Warning Firefox users!... pro-active action required

[rdale]

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 update, pushed through the Windows Update service to all recent editions of Windows in February 2009, installs the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant firefox extension without asking your permission.

This update adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for websites to easily and quietly install software on your PC. Since this design flaw is one of the reasons you may've originally choosen to abandon IE in favor of a safer browser like Firefox, you may wish to remove this extension with all due haste.

The article source:

Remove the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant (ClickOnce) Firefox Extension:
Annoyances.org - Remove the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant (ClickOnce) Firefox Extension

How to fix this:

Update to .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for the .NET Framework Assistant 1.0 for Firefox
Download details: Update to .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for the .NET Framework Assistant 1.0 for Firefox

After installing this update, it would still be a good idea to follow the steps outlined at the annoyances.org link above, just to be sure:

1) Open Registry Editor (type regedit in the Start menu Search box in Vista/Windows 7, or in XP's Run window).

2) Expand the branches to the following key:
On 32-bit systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions
On x64 systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Wow6432Node \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions

3) Delete the value named {20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b} from the right pane.

4) Close the Registry Editor when you're done.

5) Open a new Firefox window, and in the address bar, type about:config and press Enter.

6) Type microsoftdotnet in the Filter field to quickly find the general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet setting.

7) Right-click general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet and select Reset.

8) Restart Firefox.

9) Open Windows Explorer, and navigate to %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation.

10) Delete the DotNetAssistantExtension folder entirely.

11) Open the Add-ons window in Firefox to confirm that the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant extension has been removed.

 

[rdale]

Looks like this comes as a selectable update when you use Windows Update on Vista from yesterday. Microsoft offers the following link with explanations for why it is not easily available to un-install:

How to remove the .NET Framework Assistant for Firefox
How to remove the .NET Framework Assistant for Firefox

On my Vista machine, NPWPF.dll was located at:

%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation\DotNetAssistantExtension\NPWPF.dll

instead of:
%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation\NPWPF.dll as in the linked info above.

all clean now...

 

[Dark_Lite]

Lol, Windows.

 

[snoochface]

This actually happened a couple weeks ago, or at least that's when I first read about it. If you disable the extension, you don't need to go messing around in the registry, and it has the same effect.

 

[MrJim]

So Mozilla had no say in MS hijacking FF this way?

 

[super animator]

You can uninstall it easily by clicking on the uninstall button in the extensions panel.

 

[Solaris]

Is This an issue for xp users?

 

[snoochface]

Is This an issue for xp users?

It's an issue for anyone who uses Firefox on Windows.

 

[Solaris]

So Firefox becomes Fired Fox and Microsoft wins again. No Way.
Safari here i come.

 

[tansy]

Eek, I don't really understand all this..we use Firefox quite a lot on my son's computer..how do I know if this thingy you're talking about is installed and if it is a problem? I'm not really computer savvy..and though my sons know more than me, they're not entirely au fait with it all either.

 

[Qyöt27]

Eek, I don't really understand all this..we use Firefox quite a lot on my son's computer..how do I know if this thingy you're talking about is installed and if it is a problem? I'm not really computer savvy..and though my sons know more than me, they're not entirely au fait with it all either.

In Firefox, go up to the 'Tools' menu and click on Add-ons. Switch to the Extensions section if it's not already showing it. If the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant is listed there, then it's installed.

The method described in the opening post of the thread will solve the problem, though. I would skip installing the update to the extension, though, and just remove the thing entirely. Firefox doesn't need a .NET tie-in.

 

[snoochface]

So Firefox becomes Fired Fox and Microsoft wins again. No Way.
Safari here i come.

That would be a dramatic overreaction, in my opinion. The fix is so easy, it's ridiculous. You just click a button to uninstall or disable the extension.

 

[tansy]

In Firefox, go up to the 'Tools' menu and click on Add-ons. Switch to the Extensions section if it's not already showing it. If the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant is listed there, then it's installed.

The method described in the opening post of the thread will solve the problem, though. I would skip installing the update to the extension, though, and just remove the thing entirely. Firefox doesn't need a .NET tie-in.

Thank you very much

 

[Solaris]

In Firefox, go up to the 'Tools' menu and click on Add-ons. Switch to the Extensions section if it's not already showing it. If the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant is listed there, then it's installed.

The method described in the opening post of the thread will solve the problem, though. I would skip installing the update to the extension, though, and just remove the thing entirely. Firefox doesn't need a .NET tie-in.

So the Add On tab is of no matter in this?

 

[Qyöt27]

Huh? It's listed in Add-ons, but to actually fix it requires more user interaction. The option to disable or uninstall through the Add-ons dialog isn't available, or at least it wasn't for me - and I didn't fix this until after I did a fresh install of Firefox 3.5, if that matters. But if you reset the registry entries and remove the folder the extension is in (along with Firefox's about:config stuff), then it'll be gone.

If you consistently update Windows it may need to happen more often. Just be careful of what you're getting through Windows/Microsoft Update or whatever they're calling it now. I generally just stick to updating via Service Packs and new versions of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player when those are available (even though I don't use IE or the new versions of WMP - I still stick to WMP6.4*), unless there's something critical.

*or Media Player Classic, which takes after 6.4's design, but has no affiliation with Microsoft.