Attempts at maintaining software internet security took a further blow when news of a Firefox 4 crack which spreads Trojans started doing the rounds.

Software internet security is precarious at the best of times, so news of ‘free’ versions of the Firefox 4 browser have been greeted with a groan all around. ‘Cracked’ versions of the software are in fact being used to spread malicious malware, and tricks unknowing users into downloading a free crack of Firefox 4 browser.

Upon download, users are suddenly infected with trojans and their computer often becomes riddled with these dangerous pieces of malware. Unfortunately, this is another case of the word ‘free’ being used to lure internet users into using websites and downloading things that should not be touched with a barge pole.

It is not unusual for cracked versions of well known software to contain malware such as trojans; this unpleasant discovery is often a side-effect to downloading such versions.

If the use of the word ‘free’ that may have intrigued you into visiting sites that offered this cracked version of Firefox 4 browser, then this is when the trap seems to get quite bizarre. Mozilla, on their main website, are already providing free downloads of the beta of Firefox 4. This new version of the browser is not only free of trojans that these cracked versions are often infested with, but it also free to download from a reputable website. This makes downloading the virus ridden version entirely pointless.

The exact danger of these versions have been highlighted by researchers at Sunbelt, who tested these dodgy Firefox 4 downloads and found that (at least) five different pieces of malware could be in the download. This is guaranteed to be unhealthy for a user’s computer, and all for a download that is freely available from its true creator’s source.
Maintaining software internet security starts with providing your computer with antivirus programs, but it also seems that not falling into traps of ‘free’ downloads of cracked versions of software is up there with some of the top ways to keep your computer clean and healthy.

Guest Article by Neil Camp