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Spyware Posing as Flash Update Hits Firefox

by Caleb Johnson on August 31, 2009 at 12:49 PM


There's some sneaky, new malware on the loose, and this time, it's after the users of Mozilla's Firefox browser. According to Laptop Magazine, the plug-in poses as an update for Adobe's Flash Player. Users are taken through some fake steps and are lead to believe the installation was completed. No harm done, right?

Wrong. The plug-in replaces ads on Google search pages with its own ads, and worst of all, the spyware has the ability to track what pages you browse and what you search, according to TrendLabs Malware blog. In other words, you lose all privacy. This is certainly not the news folks want to hear. Especially since most users switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox because of malware problems similar to this one.

While this attack proves that not even Firefox is invincible, you can still safely surf the Web. All it takes is a little common sense. Remember, don't download an add-on called 'Adobe Flash Player 0.2.' If you feel like you do need a legitimate update for a flash player or anything else, always make sure to download directly from the developer's Web site. Think before you click, and you'll avoid problems like this. [From: Laptop Magazine and TrendLabs Malware blog]

Tags: adobe, firefox, flash, google, malware, mozilla, security, threat, top, web

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