We’ve heard from a number of you that, depending on the operating system you’re running, some anti-viral software has been a-whoopin’ and a-hollerin’ lately when you visit TTAG. And despite the suggestions of some, the problem isn’t with our Twitter or Facebook linkage. Rather, the pesky little things are getting in via some of the ad content running on the site. Our ad gurus at Lanista are hard at work trying to root out the little bastards. They’ve been trying to ID them without taking all the ad content down since that’s what keeps the lights on. But more important is not inconveniencing you, our readers any more than necessary. So please know that we’re (they’re) working to de-bug things as quickly as possible and return these environs to their normally chaotic-though-entertaining state. Thanks for your patience.

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55 COMMENTS

  1. Are you running the site on a MAC server or (shudder) a PC. If you were on MAC you wouldn’t have these problems. (Said the guy who is an Apple whore)

  4. WOW… could you send me one of those. My router needs it desperately. My anti-malware and anti-spyware caught 8 of those pesky critters so far this morning from TTAG. It needs the RJ-45 size.

  6. So my puter is now loaded w/mal-ware, cause I have no After Mkt Security?
    I knew there was something wrong w/that Dan Baum add!
    TYVM

    • +1000000000000000000000

      No add-on filters, anti-viral software, NADA. And not ONE problem with TTAG or anything else on my old G5 iMac, except for some Google-specific issues with “returned mail” from me that was actually SENT to me. Sounds like Googy is doing its job.

      New i Mac next week; the screen on this one is in a death spiral, but it’s seven years old, and I’m the third owner.

      • Not that good. In the latest shootouts it performed very poorly. VIPRE and BitDefender are probably the best commercial ones. AVAST and AVIRA are very good free-except-for-nagware products

        • Eset NOD32 here. Smaller footprint uses less resource running in background and no conflict w windows defender turned on in win7. Firefox w noScript and AdBlocker. Concur w run as standard User. Set up a separate User as admin and use that only to install software

        • If you’re running old AV, you’re asking for trouble. Lotta nasty stuff has come out in the last ~6 months.

        • I have no sympathy for people running Internet Explorer.

          I realize some people are locked into it at work. I still have no sympathy, because their work should have better malware protection, and it still shouldn’t be an issue.

        • Chrome with Symantec Endpoint Protection. It catches them, but it is annoying as hell seeing all the warnings. Removed TTAG from the AdBlock Plus whitelist until this is sorted out.

    • Nah, Windows would be one of those “updated” 1911’s that ought to be awesome, and is awesome when it’s working, but is super finicky about how you grip it and which ammo it wants (depending on the humidity and the position of the sun relative to Uranus).

      Macs wouldn’t be Glocks, if only because you can actually get accessories for Glocks. If it takes all the makers of cool gun products months of extra development to get those nifty new aftermarket sights ready to fit your cutting-edge piece of kit, then a Mac would be that gun.

  8. NoScript. Use it. It’s a plugin for FireFox (there are equivalent plugins for other browsers as well, I just don’t know what they are called). It stops execution of any and all scripts excepting the ones I say are ok. As an added bonus I see none of these dreaded popup or audio ads.

  9. You can isolate the badness by methodically blocking ads at the router level and refreshing TTAG until you figure out which one is da evil.

    Or, you know, just stop sleeping with clapped-out hookers and your infection rate goes way down.

    • First I see a rubber on a post preview and read title wondering if RF is asking for mail in contributions cuz he’s finally roped a harem of exotic models…then I wonder if I need to call my software tech.

      “Clapped out hookers” gave me the funniest image…bursting out laughing isn’t usually my style but there you go.

  10. Haven’t seen any warnings in the last few days (unless lack of action is itself a warning), but TTAG’s ads make Avast go crazy sometimes.

    It’s good to know somebody is at least trying to keep things disinfected.

  11. Sorry to inform you guys but I am running Adblock and I never see your ads.

    I also have been running Windows as a limited user ever since Win2k, and never had any virus/malware/trojan get in, and I don’t run real-time AV software. I courtesty scan every once in a while with Avast/MSE/Malwarebytes, nothing is ever found.

    Of course I also don’t use Internet Explorer, at all, and haven’t since probably IE3. That is a large part of it.

    If you are running Windows Vista/7/8, change your user account type to limited, instead of administrative with user account control. Windows NT has always had good user-level security – it’s just that nobody bothers to use it on their home PCs.

  14. Odd, at work here, I have windows 7 and AVG for business. No bugs.
    At home, i just use the Mac…
    That picture is hilarious!

  16. Adam, this site isn’t run by a bunch of greedy Jews. Only 1 Jew. And what’s wrong with greed? You against capitalism? You a socialist or a commie? Free entreprise makes you nervous? Or does living in a trailer park make you envious and angry of your betters?

  17. Ubuntu 13.4 at work. OS X 10.8 at home.
    Chrome/Chromium with Adblock.
    I see no issues with the site. The Adblock icon does have the number 9 on it right now though. I guess that means it prevented 9 ads from showing up.
    I don’t think I’ve seen an ad on a website (or a television commercial) in over a decade. I have to actively seek out useless crap to buy.

  18. How timely!

    I’ve also been receiving nasty messages from Norton AV about your site – one just popped up while reading these comments.

    “An intrusion attempt by 72.51.47.69 was blocked…” “Attack: Malicious Toolkit Website 12” It seems to pop-up in relation to one of the scrolling ads on the sidebar. I’m running the up-to-date Win 8 – 64 with IE 10 and the latest patched version of Norton Internet Security 2013.

  19. OpenX is open source. You run and serve the ads the way you want to. No BS with unwanted script.

  20. “been a-whoopin’ and a-hollerin’ ”

    You spare the women?

    No, we rpe the sht outta them at the number 6 dance later on…

Comments are closed.