The end of malware complaints on ATS?

Originally posted by Avarus
I'm sorry to say, I don't think it's over. I've very careful with what I download and what I view. But my main Alienware machine was recently infected so badly with malware that Windows will not even boot up now. I'm not saying that ATS is at fault... but I'm afraid I'm going to have to reformat my machine and lose thousands of files and days worth of work.

Avarus, before you re-format... do you have a backup of your registry settings from the past (when your computer was running real good)? If you do, import it right away (restore your old registry settings). Also, there are other fixes you can try before you have to re-format. Should I post them here for all to see, or do a U2U?

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord

Originally posted by Albertarocks
You said: "only non-members will see any popups". I'm a member, and I see them!

Meaning... if you're not logged in, our code has no idea you're a member.

I don't think we're quite on the same page. The only time I get a popup is directly after hitting the button that signs me in. When I visit the site for the purpose of reading only, and don't sign in, I do not see any popups. I only see them if I sign in, and it's only once... when I sign in.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
reply to post by SkepticOverlord

 

i want to let you know that i am impressed with your admission to this issue, and how aggressively you have resolved it.

There was a time in the past when i made a malware complaint and was berated by fellow members and kind of snickered at by staff. It led to me seriously throttling how much i visited the site.

However, you are correct. The issue is vastly improved. Thank you, kind sir. I really like this forum and am very happy to be able to enjoy it.

I am glad I wasn't imagining things. I even got a nasty trojan. I was wondering if someone who wanted to attack the site was embedding bad stuff in their posts or something.

Well I was only going to say that avast has not had anything to say for a while now, when it did it was rare, but it was coming from here. I never worried much as all it said was that it had prevented something so I paid it little attention.

Then I had to go and read about some super secret deal that of course I hadn't noticed and now I must go looking for.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Well I don't wanna say "I told ya so" but seriously, thanks for making that move to avatar hosting on ATS only. I was one of the people strongly in favor of that move for quite a while. My only regret now with that is I can't block Tenticles avatar anymore, and I am forced to look at that ghastly, revolting picture. I'd lose all avatars now if I was to block that. Ignore is a solution, but nah...

Taking control of adservers and space, along with your clever implementation of the two other services searching for malware and holes will provide a more secure environment for all of us. Of course, once you pay for KIS 2009, you ain't really gotta worry bout any of that anyway.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
That is ironic, as until recently (and maybe still, if i am blind) there was a button that allowed you to "Log Out and delete cookies".

Thats just because when you log out, all it does it delete the cookies to log you out.

When logged in, it will write the cookie that shows you logged in. When you view a page, that cookie gets read and it shows you as a user etc. So when you want to logout, all that is done is the cookie is deleted, and thus it will no longer read you as a user and you are logged out.

Common practice. Exactly how I login and logout users as well.

-------------------------------
For anyone who doesn't allow cookies, you are just overly paranoid and wasting your time. I never block cookies and stuff. The worse thats going to happen is you get a tracking cookie from some ad network which does little to nothing outside making sure you don't see the same ads over and over.

Cookies have a path, and part of that path is the domain name. Thus, only the website you are on can read those cookies. You can't read cookies from other domains etc, so it's really worthless to not accept cookies and in reality the only person you are hurting is yourself.

I will just plain out not care about you at all if you block the cookies on my sites. Stuff doesn't work for you? Tough, quit being a paranoid retard and accept the stupid cookie. I'm not about to change my sites code and using even worse technology like session ID's, or carrying your login information across pages(which are less secure btw) because you can't understand the concept of a cookie.

I think AVG and other things delete and flag cookies to make it look like they are doing something. I have AVG and it annoys me when it reports all these cookies as security threats. I know better.

It's amazing how paranoid people get about things they simply don't understand.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I am getting the johnnygotcash ad too everytime I log on to ATS. What is up with that? I always clear my cookies when I log off, and delete files and history.

reply to post by Albertarocks


This is exactly what I get, the johnny ad comes up as soon as you log in, and does not come up if you don't sign in.

