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Microsoft AntiSpyware thinks Firefox is Spyware

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the most-worms-are-spread-via-outlook dept.

brightertimes writes "It seems that microsoft's new AntiSpyware (beta) is now advising users to remove Firefox on their computers.. A Zeropaid.com thread shows the offending screenshot in action. Once your scanning has been done, if Firefox is found on your computer it provides the user with a "high" threat level and advising removal due to of lack of security updates." CT Several users have noted that the screenshot is likely fake.

9 of 454 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Not true.... by nuclear305 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    " I just ran a "Deep Scan" with MS Anti-Spyware on a machine with Firefox 1.0 installed. I got 0 results for spyware."

    Agreed. I just ran a deep scan with the latest definitions and all I got were 3 false positives.

    Screenshot

  2. Re:Read by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    And remember if you pay Slashdot money, you can get to read this crap before everyone else. It doesn't make the crap any better, it just costs you money. RTFA editors.

  3. Its a fake people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Get over it!

  4. So how long will it take... by brouski · · Score: 2, Interesting

    to get the original post updated?

    Any takers?

    --
    Proud member of the American Non Sequitur Society. We might not make much sense, but boy do we love pizza!
  5. Sort of controversial by rrosales · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If you look at the screen shot, MS AntiSpyware marks the browser as a high level risk and the software advises the user to remove the browser immediately but the 'Recommended Action' is to ignore it. I know all of us who have both the browser and antispyware installed performed a scan just to verify for themselves that the alleged screenshot was true.

    Did anyone ever consider that MS AntiSpyware detected a pre-1.0 release of Firefox and alerting the user that their running an outdated copy of the browser (which seems highly unlikely but just a thought)?

  6. Re:Not true.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Because Slashdot's policy is to never ever remove an article once posted. They believe that that policy helps immunize them from some types of lawsuits - because if they make decisions about some articles being worthy of removal, then someone can claim "This article which we don't like should be one of the ones you remove"; whereas with the no-removals policy, Slashdot thinks it's more free to say, "You'll have to force us!"

    A better question would be, how did the article get posted in the first place?

  7. slashdot editors used to actually verify stories by sunhou · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Check out this story from way back when. In the words of one of slashdot's own editors, "Without proper verification, this story would not have run. Period." Hard to believe, isn't it? This place has evolved over time.

  8. Uh... you're here voluntarily, no? by simetra · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I find a lot of silliness here too, but I realize, I have to option to look for Britney Spears images on google, if I wish.

    It's not like this is a government service mandated by the Constitution(tm).

    --

    "Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
  9. While it's not "thinks it's spyware"... by James+Towers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I did have a problem on my laptop when using it. I ran the Anti-Spyware, and then after it gave a "tcp/ip error" and would not connect to the internet via firefox (or internet explorer). i found a winsock registry cleaner and that cleaned it up just fine. so while it doesn't think firefox is spyware, it did cause more problems than it was worth.