LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

I know spyware/adware problems have been brought up in the past, but I didn't see any recent threads about it, so maybe it's time to bring it up again.

I don't know if anyone else is experiencing problems today, 1/18/09, but my comp has been majorly clobbered twice this morning, and TGO is the only site I've been on today.

I run scans several times a day, everyday, and everynight before logging off, to clean it all up, so my comp is always running at peak condition. But twice this morning, being ONLY on TGO, my comp has been completely crippled to the point where I've been automatically logged off of TGO, and I can't log back on. So after each time this has happened today, I've run scans, and over a dozen "bugs" have turned up each time. Then I've had to reboot to get my settings back. It's been kind of frustrating.

Again, TGO is the only site I've been to, so whatever the administrators do to checkout this kind of thing, it might be a good idea to give it look.

JT

iTrader: (1)

Would need more information. Such as what are these reportedly "bugs"?

And please provide an explanation as to how you're getting logged off, and then cannot log back in? Need more details to understand. Are you receiving an error message? What is happening, or not happening?

I have not heard from anyone reporting such an issue, nor am I seeing any myself. I'm also not recalling these problems being such an issue in the past, as you appear to indicate.

I also think that if this was an issue, we probably would not have the amount of activity that we do (so far today) as all other members would be affected as well? Or atleast large portion of those who aren't running FireFox, adblocker, and other software that is known to reduce such threats.

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

I have to head out to watch football now, lol, but I'll try to give you a quick example of being logged off.

Each time I've been oddly logged off, I've been typing a response to a topic, and when I click to post it, I get a page with the message telling me I need to be logged in. Then I look up to the login location, and it shows that I need to login. But I never logged out. And when I try to log back in, I keep getting that page with that message, over and over, never getting logged back in.

So I close my browser, then reopen it, and I still can't login. So I've run spyware scans, and I've gotten a dozen-ish, I call 'em, "bugs," but not viruses. Then I still can't login. So I completely reboot my computer, and when I open TGO, I'm automatically logged in, as I always am. I never log off of this site. My comp automatically logs me in when I open the site.

This has happened twice today, and I've not been anywhere other than here on TGO.

I'd have to open my logs to see what the items were, and I don't have time right now.

As for saying this has happened in the past, I didn't say THIS particular thing has happened in the past. I merely said I've seen people mention getting spyware through this site in the past. But just what they were talking about, specifically, I don't know.

Thanks, JT. Gotta run to Buffalo Wild Wings!

JT

iTrader: (1)

I just spent some time browsing ThirdGen using IE 6 and no 3rd party software. I then ran Spybot and Ad-Aware. Attached are screen captures of both results. Spybot shown nothing found. Spybot did have recent update detections before the scan. Adaware, which also had recent update detections prior to the scan, reports a few things that are not related to this - as it always does.

Therefore, I could not replicate the issue at this time. In addition, as I handle the "support" emails for ThirdGen, I've not heard from anyone else on this issue, so far.

As far as the comments about spyware coming through ThirdGen in the past, I still don't think that is completely correct. Over the past 4+ years, one of those cases was not spyware related, but was an ad that slipped through and "popped-up" - which was mistaken as a spyware issue. A few other cases of reported spyware, some from the same few users, show replies from others who claim no spyware on their machine.

I'm not saying that I deny we may have any issue. If there is any issue, it may be coming through an ad. What I am saying is that 1)I spent a measurable amount of time browsing ThirdGen using IE 6, with no 3rd party software, to try and replicate the issue. I could not replicate the issue as Spyware and Ad-Aware show results that confirm that. 2)With as large as ThirdGen is, and with as many computer users that are not computer savvy who know how (or know the need to) properly maintain their computers, it's understandable that there will be some computer-related issues that are faulted on ThirdGen, but may not be an accurate assessment.

If there is an issue with ThirdGen and we can find the ad, please know that we'll take care of it.

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for taking the time to look into it, JT.

I only posted this because, in the 5 years I've been a member, I've never had anything like this happen before. There are always a couple of harmless, common cookies that turn-up in scans after being on here, but never anything setting-altering like was happening earlier today. And that's the only reason I posted... to see if anyone else was having similar problems. But apparently nobody is. So no worries.

Thanks again for checking it out.

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

FYI-

These are the free programs I use for spyware/malware which work better than a lot of the crap you can buy and use very little resources:
Spybot
Avira AntiVirus Free Edition
Comondo Internet Secrurity
CCleaner
PC Tools Antivirus
and some computers I use Threatfire(its been buggy on one of my pc's)

Got tired of having viruses after reinstalling windows twice in one month. You can find these at download.com.

JT

iTrader: (1)

I would recommend that one of first things done is to download FireFox web browser and use that. A lot of computer users have noted a drop in nasties when switching from I.E. to FireFox as a web browser. It's worth a try, it's free, and it's high customizable.

LAFireboyd, I believe our apache logs had shown you as using IE 7. If I'm mistaken and you're already using FireFox, then that's great. If you're using IE 7, you might give FireFox a try. Just my advice, which would apply to any user on any website.

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

Yes, it's IE7, which I've never had problems with on this laptop with Vista. But 7 caused one drive problem after another on my older PC with XP when I updated it from 6 to 7. It finally worked itself out, though.

I think the problem I was having yesterday might've been due to a Windows update. I went to restore the system last night, and I saw that there had been an update friday night. Then I remembered that this did first happen once on saturday. But at the time, I just wrote it off as a freak thing, and I took care of it. But then it ended up happening all day sunday. So I restored the system to a point before that update, and things have seemed fine... so far.

Every once in awhile, Windows issues an update the ends up causing more problems than it solves or prevents. But things usually do work themselves out. So we'll see.

I've never tried Firefox. I probably won't, but maybe... Thanks again, JT.

IROCThe5.7L

Listen to this man. He knows what he is talking about. Anyone who is concerned about their security when browsing should not be using IE.