Hi vcatao,

First I'd like to thank you for trying to warn us about this. But http://startpage.com/ isn't the default home page in Firefox.

I suspect your computer was infected with some malware which changed your homepage to startpage.

You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

• Microsoft Safety Scanner
• MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
• Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller
• AdwCleaner (for more info, see this alternate AdwCleaner download page)
• Hitman Pro
• ESET Online Scanner

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one.

Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

I would personally recommend MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware.

Thanks, Curtis

That's weird; as far as I remember, Firefox (in Ubuntu) and Waterfox (in Windows) already came with startpage.com as default search engine. Obviously, after I received the virus report from Avast, I changed to Google.com.br

OK, thank you for your help.

about:home has been the default homepage in Firefox ever since Firefox 4.0 from mozilla.org

Third-party builds may however have different homepages.

I didn't say "homepage", I said "SEARCH ENGINE"

Well what search engines is the default in the Search bar itself depends on the language if it is from mozilla.org and not a third-party build.

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/11/19/promoting-choice-and-innovation-on-the-web/

I already downloaded Firefox (in Ubuntu) and Waterfox (in Windows), both them came with StartPage.com as default search engine. My Waterfox is in English and my Firefox is in Brazilian Portuguese (again, independently on language, both came with startpage.com as default SEARCH ENGINE).

Note: Startpage.com only exists in english, or else... my Firefox (Portuguese) doesn't send my language/locale to this particular website (which never happened before - all the websites originally in English are translated if the website has a Portuguese version within it).

For the third-party builds Waterfox the startpage has been the default search engine since 24.0 as seen in https://www.waterfoxproject.org/fullnews/60.html

Mozilla does not use startpage in Firefox as a search engine.

vcatao said

According to Avast Internet Security, Startpage.com is infected by JS:ScriptIPinf[Trj], so why is this website the deafult search engine in both Fire and Water foxes? Very dangerous... I'd like to ask the developpers to change it to anything else, but startpage.com. I used this website for some time, but now Avast detected this virus (which has never happened before; Avast only detected the trojan today). You can see by yourselves: Avast! version of software: 2015.10.0.2208 version of virus databank: 150213-1

Startpage isn't a virus. However, there is a virus going around that manipulates Startpage. Startpage is a very secure and safe search engine. Run a virus scanner (I love Malwarebytes. Couldn't hurt to run Spybot as well). Startpage is fine. Your computer is infected, but not from Startpage. It's a trojan used by hackers, and the url it takes you to isn't actually Startpage's url

https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/List

Alternately, it could be a false-positive, however this is far less likely. https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/153/0/mcafee-or-other-anti-virus-software-program-reported-as-malware-adware-or-unsafe-should-i-be-worried

My computer is not infected, guys. I have Avast Internet Security, downloaded from official sources (avast.com). Also, startpage.com is infected no more. Avast stopped warning about that suspicious website. I don't use the website anymore and I'm not in the mood to use it again. After that virus, the website lost all my trust and respect...

You have antivirus software made in USA (Microsoft/Malwarebytes/AVG, etc.), maybe they're ploting with CIA and NSA to defend the startpage.com, which seems to be from USA too (probably infected with gov's trojan). Now that they have been found out by Avast (made in Czech republic) they probably have removed the virus from there.

I'm not being paranoid, just being realistic.

Startpage is NOT from the U.S., although they do have U.S. servers. And you didn't get the infection from StartPage. It comes from various downloads. You're blaming the wrong source.

Similar thread on avast! forums from January: JS:ScriptIP-inf [Trj] on Starpage.com search engine. Could be occasional problems with bad ads.

jscher2000 said

Similar thread on avast! forums from January: JS:ScriptIP-inf [Trj] on Starpage.com search engine. Could be occasional problems with bad ads.

Indeed, this is possible.