Conflict with Firefox Flash plugin

[bethel95]

Within the past week I started having problems with some web pages that use Flash. Specifically, Speedtest.net loaded its Flash interface, but when I started the test, a "Latency Test Error" message popped up. On YouTube, the player loaded, but displayed only the message, "An error occurred, please try again later" (for all videos). Meanwhile, HBO's Flash interface wouldn't load at all--I just got a black screen.

As this all began about the same time as recent Flash and Firefox updates, I began troubleshooting by uninstalling and reinstalling those apps. When that didn't work, I began disabling Firefox extensions. It was then that I found that disabling NoScript solved the Flash problems (an unhappy moment).

Needing to move on to other things, I set the problem aside for a day. Upon picking it up again just now, it occurred to me to look at the latest NoScript version number--imagine my surprise when I saw that it was all the way up to 2.0.9.9, even though I was currently running 2.0.3.4! A quick update, and now all is again well.

So why am I writing this? Upon taking a closer look at the Firefox "Extensions" dialog after clicking "Find Updates," I saw that NoScript (and no other extension) was marked "updates are disabled for noscript." A quick dive into the NoScript FAQ enlightened me as to how this could be so ("You could also disable NoScript automatic updates by creating a new about:config preference named extensions.{73a6fe31-595d-460b-a920-fcc0f8843232}.update.enabled and setting it to false."). Looking into my about:config, guess what I found!

Here's my problem: I never made this change to my about:config! I'm an advanced computer user, and have occasionally tweaked about:config, but haven't touched it in well over five months. Further, I never would have turned off NoScript automatic updates (I'm no dummy). So how did this preference get created in my about:config? Needless to say, I'm looking for a nefarious actor in this scenario--perhaps a malicious web site script?

Have you ever heard of this happening to anyone else?

[Alan Baxter]

Have you ever heard of this happening to anyone else?

No, but I've done things like that by accident. For example, I disabled updates for individual extensions occasionally. I could easily disable update checking for the wrong one because their upteen digit ids are easy to mix up.

That said, I'd run a malware scan with at least a couple of products, if I were you. You may have your favorites already, but it would be a good idea to use a scanner that you haven't used recently. None of them are perfect, as I'm sure you well know. This is what I recommend to others:

Install and run each of these programs, one after the other.
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
SuperAntispyware
Spybot Search & Destroy

Edit: Some extensions provide a GUI for disabling individual extension updating, e.g. MR Tech Toolkit. Someone could have done it without using about:config.

[bethel95]

Some extensions provide a GUI for disabling individual extension updating, e.g. MR Tech Toolkit. Someone could have done it without using about:config.

I've got Mr Tech Toolkit installed, but am unaware of that GUI for extension update management. How is it accessed?

[dhouwn]

Firefox 4 comes with a native UI for this, did you maybe try it out?

[Alan Baxter]

I've got Mr Tech Toolkit installed, but am unaware of that GUI for extension update management. How is it accessed?

Right-click > Disable Update Check

[bethel95]

Right-click > Disable Update Check

Dang--how had I missed that? I guess that it's been too long since I checked up on Mr Tech Toolkit's features.

Thanks, Alan.

[Alan Baxter]

You're welcome.