I switched from IE to Firefox a while ago beacause it is supposed to be more secure than IE.
I have a software firewall set at 'Paranoid' and also have the XP built-in firewall turned on. As well as my automatically self-updating AV programme, Spybot is set to monitor all incoming traffic, is updated weekly and my system is 'immunised'. I regularly do a 'Hijack This' scan and compare the log with the previous logs - no changes. Yet I recently noticed virus-like activity. Like
Spinflight, nothing I tried could find anything. The problem with all this protection is that it depends on permission being granted for progams to access the network. To browse websites, the browser has to have such permission and so remains an ever-open door.
On Friday while browsing the BBC in one window and Googling in the other, Firefox disappeared. I disconnected from the net and investigated. Nothing would bring Firefox back. Not even un-installing the program and re-installing.
Many times I have noted virus like activity on my home PC, yet been unable to find anything despite utilising a huge range of different programs and measures. The cure has usually taken months rather than weeks to appear.
No need to wait, the cure for all ills is already at hand. You can reformat the hard drive, re-install your software and restore your data files from your back-up DVD. (You
do have a back-up, right?) But that is quite a workload and took the best part of Saturday to complete.
The question is, have the CWS filth begun targeting Mozilla now? I've said it before and I'll say it again. Computer crime needs to be elevated in seriousness and we must see some really heavy prison sentences handed out. Never mind freedom of speech, the right to privacy and protection from criminal damage are important rights too. Maybe we can't track down all the guilty software authors but much of the illegal activity centres on advertising various dodgy products and services. The law
can easily track and act against those who patronise spyware/malware authors.