# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/121 "2014-05-14T02:32:45Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > So, just for a less techie person (me, that is), there was malware on the site and the warning was accurate? Simple answer: Yes, but not because of anything jdavis said. All he knows is that the site doesn’t contain malware if the ads are shut off. So any malware had to come from the ads. But the description by Google makes it pretty likely that there was actual malware. New unrecognized programs started when they visited 1 out of every 1000 SDMB pages. That said, these are likely completely unprotected systems, specifically designed to catch as much malware as possible. We don’t know how dangerous it was for the average Doper who knows about malware protection. Still, there were enough (around 80) malware hits that Google is very unlikely to have made a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/122 "2014-05-14T02:35:16Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Firefox 28.0 . Maybe a Flash thingy? (I so want to pit Flash). Possibly. We don’t know. That’s what’s annoying to me. Google never tells you what the vector is, so you can’t know if you’ll be safe by turning things off. I only had an educated guess that any malware would have been served by ads, and not someone hacking an administrator account (which happened fairly recently) and installing some crap. (The protections they put in place since that attack are part of why I felt safe.) BTW, if you’re worried about Flash, be sure to install some sort of Flashblock, and only run Flash content when you need it and trust the people who made it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/123 "2014-05-14T02:36:11Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > You’ll never believe the 7 weird tricks that a Pastor found to keep you from getting hit by ad-based malware. Just wanted to say this was an awesome post. I chuckle every time I see it. ---
**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 14, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/124 "2014-05-14T02:41:44Z")
> [@andros](#): > > It’s entirely possible for Google to have a reputation for something which is not true. > > In my IT and infosec circles, it is generally believed, based on a great deal of anecdotal experience, that Google throws a fuckton of false positives. This may not actually be the case. Nevertheless, it is a very common belief. > > **hajario** , I’m not at all certain why you feel the need to jump my shit. Unless you’re seeing me as **Tuba** by proxy. Which I’m not. > . I apologize for being unnecessarily harsh. I was very annoyed, and it’s not your fault, with the initial and typical knee jerk response from the administration. Saying that Google was the culprit when we’ve had malware issues for ages was just asinine, especially after how long it took for them to actually admit that it was a real issue in the first place. People have been saying for years that this was a big problem, we’ve lost posters because of it and now the chickens have come home to roost. As Jerry said, now that the ads are gone, we’ll almost certainly be back up and running by midday tomorrow in the U.S. (Which means that people don’t have to keep posting status reports. We have to wait for Google to re-classify us.) If the ads come back, we’ll be back in the same place again in short order. We’ve been told over and over again that there’s nothing that can be done preemptively about malicious advertisers. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/125 "2014-05-14T02:51:19Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > SMDB is now blocked at work (as of an hour or so ago) on every browser. If only IT could be this efficient dealing with actual problems. Same. I suspect any organization or ISP using web filters may be subscribed to whatever list(s) Google is using, causing SDMB to be automatically blacklisted en mass. The cascading effect may take some time to resolve, if it ever resolves at all. Jerry says it’s ad-related. Thanks, Jerry! How many threads have been created the past few months complaining of ads (various reasons), with the only response that the problem is kicked upstairs, never to hear of any response from TPTB. Will this issue meet the same fate from TPTB? However, in this case there is a potential the failure to properly address this latest (ad-related) problem could see SDMB banned all over the place. Seems to me fighting ignorance needs to start at home. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/126 "2014-05-14T03:01:05Z")
When all is said and done I have to say that I am impressed with the diligence shown by Google in the matter of malware. Conversely I am rather unimpressed with the SDMB. Did we really need to wait for Google to kick us up the ass before action was taken on these toxic ads? It’s not as if we were unaware there was a problem. Hardly a day passes without someone complaining that they have been infected by malware here. Sure, **Tuba** would always take details and pass the report on but what was the point of trying to handle this on a case-by-case basis when it had to be clear that the problem was the company which was providing the ads? I used to be skeptical of such complaints about malware as I never had a problem. It now dawns on me that I never had a problem because I was never exposed to the ads. Well, at least action will have to be taken now. But the fact that it was not taken long ago is a pretty damning indictment of the SDMB. And by the way I should make it clear that I’m not blaming the mods or admins for this, or even **Jerry** or **Ed**. I’m sure they have no say on where the ads come from. The problem lies higher up. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/127 "2014-05-14T03:21:29Z")
