how should firefox be set up?

[mbday630]

I messed around with my settings on firefox after our credit card numbers were stolen. All of a sudden when I would do my spyware scan I had hundreds of spyware to get rid of every day. so, I changed my settings on firefox again to only accept cookies from site I visited and my spyware hits were much much less. so, today I again messed around with the settings and put in "remember history" and accept cookies and stuff like that and I did a spyware scan and there were over 700 hits again. so, how should I have firefox set up so that I don't get so much crap on it? it seems like most of the stuff the spyware gets off is something called sqlite.

[draclvr]

The reason you keep getting it is because you're not getting rid of the infection - if it is one. The legitimate sqlite is a Firefox data file.

First question is what are you using for a spyware scan? Have you run a scan with Malwarebytes? Have you disabled all your extensions in Firefox?

[mbday630]

ahhh. disabled extensions? I hadn't thought of that. I will give that a try.


i just use superantispyware for my daily get rid of spyware and I usually do my malware bites anti-malware about once a week. I keep up with those pretty good... in fact, i do my spyware every day and now that I changed those setting son firefox it is like 700 just in a day! i will look at the extensions thing and see if that is causing it. thanks.

[draclvr]

Please run a full Malwarebytes scan and let me know what it finds. What do you use for anti-virus?

[mbday630]

I use AVG free for my virus protection and I use the superantispyware for my spyware. I run a spyware check about every day. That is when I noticed the difference in the spyware when I changed the settings. When I go to tools and options in the firefox, I don't see anything that says extensions. Am I looking in the wrong place? I have done several malwarebytes scans and that doesn't show anything.

[draclvr]

Check in Tools/Add-ons and see what's there. I believe Superantispyware is picking up on the legitimate sqlite Firefox data file if Malwarebytes isn't finding anything. If you don't find anything suspicious, run a scan with AdwCleaner.

Download from here... Scroll down to #5 to download and instructions on running it. ***Malware Removal Tips***

[mbday630]

okay. I will do that. another thing I was thinking - I have been playing lots of games from steam lately. do they have spyware in their games? I just did a spyware scan and there were 400. I used to have just like 40 or so. I can't figure out what is causing this big increase in spyware.

[mbday630]

oops. double post.

but I did look in add-ons and I don't have any.

[draclvr]

If AdwCleaner doesn't find anything, then I think Superantispyware is flagging legitimate files. I don't care for Superantispyware, but I might try downloading it on my computer which I know is clean.

If you haven't run CCleaner, that would also be worth a try. Make sure you move any website cookies you want to keep over to the "leave these alone" side.

I'm heading down to the rescue ranch to work this morning, but I'll check back in when I get home.

[mbday630]

I would prefer not to run crap cleaner as it takes away all my log in names and the stuff the I use to pay my bills. everything.

[draclvr]

As I said, that's why you do this...

Make sure you move any website cookies you want to keep over to the "leave these alone" side.

I just got home from mucking stalls and I'm going to download Superantispyware and see what it finds.

[draclvr]

OK... going to stack these posts. I ran Superantispyware and it found 764 "tracking" cookies - which I did not remove. I ran CCleaner - which I run about once a week - and it removed all the little cookies left behind from simply using the internet. Some might have been trackers, but I suspect the vast majority were not. After I ran CCleaner, I ran Superantispyware again and this time it only found 1 cookie.

Each one had the extension name of sqlite which is the legitimate Firefox data file. It was the information in FRONT that told me these were all just normal cookies that I use CCleaner to get rid of about once a week.

So CCleaner is just doing the same thing Superantispyware is doing. At least with CCleaner, I can tell it to leave my cookies alone for log in names and passwords I want to keep. I use Roboform, a password manager, for all my important passwords and log in information which is kept separate from cookies.

So, now you know you are not infected with anything!

[mbday630]

that's a relief! Thanks so much Drac.

[mbday630]

I turned my firefox into private browsing mode and my spyware went way way down. but, some of my games won't load up on facebook. Is that because I did put it on private browsing?

[draclvr]

It shouldn't - all private browsing does is not leave cookies in your Firefox history. Are these Flash games? Firefox is blocking Flash because it is not secure. You might try updating your Flash and see if that helps.