# Spyware again **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909 "2011-07-21T22:18:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/21 "2011-07-27T23:15:13Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I’m surprised malwarebytes didn’t get it. It is remarkably apt at getting these. They aren’t usually caught by microsoft essentials. They are Rogue Antivirus Programs; a malware infection typically caught by malwarebytes or something similar. Yep, both times Malwarebyes threw up its hands and told me there was nothing wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/22 "2011-07-28T15:02:23Z")
[quote=“Duckster, post:18, topic:589909”] [ul] [li]Rule #1 - Drop Internet Explorer.[/li][li]Rule #2 - Those sites that only work in IE often are not worth your time (yes there are exceptions).[/li][li]Rule #3 - If you’ve gone this far, what part of Rule #1 don’t you understand? :D[/ul][/li][/quote] What part of “she \*normally \*browses using Firefox with AdBlock” don’t \*you \*understand? > [@](#): > > Spend the cash and become a member again. The dollar value is more than paid back not having to view ads. “This is such a lovely computer you have here, Miss **Guin**. It would be a… \*shame \*if something were to happen to it. Of course, if you’d just… \*contribute \*a small sum every year, we could make it so that that never happens.” Yeah, that’s exactly the kind of model I want to support. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/23 "2011-07-28T15:41:59Z")
What I don’t understand is why she didn’t just open up another Firefox window. If I’m on the computer, and not playing a game, I usually have several Firefox windows open. I hate tabbed browsing. The only time I use IE is to play the games on MSN Zone. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/24 "2011-07-28T16:01:19Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > No no, don’t. I’ve gotten bit by these things twice, and the best way to deal with it is to enter safemode, the safemode option that _doesn’t_ have internet access, and ask the computer to go back system restore point from prior to the infection. ([this](http://techie-buzz.com/how-to/how-to-create-and-use-system-restore-points.html) should explain how if you don’t already know). Microsoft Essentials couldn’t cure the infections and neither could Malwarebytes, but going back to prior system restore points resolved the problem in both cases without having to reformat the computer. Well, I’ve been planning on doing that anyways – it’s not because of this. **Duckster** , I DO use Firefox with Adblock. It’s just the one time I didn’t. :smack: And the idea that I should have to pay just so I don’t get an infection is, no offense to you, rather fucked up. There is NO WAY I’m paying for a website that is known for having problems with malware like this. Sorry, **Ed** , but like I said, I’m not very forgiving right now. **Ed** , the infection started SHOWING after I started up again. That’s what I meant. I shut down after downloading because I was going to bed. The next time I turned on my computer, I started getting pop-ups. How hard is that to understand? As soon as I turned it on, and I got my Windows desktop, I got the VA2012 pop-ups. I hadn’t even opened any program or browser. I didn’t have Firefox on because I was uploading something, and for some reason, Firefox was being really slow. So I used IE. Yes, it was stupid, I fully own up to that. The only sites I had open on IE were the Dope and the Giraffe board. I wasn’t paying attention to any of the ads. And I know better than to click on any. Giraffe doesn’t have a history of malware. This board does. Maybe it’s an assumption on my part, but based on history and the circumstances, I’m guessing it’s from the Dope. It’s too much of a coincidence. HOWEVER, that doesn’t excuse the fact that time and time again, people are getting malware from this place. Yeah, I’m being pissy. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/25 "2011-07-28T16:01:31Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > What I don’t understand is why she didn’t just open up another Firefox window. I don’t have a clue, either, but it’s kind of beside the point, since a lot of us don’t have the option. (For example, I do almost all of my posting from work, where we’re forced to use not just IE but an incredibly outdated version of it.) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/26 "2011-07-28T18:53:30Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > I hope you’re not serious, as that doesn’t work. I wasn’t serious, but yes, it will “work” in that you can get the thing functional. A friend of mine did it, but then she had to remove the junk software and clean the whole thing. They want to make you think it actually does something. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/27 "2011-07-28T19:11:14Z")
Sure, it \*may \*work… Or it may just be a scam to get your CC info, and “buying” their “software” won’t get you anything. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/28 "2011-07-28T20:41:58Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I wasn’t serious, but yes, it will “work” in that you can get the thing functional. A friend of mine did it, but then she had to remove the junk software and clean the whole thing. They want to make you think it actually does something. Of course, that’s the whole point of “scareware” like that in the first place – buy our product and then we’ll stop fucking up your computer. It’s basically holding your computer hostage. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/29 "2011-07-28T20:50:02Z")
Again I offer the suggestion that no one likes: Surf as a limited user. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/30 "2011-07-28T20:53:53Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Of course, that’s the whole point of “scareware” like that in the first place – buy our product and then we’ll stop fucking up your computer. It’s basically holding your computer hostage. > [@Duckster](#): > > Spend the cash and become a member again. The dollar value is more than paid back not having to view ads. I’m just gonna leave these here. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/31 "2011-07-28T21:00:11Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Giraffe doesn’t have a history of malware. That site has no advertising at all, correct? So apples and oranges. There’s two problems here with malware. 1. People pick up an infection/trojan/malware that is triggered by the advertising calls embedded in the Straight Dope pages. We cannot predict when this might happen to a user and we cannot prevent it, it’s a misuse of existing innocent technology. 2. Occasionally, despite the best efforts of the ad companies, rogue ads do get in. This is a problem for the internet as a whole and not just us. [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/technology/internet/15adco.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/technology/internet/15adco.html) > **[Rogue ads infiltrate Expedia and Rhapsody](https://www.theregister.com/2008/01/30/excite_and_rhapsody_rogue_ads/)** > > When legit sites attack ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/32 "2011-07-28T21:13:59Z")