Firefox 28.0, Win7. Got the malware message a few minutes ago at my first visit today. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/128 "2014-05-14T03:42:01Z")
Google is still claiming SDMB is the devil. I’m beginning to wonder just who the devil is. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/129 "2014-05-14T03:49:33Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > And by the way I should make it clear that I’m not blaming the mods or admins for this, or even **Jerry** or **Ed**. I’m sure they have no say on where the ads come from. The problem lies higher up. Why does everything always get blamed on Obama? ---
**Author:** ![AHarris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/130 "2014-05-14T04:14:40Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > SMDB is now blocked at work (as of an hour or so ago) on every browser. If only IT could be this efficient dealing with actual problems. Ditto. The antivirus software at my work (Trend Micro) is blocking this site as well. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/131 "2014-05-14T04:23:12Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Why does everything always get blamed on Obama? He invented Internet advertising? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/132 "2014-05-14T04:38:09Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > He invented Internet advertising? 😃 Right, after Al Gore invented the internet he entrusted it to a then little known man in Illinois, who had the brilliant idea to invent ad-based revenue streams for websites. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/133 "2014-05-14T05:10:35Z")
But it was Joe Biden who unwittingly invented spam when, in 1971, he used the ARPAnet to send out mass invitations to a kegger in South Beach. By the way, Google’s embargo on the SDMB seems to have been lifted - at least for me. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/134 "2014-05-14T05:12:48Z")
Just browsed over on Safari. No malware warning. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/135 "2014-05-14T05:16:41Z")
The warning is gone for me as well. This whole fiasco spurred me into re-upping my SDMB subscription. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/136 "2014-05-14T05:18:55Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > e’ve been told over and over again that there’s nothing that can be done preemptively about malicious advertisers. Perhaps having the problem affect everyone instead of just those infected will change their tune somewhat. What can I say? I’m an optimist. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/137 "2014-05-14T05:53:33Z")
Do all ad vendors dispense malware now and then or do some vendors have a better reputation than others? I suppose text ads are pretty safe if you don’t click the links, but I’m wondering about banner ads. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/138 "2014-05-14T05:59:54Z")
The alert is no longer showing up on my Mac (Safari) Yea! ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/139 "2014-05-14T06:11:35Z")
Guys! Did you know Google found malware on the SDMB? Ok I read this whole thread and I’m sure you know, but I just got this warning when trying to access SDMB from Google search results (it’s the same warning posted by others): [![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tD2hb2CrbgI/U3MGdeSTAhI/AAAAAAABfUo/CrxRLHH1Gfw/s0/sdmb%2520warning.PNG) ](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tD2hb2CrbgI/U3MGdeSTAhI/AAAAAAABfUo/CrxRLHH1Gfw/s0/sdmb%2520warning.PNG) Copying and pasting the URL into Firefox didn’t give any warning. Maybe FF and Google use different blacklists. Or maybe my FF doesn’t check for malicious sites (FF 24). I’m pretty sure it was a malicious ad, not the actual SDMB software. Speaking of ads, recently, when surfing the SDMB on Safari on my iPhone, I get App Store popups almost on every page. I mentioned this kind of ad here: > **[Mobile Browsers Popups To App Store](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=705335)** > > Just wondering if anyone’s experienced this, or has any comments. It seems a very annoying, possibly serious issue. A good discussion is at http://productforums.google.com/d/topic/chrome/EDJTbPaW5dg/discussion What happens is when browsing a site,... It only affects mobile users, and it’s not _really_ a security breach, but it’s extremely irritating. I didn’t mention it because it happens on almost every ad-supported site now, e.g. Buzzfeed (has the SDMB fallen to Buzzfeed’s level?) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352/140 "2014-05-14T06:36:35Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > The alert is no longer showing up on my Mac (Safari) Yea! And the **SDMB** has been welcomed back into the loving embrace of Google Chrome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-just-flagged-this-site-as-malware-for-me/688352.md?page=8)