Beware of Firefox Rogue Extension

[Gloria E]

All users of Mozilla Firefox should read the article provided in the link below.


http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/rogu ... ions/11856" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Gloria E

[HansV]

Thanks - it's always good to be careful (and even better not to visit shady sites...)

[TonyE]

There are quite a few rogue extensions that pretend to be Flash Player, Java or other legitimate plugins or extensions. The rogue extensions get added to the Firefox block list when they are discovered. This one is on the block list which will stop Firefox from installing it.

[Bigaldoc]

Whooee, way to go, Tony !!! (And Mozilla, of course!)

Edited to add: I should have added that, since I encountered one fairly recently, I happen to know where the list is: Blocked Add-ons

[Gloria E]

Thanks - it's always good to be careful (and even better not to visit shady sites...)

On the rare occasions I look at Firefox's extension, I'm not familiar with the authors. How does an ordinary users know which authors are legit and which are not?

[Gloria E]

There are quite a few rogue extensions that pretend to be Flash Player, Java or other legitimate plugins or extensions. The rogue extensions get added to the Firefox block list when they are discovered. This one is on the block list which will stop Firefox from installing it.

Thanks Tony, that's good to know. I had not heard of this protection before. So, one doesn't have to be afraid to install extensions or have to know anything about their authors.

[Gloria E]

Whooee, way to go, Tony !!! (And Mozilla, of course!)

Edited to add: I should have added that, since I encountered one fairly recently, I happen to know where the list is: Blocked Add-ons

Al, have you any idea why Flash Player is continually listed as Malware on that list, and why Java Plugin is listed as blocked.


Gloria E

[Argus]

On the rare occasions I look at Firefox's extension, I'm not familiar with the authors. How does an ordinary users know which authors are legit and which are not?

There are couple of simple rules to stick to; making things like this more or less a non-issue. (Together with Hans’ advice above.)

• Use as few extensions as possible. If an old one gets out of date, and there is a vulnerability it might be exploited. Not directly related to this, but still a good rule I think.
• Always update via the official channels; whether it's Mozilla’s site, built-in update mechanisms, such as Flash Player's CP applet, or from the authors’ sites.
• There is, in the absolute majority of cases, no need to update a commonly used extension because it "doesn't work with a site" - if one has the extension, it's probably something questionable going on. That is, maintain a healthy scepticism towards popups and other messages at different sites, especially if you already have the extension.

Al, have you any idea why Flash Player is continually listed as Malware on that list, and why Java Plugin is listed as blocked.

I'm not Al, but a comment on that as well. Presumably because they are faux versions of said software... It wouldn't make sense creating an extension purporting to be the Flash Player and call it "John Doe's Player", would it?

[TonyE]

have you any idea why Flash Player is continually listed as Malware on that list, and why Java Plugin is listed as blocked.

The ones called Flash Player on that list are not actually Adobe Flash Player but rogue extensions pretending to be the Flash Player.

Some versions of Java have been blocked due to security concerns, the latest version of Java is allowed.

[Bigaldoc]

And, I think Argus and ALL have pointed this out. I NEVER respond to a site telling me, whether popup or not, that I need to "update" something or other.

Whenever that happens, I back out as quickly as possible and (as suggested by Argus) I go to the legit site, such as Adobe or whomever.

I think the "healthy skepticism" is an excellent choice of words. For an old New Yorker like me, skepticism is a way of life...!!!

[Gloria E]

On the rare occasions I look at Firefox's extension, I'm not familiar with the authors. How does an ordinary users know which authors are legit and which are not?

There are couple of simple rules to stick to; making things like this more or less a non-issue. (Together with Hans’ advice above.)

• Use as few extensions as possible. If an old one gets out of date, and there is a vulnerability it might be exploited. Not directly related to this, but still a good rule I think.
• Always update via the official channels; whether it's Mozilla’s site, built-in update mechanisms, such as Flash Player's CP applet, or from the authors’ sites.
• There is, in the absolute majority of cases, no need to update a commonly used extension because it "doesn't work with a site" - if one has the extension, it's probably something questionable going on. That is, maintain a healthy scepticism towards popups and other messages at different sites, especially if you already have the extension.

Al, have you any idea why Flash Player is continually listed as Malware on that list, and why Java Plugin is listed as blocked.

I'm not Al, but a comment on that as well. Presumably because they are faux versions of said software... It wouldn't make sense creating an extension purporting to be the Flash Player and call it "John Doe's Player", would it?

I try not to use extensions or add-ons unless there's a compelling reason to do so. That's good advice, thank you so much.

[Gloria E]

have you any idea why Flash Player is continually listed as Malware on that list, and why Java Plugin is listed as blocked.

The ones called Flash Player on that list are not actually Adobe Flash Player but rogue extensions pretending to be the Flash Player.

Some versions of Java have been blocked due to security concerns, the latest version of Java is allowed.

That answers my question and I appreciate your replying. Maybe that's the reason my favorite game site (Pogo) will not work if I play using Internet Explorer, but works if I play using Chrome or Firefox. Pogo uses Java for it''s animation and I always used IE to play, until recently where I now get error messages and the games don't load (but that's another unrelated situation).

[viking33]

have you any idea why Flash Player is continually listed as Malware on that list, and why Java Plugin is listed as blocked.

The ones called Flash Player on that list are not actually Adobe Flash Player but rogue extensions pretending to be the Flash Player.

Some versions of Java have been blocked due to security concerns, the latest version of Java is allowed.

That answers my question and I appreciate your replying. Maybe that's the reason my favorite game site (Pogo) will not work if I play using Internet Explorer, but works if I play using Chrome or Firefox. Pogo uses Java for it''s animation and I always used IE to play, until recently where I now get error messages and the games don't load (but that's another unrelated situation).

You can install Java for IE versions.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... t-Explorer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;