Lax Security?

[drksky]

I'm concerned about the security of the site lately. Today a spammer filled two pages of General with garbage threads. Plus, I've been getting warning from Avast on threats, most likely coming from an ad and I just now got a warning for "Flash Player Pro" which is a malware phishing attack that I only get when browsing HomeBrewTalk.

 

[unionrdr]

I got that flash player malware thing from classmates site. I spoke to them about it & they pretty much didn't want to hear it. If I knew how to do screen shots with these newer computers, things might've been different?...

 

[ThunderpantsBrewing]

As a network security technician, I can tell you that it is much more likely that you have malware on your computer than the server for this site. If you have some kind of adware, which can be installed in about a million different ways, it can make pop-ups and other nuisances appear. And just because you have anti-virus protection doesn't mean you can't have malware of some kind. The software only protects your computer from unwanted attacks, it can't protect the computer from the user accidentally intalling something malicious.

 

[danz]

The spammer is not due to lax security, I have been a forum admin for many years and squashing it on a large forum like this without invasive changes is hard to do. Spammers have automated software that create accounts and then post on those accounts but they are sophisticated nowadays. I know they are working hard to resolve the issue so hang tight.

The Flash Player Pro alerts may be something installed on your computer, check out this link and check your installed applications and personally I would remove anything flash related then install a clean version from Adobe. If you continue to get the alerts right click on the page that generated the alert and select Save As. You can provide the html file to the admins to see if possibly a bad Ad.

 

[Natdavis777]

MacBook FTW

 

[watermelon83]

Ubuntu for the winner

 

[passedpawn]

If you're worried about spam on this site, don't. We're handling it. It's a pain, I know. It's been unusually bad lately. But that's really our problem, not yours. Hit the report button and we'll make it disappear.

If you're worried about this site affecting your computer, don't. I've been on here since 2009, never an issue. I have been a paying member (no ads), so that might help. If you see an ad that you think might be a problem, hit the report button and describe the ad.

 

[DU99]

Get malwarebytes and run it and see what it finds.Its free and having been using it for years

 

[watermelon83]

Malware is installed client side. Not server side. The money and resources needed to auto push malware via a php forum are astronomical. One would need admin access to the site or physical server as well. No worries visiting bud

 

[runkelia]

I got that flash player malware thing from classmates site. I spoke to them about it & they pretty much didn't want to hear it. If I knew how to do screen shots with these newer computers, things might've been different?...

most computers now come with the "snipping tool" do a search on your computer for snipping tool it's great for capturing screen shots

 

[drksky]

If you're worried about spam on this site, don't. We're handling it. It's a pain, I know. It's been unusually bad lately. But that's really our problem, not yours. Hit the report button and we'll make it disappear.

If you're worried about this site affecting your computer, don't. I've been on here since 2009, never an issue. I have been a paying member (no ads), so that might help. If you see an ad that you think might be a problem, hit the report button and describe the ad.

I'm a paying member and I still get ads. Including the obnoxious auto play video ads in the right banner.

I've been an IT professional for 20+ years and I know my computer is clean. But yet certain forum pages here trip my AV and that Flash Player Pro install download.

 

[Yooper]

I'm a paying member and I still get ads. Including the obnoxious auto play video ads in the right banner.

I've been an IT professional for 20+ years and I know my computer is clean. But yet certain forum pages here trip my AV and that Flash Player Pro install download.

I have no problems at all- and you can disable ads in your control panel. If you get autoplay ads, please get a screen shot, as we don't allow those.

I'm not an IT person, but if I can use it at work (don't tell!) on IE and at home with chrome, without so much as any sort of install/malware warnings/talking ads/etc it seems that the problem isn't with our site. I'd suggest running malware software for sure. And like I said, please grab a screen shot of anything that comes your way, so that Austin and TxBrew can take a look to ensure our site is safe.

Spammers are a bit tougher- we don't want to add a captcha, and we don't want to over-filter but they are still trying hard. There is a "report this post" button on each post, and please use it as we respond to reports very quickly. Thank you all for helping us keep the site as 'clean' as possible.

 

[watermelon83]

Yay for mods!!

 

[passedpawn]

I'm a paying member and I still get ads. Including the obnoxious auto play video ads in the right banner.

My Account > Edit Forum Options

Disable Advertising, Disable Sidebar

 

[drksky]

I have no problems at all- and you can disable ads in your control panel. If you get autoplay ads, please get a screen shot, as we don't allow those.

I'm not an IT person, but if I can use it at work (don't tell!) on IE and at home with chrome, without so much as any sort of install/malware warnings/talking ads/etc it seems that the problem isn't with our site. I'd suggest running malware software for sure. And like I said, please grab a screen shot of anything that comes your way, so that Austin and TxBrew can take a look to ensure our site is safe.

Spammers are a bit tougher- we don't want to add a captcha, and we don't want to over-filter but they are still trying hard. There is a "report this post" button on each post, and please use it as we respond to reports very quickly. Thank you all for helping us keep the site as 'clean' as possible.

Thanks Yooper, I assumed that supporting the site would default to disabling ads.

As far as Malware goes, I'm running Malwarebytes and have updated and performed scans on both my home computers and found nothing.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks Yooper, I assumed that supporting the site would default to disabling ads.

As far as Malware goes, I'm running Malwarebytes and have updated and performed scans on both my home computers and found nothing.

Which browser are you using?

