Beware of Fake Firefox Download Sites

There are many internet browsers available for download today. One of them is Firefox, the famed free browser from Mozilla Corporation. This hub was created to warn users of sites offering fake Firefox updates and downloads.

Firefox was created to make the the web better and more open. As one of the ways to achieve this, the software has been made free and open-source, meaning the source code of Firefox itself is available freely to anyone who wishes to modify it, add new plug-ins, configurations or even create a modified spin-off, which is legal.

As such, many websites have hosted this browser and made it available for others to download free of charge.

There are many legitimate websites that hosts Firefox, such as CNet.com and softpedia.com. Other downloads from these websites are also safe. Sites that offer free downloads take many steps to ensure that they are free from malicious, scam and spam software. This is because they need to keep up the reputation that they have built for many years. One source of income to pay for these site's web hosting is by advertising, therefore many advertising companies do not want to be related, or have their ads associated, with websites offering vague or malicious downloads and updates..

There are multiple websites today that offers modified versions of Firefox made for malicious intent. These websites prey on the fallibleness of certain users, believing that Firefox can be downloaded anywhere without putting safety concerns first. Users visit the fake websites and after downloading the free software, saves it to their computer and executes the file. This is where major problems happen.

These faked files contain viruses, trojans, spyware, you name it. The purpose of doing this is to spread malicious software more easily, since the users have already convinced themselves that they really are downloading the 'real' Firefox. After installation the faked software bombards the user with countless warnings, notifications and other popups, stating that the computer has been 'infected', and that the user had to pay to remove these 'infections'. So that's one of the motives here : money. Many gullible users have fallen victim to methods like this.

Some steps that can be taken to reduce the risk:

• Only download the free internet browser from certified or official download site, like http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
• Check whether the site has correct spelling and grammar. Not in most cases, but certain errors are caused by fake websites created in vague and shady countries
• Use security software to protect the computer. There are a lot of security software available, even free anti-viruses are better than nothing
• Check for reviews of download websites before downloading. Look at what others are saying about said download website.
• During installation, check for third party software. If the software tries to install unrelated or vague software, always say no.

If you've been using Firefox for a while, and are looking to use different browsers, check out the names below.

• Google Chrome - The browser from the internet giant is made for speed and easiness of use
• Opera Browser - One of the oldest browsers, they are famous for the mini-versions available on mobile phones
• Palemoon - This is an optimized version of Firefox. It's core is still Firefox but has unnecessary features stripped out to increase speed and stability
• Safari - This browser from Apple is light and useful if you use other Apple products