# Chrome just flagged this site as malware for me **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 13, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352 "2014-05-13T14:39:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/61 "2014-05-13T17:12:08Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > It’s not related to your machine or your OS, **Suburban Plankton**. It’s a flag that Google is sending to browsers that subscribe to this Google “badware” feature. Chrome does, of course, and so does Firefox and Safari. So regardless of the safeness of your OS, if you use one of those browsers, they’ll throw up the warnings for you. I understand that. My point was that I did not get a warning upon my initial visit to the site, on a new machine. It was not until I logged in to the SDMB that I got the warning page. I just tried again with a different VM, and received the same results. My initial conection to the SDMB was without issue; I saw no warning page and was able to browse the site normally, as an ‘anonymous user’. In this case, I was also able to log in without getting the warning page, but as soon as I attempted to browse to a different page after logging in, I received the warning. So it appears, from my limited (2 data points) testing that there is no problem connecting to the site as an ‘anonymous user’: that is, without logging in. But once you log into the site, you start to see the warning page. This would suggest that whatever is causing the site to be flagged is something that is associated with registered user accounts only…which is somewhat concerning if it can be confirmed. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/62 "2014-05-13T17:12:11Z")
Based on one of the earlier posts - its not “[straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com)” that is getting flagged - its the adds that are being carried on it. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/63 "2014-05-13T17:17:41Z")
Man, I’ve never had anything to say on the subject (I’m a paid member who also uses AdBlock) but I think it’s time to just stop with the ads. I can’t imagine they are bringing in any amount of money that is more worth the hassle that they create. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/64 "2014-05-13T17:19:12Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > I’m getting “Reported Attack Site!” from Firefox right now as well, which I bravely or stupidly ignored to come here and report. I’m not as brave as you. I went to my phone to check ATMB for some word about this. And found this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/65 "2014-05-13T17:26:28Z")
I got the same Chrome alert as Oakminster. Sent a copy of the screen to Tubadiva. Now I see they’re aware. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/66 "2014-05-13T17:33:19Z")
So, what course of action should I pursue? Click the “ignore warning” link? Shut off the internet for a few days and get some fresh air until it goes away? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/67 "2014-05-13T17:33:27Z")
I stopped getting the messages on Firefox on a PC machine. Then later they suddenly started on Firefox on a Macbook. Go upstairs to the PC and no warnings on Firefox. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/68 "2014-05-13T17:33:44Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’m not as brave as you. I went to my phone to check ATMB for some word about this. And found this thread. I did go in with shields up and with a Linux machine, glad to find the quadrant is relatively safe from [del]Klingons[/del] [del]Scumware[/del] Malware. Got the original warning on a Windows machine with Firefox 28. ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/69 "2014-05-13T17:34:17Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Man, I’ve never had anything to say on the subject (I’m a paid member who also uses AdBlock) but I think it’s time to just stop with the ads. I can’t imagine they are bringing in any amount of money that is more worth the hassle that they create. Yes, and some of them hang up my machine frequently with “Script has stopped responding” errors. Haven’t seen that in a couple weeks, though. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/70 "2014-05-13T17:40:51Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > That description is outdated. See the one a few posts above. Perhaps, but it was the first one I received, with the details saying that this “known malware distributor” hasn’t actually distributed any malware. Score none for google. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/71 "2014-05-13T17:50:44Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Is it possible for someone with a vendetta to falsely report a website as malicious? Jean and Casey Kasem have gone missing. Coincidence? Make of it what you will. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/72 "2014-05-13T17:54:41Z")
Okay, I clicked on “ignore this warning.” That brought me into the site, but with a red banner at the top with two buttons to click. One said “Get Me Out of Here”; the other said “This is not malware.” I clicked on the second one, and a new tab opened that talked about the Badware site mentioned upthread. When I closed that tab, everything went back to normal. My Bookmarks dropdown even has the SDMB favicon, instead of the red box with a red dash inside. I don’t know if this is because I took the rash actions I did, or because Jerry came in and fixed things. Anyway, things are back to normal for me. At least, they _look_ that way… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/73 "2014-05-13T17:57:40Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Perhaps, but it was the first one I received, with the details saying that this “known malware distributor” hasn’t actually distributed any malware. Score none for google. When I looked at the [detail page](http://google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?tpl=safari&site=boards.straightdope.com&hl=en-us) it said: > [@](#): > > Of the 15895 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 76 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 2014-05-13, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 2014-05-13. > > Malicious software includes 77 exploit(s). Successful infection resulted in an average of 2 new process(es) on the target machine. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/74 "2014-05-13T17:58:17Z")
It’s a Google thing; they decided there’s malware here somewhere and put a block on the SDMB. Any browser that pays attention to Google (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, who knows what else) will follow this and block your passage to the message board. IE appears to be unaffected. Investigation is under way. It is always possible that there’s a rogue ad with malware slipped into it; Google also is becoming infamous for false positives. The outcome is the same and Google will block the site until it decides it’s no longer a threat. We ask for your patience as we work through these issues. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/75 "2014-05-13T18:12:07Z")
The link that **DougK** just posted should definitely be passed on to the admins, **TubaDiva**. It shows exactly what domains the bad ads are coming from. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/76 "2014-05-13T18:26:59Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > When I looked at the [detail page](http://google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?tpl=safari&site=boards.straightdope.com&hl=en-us) it said: It’s changed since the first one I encountered, and I’m seeing that now also. I was only referring to my very first encounter with the malware-flag page. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/77 "2014-05-13T18:38:35Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > It’s a Google thing; they decided there’s malware here somewhere and put a block on the SDMB. Maybe they’ve decided that there’s malware here because there’s actual fucking malware here and there has been on and off for years which would explain the multipage long lasting stickied thread up at the top of ATMB. Something to consider. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/78 "2014-05-13T18:40:03Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > It’s a Google thing; they decided there’s malware here somewhere and put a block on the SDMB. > > Any browser that pays attention to Google (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, who knows what else) will follow this and block your passage to the message board. > > IE appears to be unaffected. > > Investigation is under way. It is always possible that there’s a rogue ad with malware slipped into it; Google also is becoming infamous for false positives. The outcome is the same and Google will block the site until it decides it’s no longer a threat. > > We ask for your patience as we work through these issues. Any idea on a timeframe? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/79 "2014-05-13T18:41:59Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Maybe they’ve decided that there’s malware here because there’s actual fucking malware here and there has been on and off for years which would explain the multipage long lasting stickied thread up at the top of ATMB. Something to consider. No, that can’t possibly be the reason. /s ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/80 "2014-05-13T18:57:59Z")
I’m mostly peeved about having to use IE as a browser for this, while Chrome works for everything else. Goddamn first world problems. :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352.md?page=5)