HACKER ALERT!

[akiratubo]

I don't know if this is related, but I got hit with spyware when I last entered the forum. My browser locked up and attempts were made to install something. There was some ad banner about some games site at the time, if that offers any help.

Internet explorer was locking up my computer earlier today, similar to what you describe.  Whenever I started my computer, it would lock up as soon as my internet connection would become active.  I finally had to unplug my modem and run Ad Aware and Anti Vir, which seems to have fixed it.  The last place I visited before logging off before that was badmovies.org/forum.

[Andrew]

I don't know if this is related, but I got hit with spyware when I last entered the forum. My browser locked up and attempts were made to install something. There was some ad banner about some games site at the time, if that offers any help.

Internet explorer was locking up my computer earlier today, similar to what you describe.  Whenever I started my computer, it would lock up as soon as my internet connection would become active.  I finally had to unplug my modem and run Ad Aware and Anti Vir, which seems to have fixed it.  The last place I visited before logging off before that was badmovies.org/forum.

About what time was this?  The only thing that had changed was the new ad network.  When the "contextual" inline ads were appearing and Menard said he had a problem, I disabled them.  If it looks like the problem came from there, I will drop that network.

[Andrew]

I have finished going through all of the forum files, but cannot find any weird changes.  Ditto with checking the server.  Menard and akiratubo, if you encountered malicious code on here the only possibility I cannot discount is a banner advertisement.  Since I do not think the one Movies Unlimited could do it (but I went ahead and removed it), the only options would be the Google ads, the Amazon.com ads, or the new advertiser.  I have seen reports of malicious code from a Google ad, but it also appears they usually find and disable the offending ad quickly.

I will continue to keep an eye on everything, as always.  We had a problem about two years ago where a hacker apparently captured the site's password and had placed malicious code on the front page.  At that time, best I can figure, the hacker got the password from the webhosting company's trouble ticket system (the site was on Hostgator back then, I have moved hosts since).

My intent is to provide a safe haven here.  Even the possibility that something malicious came from the site is something I will take seriously.  I have denied a number of potential advertisers, because they or their ad code worried me.

UPDATE:  I believe that what was encountered came from the new advertiser, Clicksor.  I did some checking and encountered an attempted drive-by install from one of their ads, apparently from the domain Drivecleaner.com (known adware).  I have emailed them to delete Badmovies.org's account and removed all code from the system.  I definitely apologize if anyone had problems due to this.  I do not accept or run ads that do anything besides what they are supposed to do.

[trekgeezer]

I hope we never have to put up with those contextual ads. I scan with my cursor while reading the screen and those thing really p**s me off when they pop up.

[Andrew]

I hope we never have to put up with those contextual ads. I scan with my cursor while reading the screen and those thing really p**s me off when they pop up.

I have the same opinion of them, which was why I had taken steps to ensure they were turned off.

This is the same issue as years ago, when I had problems with Advertising.com.  I had pop-ups and pop-unders turned off for the site, but they kept slipping them in.  After three strikes, I wrote them that they had violated the contract and it was null and void - I would no longer display their ads.  That was the end of that.

The only ads displayed are simple "takes up this much space" ads.  I do not allow any pop-ups, pop-unders, ads between pages, inline text ads (that is what the automatic hyperlinks were called), or other intrusive formats.  If you see them, let me know.  Take a screen capture if possible.