Anyone Having Odd "Critical Update" Warnings When Using Firefox?

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  1. Posts : 788
    Windows10
       #1

    Anyone Having Odd "Critical Update" Warnings When Using Firefox?


    Too often lately I get interrupted when I'm online with the whole page turning into an orange warning, critical update from Firefox. Now I quickly just shut down the browser, because I don't know a lot about computers and I don't want any issues on my desktop PC.

    A couple of times after this has happened, I get a small pop up notice from my Norton security that they blocked a severe attack. I noticed that Firefox is already doing its updates on my computer with no approval from me, honestly, I wouldn't know what to approve or disapprove.

    Anyone else having recent issues with their Firefox browsers? I have a Windows 10 computer and use mostly Firefox and IE as browsers, don't care for Edge.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 30,119
    Windows 11 Pro x64 Version 23H2
       #2

    Hi Bigfoot.

    These messages are not from Firefox in my opinion. If Firefox is open click on "Help", then "About Firefox". If there is a button / box stating an update is available, click on it to update. Once updated check it again until it says up to date.

    These are scam messages, likely coming in from ad servers. I would clear all my browsing data in case a tracking cookie is drawing them back.

    https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb...istory-firefox

    Are you noticing a pattern in which sites produce this message?

    Have you used a secondary scanner like malwarebytes available at malwarebytes.com to ensure the all clear?


    Ken
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 788
    Windows10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Caledon Ken said:
    Hi Bigfoot.

    These messages are not from Firefox in my opinion. If Firefox is open click on "Help", then "About Firefox". If there is a button / box stating an update is available, click on it to update. Once updated check it again until it says up to date.

    These are scam messages, likely coming in from ad servers. I would clear all my browsing data in case a tracking cookie is drawing them back.

    https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb...istory-firefox

    Are you noticing a pattern in which sites produce this message?

    Have you used a secondary scanner like malwarebytes available at malwarebytes.com to ensure the all clear?


    Ken
    Thanks Ken, I'll do as you advise. I'm very wary about clicking on anything like that and was worried that it was some kind of scam or virus threat. Will go to the help menu on Firefox and look at what you said.

    I haven't taken note of what sites I was visiting when this happened, but I'll try to remember to do that if it happens again. I only have Norton 360 and I've been happy with it, free with my Xfinity ISP. I've done a full system scan and a couple of others recently.

    Appreciate your time. :)
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 655
    Windows 10 Home
       #4

    Hi bigfoot, I agree with Ken, the messages don't sound like they are from Firefox. if I was you I would set Firefox never to check for updates, that way you know for sure you should never get any update messages about Firefox again. And get in the habit when is time to update you do it manually. Another thing you can do is start using NoScript or at least an adblocker like Adblock plus or Ublock origin. With NoScript you ll never see this sort of things again.
    I found a fake Firefox update | Firefox Help

    Bo
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 651
    Windows 10 Pro (21H2)
       #5
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 30,119
    Windows 11 Pro x64 Version 23H2
       #6

    Bigfoot, you will find a lot of members use a second scanner, think of it as a second set of eyes. You would be very surprised a what it will catch.

    Your machine, your call.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 26,416
    Windows 11 Pro 22631.3374
       #7

    I got that once a long time ago-The fake update thing-
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 788
    Windows10
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Caledon Ken said:
    Bigfoot, you will find a lot of members use a second scanner, think of it as a second set of eyes. You would be very surprised a what it will catch.

    Your machine, your call.
    Thanks Ken, I only have one desktop computer that I share with my husband. Neither of us are computer 'geeks', so I hesitate to make any changes that might cause any problems. But I will keep this in mind for the future.

    Thanks to all here for your replies!
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 46
    Windows 10
       #9

    bo elam said:
    Hi bigfoot, I agree with Ken, the messages don't sound like they are from Firefox. if I was you I would set Firefox never to check for updates, that way you know for sure you should never get any update messages about Firefox again. And get in the habit when is time to update you do it manually. Another thing you can do is start using NoScript or at least an adblocker like Adblock plus or Ublock origin. With NoScript you ll never see this sort of things again.
    I found a fake Firefox update | Firefox Help

    Bo
    To Bigfoot, I'd advise you not to follow the advice to disable automatic updates by Firefox, particularly if you don't feel confident in computer usage. You don't want to fall behind in security updates, etc. For savvy users, this might be an option for those who want to control their updates, but for the average user I'd advise against it.

    Just set Firefox to automatically update and simply ignore any of the update messages you see. If automatically updated, then there won't be any update messages whatsoever by Firefox, so you can safely ignore any that you receive, while you will still get the legitimate updates installed in the background by Firefox. Basically, automatic updates in Firefox is set and forget... and that includes forgetting any alarming messages to update.

    However, the advice to install content and script blocking tools is good, because then it's very likely that most, if not all, of these messages will not be shown, along with other baddies. Be aware that you might want to consider whitelisting sites you care about and trust.
    Last edited by Gort; 04 Nov 2017 at 22:01.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 655
    Windows 10 Home
       #10

    Gort said:
    To Bigfoot, I'd advise you not to follow the advice to disable automatic updates by Firefox, particularly if you don't feel confident in computer usage. You don't want to fall behind in security updates, etc. For savvy users, this might be an option for those who want to control their updates, but for the average user I'd advise against it.

    Just set Firefox to automatically update and simply ignore any of the update messages you see. If automatically updated, then there won't be any update messages whatsoever by Firefox, so you can safely ignore any that you receive, while you will still get the legitimate updates installed in the background by Firefox. Basically, automatic updates in Firefox is set and forget... and that includes forgetting any alarming messages to update.
    I dont agree, I think my suggestion is a good suggestion, you might not like it but it is a clear cut solution. Bigfoot was confused when she saw the update message, disabling automatic updates completely gets rid of any doubt if and when she sees again any message about a Firefox update.

    You are taking for granted that she is not aware of Firefox's update schedule. I bet she knows that in mid November, Firefox 57 is going to be released. Most people who come to forum, know in advance when their browser is going to be updated. You just know, and I am pretty sure she does. After the update is released, you update manually via the internal updater.

    Bo
      My Computer


 

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