Firefox Notice

If you are using Windows and choose to use FireFox as your browser, there is an option that you need to know about.

Microsoft has come out with an update that adds an extension to FireFox and they claim that they added the extension to make browsing the web easier for the end user. When you go to certain web pages that are designed for this extension, software can be installed on your system without your acknowledgement.

Why should you be concerned? The bad guys can create websites that use this extension, too. Land on the wrong page and the bad guy can (and will) install software on your machine that allows them to take over your system.

What should you do? You can't uninstall it but you can disable it. Open FireFox, click on Tools and then click Add-ons. The Add-ons window opens so you should click Extensions. Look for an extension called Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant 1.0. The description reads, "Adds ClickOnce support and the ability to report installed .NET versions to the web server." Click the disable button. Restart FireFox.

What gets me about this thing is that Microsoft didn't ask me if I wanted this extension. I didn't have the option of accepting or denying it. It was just installed and enabled. BAD, BAD MICROSOFT!!!

Thanks for reading.
Thomas Johnsen - CCNA, MCSE+Security, MCDST, A+, Net+, Security+
Lead Engineer
Networthy Systems
7060 Phelan Blvd. Ste. 104
Beaumont, Texas 77706
(409) 861-4450
http://www.networthysystems.com/