For about a month now, when I run all my spyware cleaners they don't get NEAR as many as they used to.....now I am only getting about 1/4th of what I used to. I thought it was due to some amazing update from spybot or adaware that must be blocking them somehow....but now I betcha its because of the work YOU did 'oh Fabulous Overlord'!!
.......the time line matches to a T.

How VERY KEWL

Thanks for all your hard work!!



[edit on 10-5-2009 by theRiverGoddess]

Love not seeing any ads Bill.

Makes my day, really. Yes, I'm easy to please.

I've only ever had one false positive from ATS anyway, and that was cleared up on the day so I was never worried about the ad 'malware' anyway.

Sounds crappy. But if there is a hotlink or direct link to the actual image source of a external hoster, it's impossible. As in, www.blah.com/picture.jpeg

However, if it's blah.com/picture.html then yeah, you can most definetly pick up a daily dose of your fibrous Conficker worm. =D (not really, Conficker uses IP scanning and exploit attacks on elements within the architecture of Windows NT/Hybrid).


I'm willing to bet it was the banners.

On my other computer I had picked up a malware from this site, months back, indefinitely, and I've never viewed a external website from this website. =| Also, as a Network Administrator I'm very warey of where I travel on the web(dangerous place you know).

Anyways great to hear the team got it under control!

Good luck! =D

ATS is ad free?

Dear God, please let it stay this way for evah. (I realise that this is unlikley, as I'm sure this website costs a pretty penny to run. But the website looks so much nicer like this. )

Nice one for pulling the plugs on the scummy infecting *insert rude word/s here* I can feel the difference, just scrolling down this page using the wheel on the mouse was so much smoother. Didn't feel sluggish at all.

So from me, and my computer. Thank you !!

People should stop using ie, and use firefox and there addons. Problem solved.

Mal-ware could be a good name for a Cloth brand. Really really crappy clothes.
Or something..... like new age degenerate punk clothes.

I am a man of ideas. On with the show.
Glad to see the Malware problem is looking better , this makes me a ;happypanda; , Cheerio.

I've had a great deal of problems with Malware, presented as SYSREG.exe.
Took my computer to a tech, paid $100 with new virus protection, only to find its still on it.
Big problems!!
My nephew whos a computer genius explained to me that the actual SYSREG.exe is a Malware program. the tech that I took it to explained it wa a registry problem; wrong.
I dont do face book or any crap like that, this is the only site I've used as forums go....so, I deduce that it a 99% chance it came somewhere fromATS.

So that's what it was. I just figured it was at my end.
I do get these pop up's when i log in but it's never the same ones
maybe that's at my end. I'm not computer savvy so I'm not to sure.
I do use Fire Fox and AVG free, but am in the process of upgrading my hard drive, memory and OS.
I'm also thinking about using Ubuntu and a proxy except everyone in the know i talk to advises against them.
I'm not to sure which way to go.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


With Opera you can block specific files, so you can block only the avatar you don't like, but I am not suggesting that you change your browser just because of that.

hey good to know that ATS cares enough to keep track of this kind of stuff so i have to say thanks for that

i am still getting the ugly pop up when logging in but other than that, i haven't had any problems on this site. just a FYI...i did get redirects on photobucket yesterday...not sure if that info is helpful to you all or not but if your concerned about malware creeping in from image hosting sites, it's worth noting.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
There's no added stress to any web-server if you don't log-out when you're not viewing pages.

I will log on and off because of the "Member is on ATS now" or "Member is offline" thing...so if somebody is actually addressing me, they don't figure they're being ignored if I don't respond.

Some discussions get like that around here.


Now all that being said, is there an efficient free malware scan/fix program out there that is recommended...or is it a trip to the tech? U2U me if I'm proposing a hijack, please.

[edit on 10-5-2009 by JohnnyCanuck]

reply to post by Illuminottie


Linux = almost none/no viruses. Way to go if you don't use extremely graphic intesive applications like me! Yet I have XPSP3/Fedora10 So I'm ready to go....plus like, a garage filled with spare hard drives motherboards....yeah..

[edit on 10-5-2009 by Revolution-2012]