# Malware Ads **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 15, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496 "2017-04-15T12:28:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/1 "2017-04-15T12:28:41Z")
I just got redirected to lerapora.info which displayed a popup that said “you must update your Android launcher or your phone will be locked in 1 day”. Sounds like a ransomware threat? This happened on an iOS device. ---
**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/2 "2017-04-15T12:31:39Z")
This is happening on almost every page load. The site is unusable. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/3 "2017-04-15T13:46:18Z")
Install AdBlocker or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/4 "2017-04-15T14:09:31Z")
Thanks for letting us know. I’ve reported the problem to our admins. > [@Clothahump](#): > > Install AdBlocker or something similar. For a variety of reasons, this isn’t always an option for folks that are having a problem. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/5 "2017-04-16T01:38:18Z")
They are back!!! Three different Android browsers. Whatever you just allowed back in is causing it ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/6 "2017-04-16T05:18:06Z")
I periodically get this “dabtracking” site that takes over the SDMB page I was loading (redirects) to inform me that I just won something, or whatever. I put it in my blacklist and it went away for a while, but it just jumped in again. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/7 "2017-04-16T16:50:54Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Thanks for letting us know. I’ve reported the problem to our admins. I know I know, don’t shoot the messenger; however, I’ve seen a number of these “reported up the food chain” posts from the mods but nothing seems to change. It’s not just a specific site but the types of ad service (scumy) that the TPTB are employing. Any chance that’s going to change; otherwise, we’re just pissing into the wind here reporting site after site? ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/8 "2017-04-16T17:03:21Z")
Use Tapatalk on your phone to avoid the malware. Also Tapatalk has a great interface better than the normal site IMO. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/9 "2017-04-16T17:14:47Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Use Tapatalk on your phone to avoid the malware. Also Tapatalk has a great interface better than the normal site IMO. While great advice and sensible - does absolutely nothing to help resolve the underlying issue. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/10 "2017-04-17T14:13:25Z")
After reading the latest updates in this thread, the back button took me to this hijack site: Broken: ht\tp ht tp://brain-breakfast.com/viral-story/breaking-story-5/syncompliant.html?region=Pennsylvania&siteid=2518&campaignid=21666&placementid=45203&channel=News&subchannel=Commentary%28New%29&c=0.003997857&trvjs=t&sxid=45ktz94g5lyp ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/11 "2017-04-17T15:37:46Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I know I know, don’t shoot the messenger; however, I’ve seen a number of these “reported up the food chain” posts from the mods but nothing seems to change. It’s not just a specific site but the types of ad service (scumy) that the TPTB are employing. Any chance that’s going to change; otherwise, we’re just pissing into the wind here reporting site after site? The way I think it works is we utilize certain ad providers. The providers send the specific ads and they periodically rotate. At times certain ads that rotate in behave badly so the folks on our side need to work with the ad providers to identify and/or remove the offending ads. I think the process itself simply takes a lot of time, and once complete it can reoccur due to the nature of rotating ads. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/12 "2017-04-17T19:05:25Z")
The solution to this, if the Powers That Be gave even half a damn about their customer base would be to go to some sleazy, bottom-of-the-barrel warez or porn site and find out who they use as an ad provider so the SDMB can upgrade to that. I’m back to getting browser hijacks on my iPad again. I realize you’re doing all you can Bone, so please don’t take the previous comments personally. But someone up the line is either brain-damaged or actively trying to hurt the SDMB brand with the shitty malware server they call an “ad provider”. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/13 "2017-04-17T20:19:52Z")
We’ve engaged a scanning service to check our sites for malware on a continuous basis. When a bad ad is found, the service provides traces that we can send to the ad provider so the ad can be pulled. We’ll see if this gets results. Our apologies for the inconvenience. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malware-ads/784496/14 "2017-04-17T20:49:00Z")
Thanks, all. Just one more datapoint: I also saw the same ads that the OP saw. Browsing on an iPhone 6 with Safari. I do not own the phone so I am unable to install ad-blockers or any other software. That said, I did find a no-tech way to avoid the offending ad. Whenever I loaded a new SDMB page, I pressed the “X” at the top (same spot as the Refresh icon) as soon as I saw the proper SD content load. It’s a timing thing … press that X quick enough, and the redirect ad never loads. A half-second slow, though, and the bad ad will auto-load and take over the screen.