# What the hell SDMB? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 6, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244 "2009-12-06T22:58:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/21 "2009-12-07T21:03:47Z")
Further to xash’s tips, Lifehacker recently ran a feature on protecting yourself from drive-by browser malware attacks. [Link](http://lifehacker.com/5410941/protect-yourself-from-drive+by-browser-malware-attacks) ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/22 "2009-12-07T21:09:36Z")
**Kal** , thanks for the link. Feel free to post it to my GQ thread. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/23 "2009-12-07T21:17:00Z")
> [@xash](#): > > If you have Firefox, you can get AdBlock from [here](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865). > > - **xash** > Administrator Well, I guess I have my answer about whether it’s OK to discuss Ad blockers in SDMB! I’ve wondered whether people would get smacked down if they tried. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/24 "2009-12-07T21:25:41Z")
I just want to say that I’m impressed at how **xash** is handling this stuff. I was very glad you decided to become an administrator again. You’re my new favorite! ---
**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:** [December 7, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/25 "2009-12-07T21:55:45Z")
We believe we’ve identified the source of the problem and are trying to establish what’s going on. In the meantime we’ve stopped the ads. If anyone experiences further problems, please advise ASAP. If you’ve had problems already, please e-mail full details to [tubadiva@aol.com](mailto:tubadiva@aol.com). In particular, please indicate (a) your browser and version, (b) operating system and version, (c) what ad triggered the problem, (d) whether you clicked on or moused over the ad, and (e) date of occurrence. Thanks - we apologize for any troubles this has caused. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/26 "2009-12-07T21:58:25Z")
> [@xash](#): > > **Kal** , thanks for the link. Feel free to post it to my GQ thread. Done. Also added a quote to explain what drive-by malware is. ---
**Author:** ![Rin\_Twisted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Rin\_Twisted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rin_Twisted)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/27 "2009-12-07T21:59:03Z")
That’s the right response, and really quick too. Glad to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/28 "2009-12-07T22:24:55Z")
It happened to me on Friday. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/29 "2009-12-07T22:55:21Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > It happened to me on Friday. Please send details per above to [tubadiva@aol.com](mailto:tubadiva@aol.com). ---
**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:** [December 7, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/30 "2009-12-07T23:21:41Z")
Golly, don’t I feel important? I think this is the most significant thing I’ve ever done on this board. Where’s my coffee mug dangit?! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/31 "2009-12-08T01:11:01Z")
Thanks, guys! It happened to me while Ad-Aware, search & destroy, and AVG were all active (I’m a bit paranoid, too), and that (plus turning my computer off, not just choosing “shut down”) may be what limited the problem for me to a corruption of Chrome. I appreciate the rapid response. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/32 "2009-12-08T15:11:07Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Please send details per above to [tubadiva@aol.com](mailto:tubadiva@aol.com). I can’t; I was at work and called IT; they came and fixed it. Details all gone. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/33 "2009-12-09T01:56:03Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > We believe we’ve identified the source of the problem and are trying to establish what’s going on. In the meantime we’ve stopped the ads. Ed, I am today seeing ads while logged out. > [@](#): > > If anyone experiences further problems, please advise ASAP. If you’ve had problems already, please e-mail full details to [tubadiva@aol.com](mailto:tubadiva@aol.com). In particular, please indicate (a) your browser and version, (b) operating system and version, (c) what ad triggered the problem, (d) whether you clicked on or moused over the ad, and (e) date of occurrence. Thanks - we apologize for any troubles this has caused. (c) and (d), in my experience, will be impossible to answer. Both times it happened to me was immediately after clicking on an SDMB page. I never even had the opportunity to click on or mouse over an ad. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2009, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/34 "2009-12-09T07:31:13Z")
We still have ads – Ed meant the ones that seem to be where the problem is. He did not mean he was removing all the ads. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/35 "2009-12-09T18:57:55Z")
I haven’t checked this thread since Monday, but I got an email from Ed asking for the information above (replied to Ed, instead of sending it to TubaDiva as requested above). I had just opened one of the forums and was trying to scroll down to read the thread titles. I don’t think I clicked on any ads, but it’s conceivable I did so accidentally if they were at the top of the page. If I did it would be the first time, I _never_ click on ads intentionally. ---
**Author:** ![toodlepip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@toodlepip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toodlepip)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244/36 "2009-12-09T23:25:24Z")
Happened to me last week, and I definitely did not click on any ads. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-sdmb/520244.md?page=1)