I think **Guin** ’s point was merely that the infection had to either come from here or the GB, and it’s probably you guys. So it’s not \*comparing \*the two sites; simply pointing out that the core sitting on her desk had to come from an apple, since oranges don’t have them. You guys try to pull this, “We have no control/this happens to everyone” card every time there’s a new rash of infections. But here’s the thing: 1.) \*\*You _do have control._ \*You \*chose which adservers to allow to host ads on this site. And your choice has been to go with the most disgusting, exploitative, scammy, scummy, bottom-of-the-barrel trash that exists on the internet, outside of outright porn. And the porn will actually get you off, while the stuff you advertise here won’t actually get you a job or cause you to lose weight. Numerous users, _including myself_, have offered to at least try to put you in touch with other sites, _larger than this one_, that support themselves without using this kind of cheap, classless advertising, and we’ve all been rebuffed and insulted for our trouble. 2.) \*\*This level of infection, _on this scale_, is not a problem for the _reputable internet as a whole._ Time and again, we have asked for examples of other reputable sites (i.e., not porn or warez) that infects its users with this frequency. You haven’t been able to provide a single one. Not _one_. We, conversely, have given you multiple examples of other large communities that survive without spamming their users with low-rent ads that the servers cannot or will not properly filter to keep out malware. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/33 "2011-07-28T21:19:34Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > **Ed** , the infection started SHOWING after I started up again. That’s what I meant. I shut down after downloading because I was going to bed. The next time I turned on my computer, I started getting pop-ups. How hard is that to understand? > > As soon as I turned it on, and I got my Windows desktop, I got the VA2012 pop-ups. I hadn’t even opened any program or browser. > > … > > Giraffe doesn’t have a history of malware. This board does. Maybe it’s an assumption on my part, but based on history and the circumstances, I’m guessing it’s from the Dope. It’s too much of a coincidence. Guin, I understand you’re upset, but without a detailed idea of what happened, it’s going to be difficult to track this down. Please answer yes or no: did you see any VA2012 popups BEFORE you shut down, while you were viewing an SDMB page? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/34 "2011-07-28T21:22:47Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I think **Guin** ’s point was merely that the infection had to either come from here or the GB, and it’s probably you guys. You remind me of the vendors I deal with. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/35 "2011-07-28T21:25:34Z")
They make reasoned guesses backed up by a wealth of precedent? Must be nice. If you can figure out a way that a site with no ads could infect someone via ads, though, I’d love to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/36 "2011-07-28T21:40:02Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Guin, I understand you’re upset, but without a detailed idea of what happened, it’s going to be difficult to track this down. Please answer yes or no: did you see any VA2012 popups BEFORE you shut down, while you were viewing an SDMB page? No, I did not. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/37 "2011-07-28T22:12:17Z")
Then what leads you to think your problem was caused by the SDMB? No snark intended. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/38 "2011-07-28T22:12:58Z")
You’ve got to realize how hard it is to prove that the malware originated from this site. I don’t think anybody will deny that there has been malware served through ads on this site in the past, but that is probably true of most sites on the internet who serve ads. Just because someone detected/experienced malware after visiting this site is almost meaningless. When you consider the fact that a lot of people visit this site everyday, and often multiple times a day, _any_ malware they pickup from _anywhere_ could easily be falsely attributed to originating from this site. Malware can, and usually does, take a while to make itself known after whatever action caused the infection. It’s easy to see how someone who got infected somewhere else would naturally blame this site, since the other sites where they could have picked it up (which they probably don’t visit as frequently, and would be less likely to blame) wouldn’t admit it or don’t have open discussions among the users where people can talk about it happening. Speaking of which, if there were an ad on this site that recently caused the OP to be infected with this “Vista Antispyware 2012” wouldn’t you think that there would be at least one other person here who would have been hit with the same thing around the same time? Since it doesn’t appear that’s the case, I think it is much more likely that the malware came from elsewhere. But IMO, regardless of the source, if you get infected with malware, your own lax security measures are more to blame than any one site is to blame. You can either vent your anger at a site that may or may not have been the source, or you can take matters into your own hands and properly secure your system from infection from all sites. If you got infected by a mostly innocuous and annoying piece of malware, take that as a cheap reminder that you are also vulnerable to much more serious and damaging things if you don’t improve your security. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Know\_Nothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f04885/32.png) [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/39 "2011-07-29T01:06:51Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Speaking of which, if there were an ad on this site that recently caused the OP to be infected with this “Vista Antispyware 2012” wouldn’t you think that there would be at least one other person here who would have been hit with the same thing around the same time? Since it doesn’t appear that’s the case, I think it is much more likely that the malware came from elsewhere. I’ve been following this thread and that was my question also. I’ve been waiting for someone else to show up with the same problem. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909/40 "2011-07-29T01:56:50Z")
Perhaps. But I don’t know where else it could have come from. This site, I’m sorry, has been known for malware before, and I’ve got Adblock on Firefox. Maybe it’s coincidence, I don’t know. But it’s more of a, “hoof beats, horse, zebra” type thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spyware-again/589909.md?page=3)