Malware or Adware at sign in

been getting this lately when i try to sign on to ATS...

files.abovetopsecret.com...

i have to use my task manager to close the windows and my firefox browser to avoid clicking on the bug

just reporting this in case it needs to be looked at

I've been getting a lot of these sort of things here at ATS lately too.

One of the worst offenders tries to close my browser, open another, then force me to download software.

Not cool, I wish ATS could have tighter controls on what kind of trash gets pushed here. Ads that can crash your computer, or install adware/malware, are a good way to run off regulars in a hurry.

I mentioned that ad a couple weeks back in a thread about ats/viruses and shortly after the 2 page topic was closed. I had to ctrl-alt-del as well, maybe that one rakes in $5 per mistake click? I KNOW mods know about it just because of the amount of complaints they get in private. They can not tell use to click links, but not removing bad ones is just as bad IMO

www.abovetopsecret.com...

For the first time since joining ATS when I logged in this morning I got two popups immediately, one was something to do with Fox News, I just closed both without really even taking any notice of them but it is slightly worrying as my pc setup does not allow popups!
What is going on?

[edit on 4/9/09 by wiser3]

Yeah I complained about it before too, the response was that once you sign in you no longer get the ads, but you do if you search and then go to a thread on the list, or, when you use 'my ATS' and go to one of those threads.

edit to add: obviously in order to get on ATS you have to come here first then sign in, so they must be aware that we are taking a risk getting signed in. I am so hooked on ATS though, I do it anyway

[edit on 4-9-2009 by space cadet]

It's not ATS. I think you are infected with spy/malware. It isn't happening to me.

It happened to me as well. damn window stating I had malware and needed such and such. Very aggravating.

Originally posted by damwel
It's not ATS. I think you are infected with spy/malware. It isn't happening to me.

nope , ran 3 filters and no infection

if i clicked on the trick then i would have got the treat

Originally posted by damwel
It's not ATS. I think you are infected with spy/malware. It isn't happening to me.

I do believe ATS is the source. There's no other way their could be so many popups and other garbage. I can only conclude that either the process is server controlled or you are a shill.

Like everything else in this country, ATS seems infected with the greed and 'who cares' bug.

Odd. The only time I ever get any kind of popup on ATS over the last 4 years is if I'm not signed in, which I have no problem with. This is a large site that's ad driven, and it's not cheap.

After signing in, I don't get any pop-up advertisements, ever, and i almost always have the ats page open somewhere.

Yes, quite a few problems

I think they're trying to sort them


Same thing here: Ctrl.Alt Delete. Frozen. Had to close down. Ran scans

Diverting me when I try to post. Lots of funny stuff

Originally posted by praxis
I do believe ATS is the source. There's no other way their could be so many popups and other garbage. I can only conclude that either the process is server controlled or you are a shill.

I'm anxious to see your evidence in the form of firewall or anti-spyware logs.

Please stop spouting inflammatory and inaccurate statements with no basis in fact. In the very-few times there has been identified malicious ads accidentally running on ATS (as a result of compromised assets on an ad server used by one of our networks), we've taking quick action to correct the problem -- even disabling ads until it was fixed.

Your statement is insulting and off-base.



While we do run a limited number of pop-ups from trusted sources only seen by guests, there are no pop-ups on the pages a member would typically visit in order to log in.
Site home --> board home --> log-in.
If you're seeing pop-ups on those pages, it's not from any code we're controlling.

Originally posted by venividivici

huh?

I defended ATS and provided links to free anti malware software

reply to post by easynow


Here ya go, install this extension:
addons.mozilla.org...

Go to Firefox Edit/Preferences/Content/ and click the box to block popups. When you restart Firefox, subscribe to Easylist and you are in business.
I use Fedora Linux 11 with the latest version of Firefox, and I haven't seen a popup is so long I wouldn't know what to do if I did see one. I also use NoScript, Tor and Privoxy. I know adds are necessary for income, but that doesn't mean I have to look at them.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


just to be clear on this so you know

the previous times i had that pop up show up was when i was not trying to log in. the two usual pop ups showed up as expected but one of them (the second one) had that window asking me if i was sure i wanted to navigate away from that page. i had to use my task manager to close it to get away from it.

this last time where i took the screen shot...

the second pop up did not show up until i clicked on the log in button (the first log in button), then it popped up. so i don't think it was from logging in but rather the action of me going to the log in. i could be wrong of course.

have you ever seen this 'grant money' ad before ?

[edit on 4-9-2009 by easynow]

hasnt happened for me, maybe its the ADs u been clicking

reply to post by platipus


i don't click on ads

I've seen it here, and at other sites. It's definitely coming off of an ad server, and you don't have to click on the ad for it to pop up. If the ad runs sound, animation, video, etc... it can pretty much do what it wants without anybody clicking on it. Unfortunately as fast as the ad servers can get the bad scripts out of rotation, the scripters use straw businesses and/or stolen business identities to buy more rotations. I also put part of the blame on the ad server companies for not putting enough scrutiny on the ad scripts before they are put into rotation.

It's something we all will have to put up with, and it will happen more often in the future until the ad server companies realize it is part of their job of keeping bad script out.

I've gotten these things off of ATS, Fark, and other web sites that are completely legit. It's not the fault of ATS at all. ATS, Fark, and the other sites have to make money somehow, and it boils down to ads, subscriptions, or a mix. Cut the ATS guys some slack.

If you are that upset about the fake antivirus popups, the solution would be to charter a flight to the Ukraine (where, last I had read, these scriptors are operating out of), and hunt them down. They host their crap on servers out of Singapore, and other asian countries where all it takes is proper payment to get anything hosted, and those operators will look the other way as long as the account is up to date (like the Russian Business Network in Russia). It's the same MO as the smitfraud virus. The name of the so-called antivirus/antiadware changes, but the method remains the same. Next month, next year, it will be named something different.... 'Windows 7 antivirus' 'Windows 7 2010 antivirus', etc....


For the time being if you get a popup that warns you that your computer may be infected, don't click on it as many here have said. What you are seeing is a borderless window, and anything within the border is basically a clickable image. CTRL-ALT-DELETE, find iexplore.exe, firefox.exe, or chrome, safari, etc.. in the process list, and kill it there. Then scan for adware.

[edit on 4-9-2009 by SpacePunk]

For years I've had ATS in Favourites, along with other conspiracy sites.

So, I click on Favourites. ATS is at the top. I click on that and ATS pops up.

Yesterday, I did it all as normal and no ATS. Instead a message telling me 'The target of this internet shortcut is not valid. Go to the internet Property Sheet and make sure the target is correct'

Happens every time now.

So I had to save ATS in Favourites again. The new link works fine.

Does anyone have any idea why the link I've been using for years suddenly turned 'incorrect' and has it happened to anyone else ?

Edit add: forgot to mention that when I did get into ATS, the cursor turned into a hand .. never happened before

And when I tried to post about these problems in Board Business, every time I tried to type in the thread title line, I was immediately redirected to the ATS main page. Happened about six times before I gave up

[edit on 4-9-2009 by St Vaast]