I dont know why the pic is not loading, but I have three. I am using Puush which is a screenshot system. If you dont wanna click the links, I will try my best to explain what the picture shows:

http://puu.sh/h0sbn/c313188901.png On the bottom of the ad, it says "Ad by name" http://puu.sh/h0szu/c4f1316f0c.jpg My puush system is spammed left and right with ad by 'name' http://puu.sh/h0sxb/e16477127d.jpg This is what I saw last time, except the virus was not called 'name' before. The giveaway for this one was the green, black, and white with three boxes. One box especially gave me an option to disable or 'opt' out of 'name'. I deactivated it and to my disappointment, nothing changed.

If you didnt click the links, the closes I could get to my image is one from google search. Basically its the one that says "Ad by name" but different https://www.google.com/search?q=ad+virus&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WWUjVY3tBsnHsAWCiIHIAg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1024&bih=631#imgdii=_&imgrc=NzAY_yMxQe5MEM%253A%3BvGyGVfB78cU6hM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-rz3Lk6ksy98%252FVBiIkBtOlSI%252FAAAAAAAAHYU%252FM3A4YjAH81o%252Fs1600%252Fastro_arcade_ad.png%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdeletemalware.blogspot.com%252F2014%252F09%252Fremove-astro-arcade-ads-virus-removal.html%3B378%3B285

This virus attacked me last time and the only solution was to restore my computer to factory conditions. Around a year after restarting my whole computer, the virus attacked again. The virus infects my Firefox browser by putting ads everywhere. If I click on spot that seems empty, I get redirected and sent to some phony site. They even changed the texts into links and those texts had little pop-ups. I went though a video and downloaded and started Malwarebytes, CCleaner, ComboFix, and at the end, got a plugin Adblock Plus. All of these were pretty helpful with other viruses but the one infecting Firefox still lived through all that. I tried looking in the program files for any files that might seem bad and deleted some that looked like ad viruses but nothing changed. Plus, I still might have skipped over the file that infects Firefox but I aimed for the files with weird names. I did the "Control Panel, Programs, Uninstall" but couldnt find 'name'(The name of the virus will be shown in the pictures). I tried every simple way to get rid of a virus. I tried to get some help on a forum but got recommendations for programs I already have(Malwarebytes was the most common request and I already have it and ran it). Even the programs I dont have like Eset, I am sure it will be useless to me. The only thing I learned from that forum is that no one knew what I was dealing with, and backup and restores are my only solution. I want to find out what this virus is, instead of having to backup and restore all the time. And I dont want to keep getting suggestions to other programs. The pictures should be a dead giveaway for anyone who actually knows what this is. The pictures show ads by 'name' but last time I had this virus, the ad was not called 'name' before, so it must be the type of virus to change its name? I dont know.. But I went to a site(I wont post its name, but the web address seems trustworthy) which told me how to uninstall 'name'. I am sure this is the only website that actually address the virus as 'name' because google-ing 'ad virus name' does not help. But the site told me to "Control Panel, Programs, Look for name, Uninstall". The only problem was I could not find 'name'. I even tried uninstalling programs that could be 'name'. So the common solution for stuff like this is downloading virus protections like Malwarebytes or uninstalling programs. But none of these things are working I dont know why the pic is not loading, but I have three. I am using Puush which is a screenshot system. If you dont wanna click the links, I will try my best to explain what the picture shows: http://puu.sh/h0sbn/c313188901.png On the bottom of the ad, it says "Ad by name" http://puu.sh/h0szu/c4f1316f0c.jpg My puush system is spammed left and right with ad by 'name' http://puu.sh/h0sxb/e16477127d.jpg This is what I saw last time, except the virus was not called 'name' before. The giveaway for this one was the green, black, and white with three boxes. One box especially gave me an option to disable or 'opt' out of 'name'. I deactivated it and to my disappointment, nothing changed. If you didnt click the links, the closes I could get to my image is one from google search. Basically its the one that says "Ad by name" but different https://www.google.com/search?q=ad+virus&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WWUjVY3tBsnHsAWCiIHIAg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1024&bih=631#imgdii=_&imgrc=NzAY_yMxQe5MEM%253A%3BvGyGVfB78cU6hM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-rz3Lk6ksy98%252FVBiIkBtOlSI%252FAAAAAAAAHYU%252FM3A4YjAH81o%252Fs1600%252Fastro_arcade_ad.png%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdeletemalware.blogspot.com%252F2014%252F09%252Fremove-astro-arcade-ads-virus-removal.html%3B378%3B285

Modified by James (On Leave)

Chosen solution

Yeah, you can't reason with malware like this... or trust its buttons...

When you reinstalled, you probably did not remove the Firefox program folder, so I suggest trying it this way:

Clean Reinstall

We use this name, but it's not about removing your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean -- and do not contain alien code files. As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. Do NOT uninstall Firefox, that's not needed.

(1) Download a fresh installer for Firefox 37.0.1 from https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/ to a convenient location if you have an older one. (Scroll down to your preferred language.)

(2) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

(3) Rename the program folder

(64-bit Windows folder names)

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

(32-bit Windows folder names)

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(4) Run the installer you downloaded in #1. It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Any difference?

Note: Some plugins may exist only in that OldFirefox folder. If something essential is missing, look in these folders:

  • \OldFirefox\Plugins
  • \OldFirefox\browser\plugins
Read this answer in context 👍 5

All Replies (3)

Chosen Solution

Yeah, you can't reason with malware like this... or trust its buttons...

When you reinstalled, you probably did not remove the Firefox program folder, so I suggest trying it this way:

Clean Reinstall

We use this name, but it's not about removing your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean -- and do not contain alien code files. As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. Do NOT uninstall Firefox, that's not needed.

(1) Download a fresh installer for Firefox 37.0.1 from https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/ to a convenient location if you have an older one. (Scroll down to your preferred language.)

(2) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

(3) Rename the program folder

(64-bit Windows folder names)

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

(32-bit Windows folder names)

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(4) Run the installer you downloaded in #1. It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Any difference?

Note: Some plugins may exist only in that OldFirefox folder. If something essential is missing, look in these folders:

  • \OldFirefox\Plugins
  • \OldFirefox\browser\plugins

A few other suggestions:

(1) Open the Windows Control Panel, Uninstall a Program. After the list loads, click the "Installed on" column heading to group the infections, I mean, additions, by date. This can help surface innocent sounding bundle items that snuck in with some software you agreed to install. Take out as much trash as possible here.

(2) Check whether Firefox has a non-standard connection setting? You can do that here:

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced > Network mini-tab > "Settings" button

The default "Use system proxy settings" should piggyback on your Windows/IE "LAN" settings. But you can try "No proxy" to see whether that makes any difference.

(3) You can search for remaining issues with the scanning/cleaning tools listed in our support article: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware. These on-demand scanners are free and take considerable time to run. If they finish quickly and especially if they require payment, you may have a serious infection. I suggest the specialized forums listed in the article in that case.

Success?

I did the first suggestion. And it worked. I can't believe how easy it was to do these simple steps. I will keep this in mind when other people have the same problem as me.

    You saved me valuable time. Thank you so much