 

[Rev2010]

Ubuntu for the winner

Been running Ubuntu here as well, for many years now. And with Android being Linux based we're getting more and more native Linux softwares. Heck, I'm running Beersmith 2 native Ubuntu version for example. No viruses, no malware, no Windows updates that take 20-30 minutes to apply and reboot, and no bluescreens Haven't booted to my Windows partition in many months now.


Rev.

 

[drksky]

Which browser are you using?

Chrome.

And Ubuntu or any other Linux is not an option for me, nor Mac.

 

[Yooper]

Chrome.

And Ubuntu or any other Linux is not an option for me, nor Mac.

I'm using chrome as well- I did allow ads (I like to see the banner ads) but I seriously get NO talking ads, popups, malware warnings, etc. Maybe try a different malware software? Maybe malwarebytes (that's what you're using?) isn't cutting it anymore?

And I used IE at work yesterday, and snuck on (didn't log in) and didn't have anything at all pop up. So, even as a non-premium member, I didn't see anything obnoxious or talking and no warnings on anything.

 

[unionrdr]

most computers now come with the "snipping tool" do a search on your computer for snipping tool it's great for capturing screen shots

Thanks. Saw that in the start menu on windows 7. Wondered what it was for? Malwarebytes is fuzzy about some things it finds, rather than telling exactly what it is. Spyhunter4 is very exact, but cost to use. SuperAntiSpyware Pro is pretty good as well. But the real problem with these programs is that they are designed to find it once it's in the computer mostly. Something like Watchdog is needed that's designed to keep them out to start with. Kinda like the old STOP program was. Unfortunately, it's $150 per year, or $199 for the lifetime version. I'm thinking of getting an external 3 terabyte hard drive, windows 7 disc & watchdog...

 

[watermelon83]

I ran a computer business from my home for years. There isn't much malware bytes, superantispy, and ccleaner won't take care of. Normally if it wasn't one of those it usually requires a boot disk to fix.

Ditch IE, load a pop up blocker and an adblocker. For Firefox I'd through in no script and ghostery as well.

 

[MaddBaggins]

My Account > Edit Forum Options

Disable Advertising, Disable Sidebar

I was torn on leaving the ads. I did for a long time. I like to see the ads related to brewing. I don't want the other crud that comes along. For a while, I was using AdBlockPlus to single those out and block them, leaving the brew ads behind.
I finally just disabled the ads altogether.

 

[Talgrath]

I'm running Firefox, not a paying member and I don't use any sort of ad blocking software whatsoever; not a single pop up ad comes my way nor do I get any anti-virus warnings on this site. To be thorough, I just went to the site on Internet Exploder, and I found the same thing to be the case. If you are getting pop-up ads or you're getting an anti-virus warning, you have adware.

 

[MaxStout]

Get malwarebytes and run it and see what it finds.Its free and having been using it for years

This.

The free version is very powerful. It digs up junk that none of my other anti-malware apps can find.

 

[Natdavis777]

I'm running Firefox, not a paying member and I don't use any sort of ad blocking software whatsoever; not a single pop up ad comes my way nor do I get any anti-virus warnings on this site. To be thorough, I just went to the site on Internet Exploder, and I found the same thing to be the case. If you are getting pop-up ads or you're getting an anti-virus warning, you have adware.

Same here with Firefox. No issues. I use a windows computer at work when I get on and there I use IE, and still dont have issues, except for the slow internet.

 

[unionrdr]

This.

The free version is very powerful. It digs up junk that none of my other anti-malware apps can find.

Not exacty I've spent the last couple years & some serious coin on security/malware, etc programs. The best would be to keep all of them out to start with, not try to remove'em once they get in & then have to fix the software they messed up. not to mention, stolen information by the adware. That stuff can be nasty & really tricky.Adware can be a whole lot more stubborn than cookies. They can piggyback some serious malware. And they can keep coming back. I'm seriously considering this Watchdog program for $199 lifetime...I just got open office & my books re-configured to run again today. Smarta$$ elevated the program & the documents...

 

[watermelon83]

Before I spent 199$ on any software Id backup to a USB stick and dump my machine.

 

[MaxStout]

The best would be to keep all of them out to start with, not try to remove'em once they get in & then have to fix the software they messed up. not to mention, stolen information by the adware.

That sounds nice in theory, but the reality is, some malware is going to find its way onto your system, despite the best of preventive efforts. The Internet is littered with sites harboring drive-by installations of tracking cookies, spyware and other junk. Even "legitimate" sites can contribute malware, sometimes unknowingly. Anti-spyware/anti-virus applications with real-time monitoring are essential, and will catch a lot of it. But some spyware will still get in. You need to scrub your system of those malware programs.

Keeping up with all the junk is frustrating and expensive. I have also spent lots of time and $$ trying to stay ahead of it, but damned if I don't catch a few nasties with my periodic sweeps. It's like playing whack-a-mole.

 

[watermelon83]

Turn cookies off, turn scripts off. Add them back only as needed to get something done. I clear my okay to run script list monthly. It's a pain but works flawlessly.

 

[unionrdr]

That's an idea. That expensive Watchdog program, if it's as good as he says it is, would be great. He said it was "cutting edge" like Reimage.That one helps some, but not what I thought or hoped it'd be. I can't even check my bank statements for fear of getting my $ or info stolen. So far, I've managed to get rid of the malware, burt adware keeps coming in in droves. Bad tool bars in some of them too. I'll need more than a memstick to back this thing up, even though I cut out three desktops!