First of all, open task manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESCAPE and end all suspicious services under the services. Now from the new task start MSConfig. Disabling Suspicious Services In Task Manager Step 3. Now in MSConfig box go to the service tab and then uncheck any suspicious. If you are still unable to remove Malwarebytes via the tool Firefox linked to above, try right-clicking on it and selecting Run as Administrator then clicking Yes or Continue when prompted. Otherwise you can try restarting the computer and logging into a different user account if you have access to one that has administrative privileges and then try uninstalling normally from that user account via Programs and Features. Starting May 2020, Microsoft releases the MSRT on a quarterly cadence as part of Windows Update or as a standalone tool. Use this tool to find and remove specific prevalent threats and reverse the changes they have made (see covered malware families).
Malware is short for 'Malicious Software'. It is a term generally used for software installed on your computer that is designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of. This article describes what common symptoms are and how to prevent malware from being installed and get rid of them.
Table of Contents
Symptoms are various and depend on the malware but if you have one or several of these behaviors, you may have malware installed on your computer.
- Some ad popups display all the time, although you've blocked popups. For more information on blocking popups, see Pop-up blocker settings, exceptions and troubleshooting.
- Your searches are redirected to another site in order to feed you content from that website and you are being disallowed from blocking them. For more information, see What to do when searches take you to the wrong search website.
- Your home page has been hijacked. For more information on setting your home page, see How to set the home page.
- Firefox never finishes loading or can't load certain websites. For more information, see Websites show a spinning wheel and never finish loading and Firefox cannot load certain websites.
- Firefox crashes or hangs a lot. For more information, see Firefox crashes - Troubleshoot, prevent and get help fixing crashes and Firefox hangs or is not responding - How to fix.
- Firefox does not start. For more information, see Firefox won't start - find solutions.
- Problems with connecting to Facebook. For more information on problems with Facebook, see Fix problems with Facebook games, chat and more.
- Firefox keeps opening many tabs or windows. For more information, see Firefox repeatedly opens empty tabs or windows after you click on a link.
- Unwanted toolbars have been installed. For more information on customizing Firefox, see Remove a toolbar that has taken over your Firefox search or home page and How to remove the Babylon toolbar, home page and search engine.
There are simple rules to follow in order to prevent malware from being installed on your computer:
- Keep your operating system and other software updated: Installation of malicious software usually takes advantage of known security vulnerabilities in other programs, which may have been patched in later versions. Make sure you are using the latest version of all software you use, either by enabling the software's automatic update feature, if available, or by checking for updates from the software provider and by using the Windows Update feature.
- Don't install untrusted software: Some websites offer you software to accelerate your browser, to help you search the Web, to add toolbars that make things Firefox already does. Some unwanted programs also come bundled in software packages. Usually, these programs gather information on your browsing behavior that serve only people who designed them and interfere with Firefox. Make sure you install add-ons from Mozilla's add-on website and you uncheck unwanted programs in software wizards. Check to see if you have unwanted add-ons and disable or remove them.
- Don't click inside misleading pop-up windows: Many malicious websites try to install malware on your system by making images look like pop-up windows, or displaying an animation of the website scanning your computer. For more information on detecting a misleading pop-up, see Pop-up blocker settings, exceptions and troubleshooting.
- Don't run a fake Firefox: Download Firefox from mozilla.org/firefox.Note: Please report misuse of the Firefox trademark in websites using the Mozilla's Violating Website Report page and in emails by forwarding them to Mozilla's abuse email.
- Run anti-virus and anti-spyware real-time protection and scan your system periodically. Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware real-time protection is enabled. Scan your computer at least every month.
These Apple Support documents may be of help:
You can also install the following software to help clean your Mac of potential malware:
The Wikipedia article Linux malware has information and recommendations for Linux users.
Microsoft has basic free anti-virus and anti-spyware security software built-in on Windows 8 and Windows 10for Windows 7 (see What is Microsoft Security Essentials?). If your security software hasn't detected malware, scan your system with the free malware scanning programs listed below. You should scan with all programs because each program detects different malware and make sure that you update each program to get the latest version of their databases before doing a scan.
- Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller (see this alternate TDSSKiller download page for more information)
- AdwCleaner (see this alternate AdwCleaner download page for more information)
Can't Delete Malware
You can ask for help in a forum specializing in malware removal, such as those listed below: