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Anti-malware is blocking a firefox process

rowan
rowan
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I am running Malawarebytes on my computer. It just started popping up an error message saying it was blocking outbound traffic to a "malicious" site. The process is being called by firefox.exe and it is to data.tagify.net.

Should I tell Malawarebytes to exclude this site or do I have a problem with firefox?

I am running Malawarebytes on my computer. It just started popping up an error message saying it was blocking outbound traffic to a "malicious" site. The process is being called by firefox.exe and it is to data.tagify.net. Should I tell Malawarebytes to exclude this site or do I have a problem with firefox?

All Replies (1)

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Hi rowan, do you get the same error if you start up Firefox to a blank page? This would rule out the issue being caused by your home page accessing that site. To do that, with Firefox closed, call up the Run dialog (either Window key + r or it's somewhere on the Start page with the tiny icons), then type or paste the following and press Enter: 

firefox.exe "about:blank"

If it's not your home page, you may have picked up a suspicious add-on. Here's my suggested procedure for tracking down and cleaning up bad add-ons. Sorry for the length -- it's not as bad as it looks:

(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 in smoking out undisclosed bundle items that snuck in with some software you agreed to install. Take out as much trash as possible here.

(2) Open Firefox's Add-ons page using either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

Note: If you are blocked from navigating to this page, you can load it using the search box or "Run" dialog by typing or pasting the following and pressing Enter: 

firefox.exe "about:addons"

In the left column, click Plugins. Set nonessential and unrecognized plugins to "Never Activate".

In the left column, click Extensions. Then, if in doubt, disable (or Remove, if possible) unrecognized and unwanted extensions.

Often a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

Any improvement?

(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?