How can I stop phony Foxfire Alerts?
My wife's computer has Foxfire on it. At least once per day and often much, much more, her screen begins flashing bright red and an earsplitting klaxon begins to sound. A warning states that there has been a dangerous attempt to access confidential information. It is obviously bogus because it specifically instructs her to NOT call a help center but ONLY to call the number on the screen for help. It also asked for her username and password.
The only way to stop the alert and unfreeze the screen is to reboot.
This ONLY happens on the computer that has Foxfire. Not on any others of our computers or devices. Apparently someone out there is targeting computers with Foxfire. Can this be avoided?
All Replies (2)
What's your computer system and Firefox version?
You may have ad/mal-ware. Further information can be found in this article; https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-caused-malware?cache=no
Run most or all of the listed malware scanners. Each works differently. If one program misses something, another may pick it up.
If it's like the fake FBI/Interpol browser lock page, This add-on can stop such pages; https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disallow-script-button/ disallow Script Button
The Disallow Script button looks like a letter "M" and the title is the Minus Script, drag and drop the button on a toolbar. If the button is not displayed then nothing operates, except rules for plugins.
Another way out of the trap is to (force it if needed) Close Firefox. Wait about 20 seconds for Firefox to finish closing. Right-click on the Firefox icon and select Open New Window.
Sometimes this works. If it opens, close it by Menu > File > Exit. This will flush out that web page from the Session Store.
Go to the Mozilla Add-ons Web Page {web Link} (There’s a lot of good stuff here) and search for a good ad / pop-up blocker.