firefox vulnerabilities

Do you encounter these problems when using any other web browser (such as lynx, which is a text only browser run from the command line and can be installed via sudo apt-get install lynx)?

very interesting....for a week now I'd been having the problem. But this morning everything seems to connect okay.

I've just downloaded lynx. If it happens again I will use it and see.

I'm curious -- is it possible that a hacker can use a desktop sharing program to hack into my computer and see everything I'm doing?

Also, I just noticed the "remote desktop viewer" in my internet applications...is that something that comes automatically with Ubuntu?

By default, remote desktop is turned off; even if they had your password, they couldn't access your computer remotely. I recommend leaving it that way unless you really need it. Also, by "everything seems to connect okay," do you mean that Firefox works as normal, or that apt-get and lynx worked? If the former, I don't know what to tell you, it sounds like it's over, if the latter, you should check if Fx is working. In any case, you may want to install clamAV and do a scan:
sudo apt-get install clamtk
will give you a GUI scanner. Go to Applications>System Tools>Virus Scanner. If it's not there, type clamtk on the command line. You should then scan
/home/(your uname)/.mozilla
and
/usr/share/firefox
There is a chance that these will break firefox, so be careful! (http://kb.mozillazine.org/Knowledge_Base may be useful in repairs)

Hi fagin,
by default there are no ports open in Ubuntu, as long as you don't install any server application or unsupported obscure applications from third parties which activate services.
Second, because Open Source and it's community provide transparency a security issue will be tracked down in a short term providing security updates.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Security

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/security

A virus scanner checks for Windows viruses, since there are no viruses out in "the wild" for Linux.
To check for other malware there are many apps offered within a package manager e.g. Synaptic.
chkrootkit
rkhunter ##checks also ports and works together with
unhide

If assuming problems when using Firefox just start it in a terminal by typing
firefox
the output might give some conclusions.

"everything seems to connect okay "-- via firefox....for now. But I think that that is because I had rebooted my computer with an old ubuntu live cd Gutsy 7, and I also rebooted several times under recovery mode....it did something...for my screen has changed and the fonts are smaller. I havent yet hat to use Lynx -- though I've installed it.

I've run clamtk - nothing detected.

"By default, remote desktop is "turned off" -- do you mean that it isn't normally installed? -- I just realized that Remote desktop control is installed and I'm going to add/remove to remove it now.

by the way is there anyway I could change my password?

also,

I tried to install ubuntu on my laptop to include dual operating systems on my laptop but I am blocked at a shell prompt "root@myname-laptop:~#"

what do I need to do there?

I really appreciate your help Thinboy.
Thanks

Hi fagin,
you don't need to remove the application remote desktop, it is not activated per default. It comes with Ubunut because this app is state of the art, it can also be used for bug tracking or reparing a system from outside.

If you clarified the problem with firefox you can mark the question as solved.
Please be so kind, for helping other users finding a solution easier, apply new questions for changing the password and setting up dual boot, according to the latter please include more system informations.
Thank you.

Hello Sam

I did not see your response further up. I'll check on "chkrootkit".

And I'll pose the other questions separately.

Thanks for your help.