PC pages blocked by Spybot!?

Danny,

I am using Spybot S&D 1.2 and IE 6. Yesterday a was following some links provided by efusco in the thread:

http://priuschat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=43827

The first and second links, which are to PriusChat files, open another window and then Spybot blocks it with this message:

Spybot-S&D has blocked the download of "Avenue A, Inc."!

Then the page does not load.

I have never had a Spybot issue with PriusChat before. I decided to go to the files library through the Forum menu and access them that way. When I opened the File Library there is a pop-up graphic of a Verizon cell phone (happened again today). The graphic stays up for just a few seconds then vanishes. Now subsequent attempts to load the File library listing page, after the initial time with the pop-up graphic, are blocked by Spybot.

I ran Spybot to check for problems before trying to load the page and it said I was clean. Now afterward it says I have tracking cookies for Avenue A, Inc. and DoubleClick. I can't get to the PC files listing anymore unless I clean using Spybot.

Is this something new to PC? Is this just me? What's going on?

:lol:

Now that we have the conspiracy theory out of the way, are there any other explanations?...

I see a banner ad on the file library page now as well.

Any comments Danny?

I'm sorry that I can't shed any light on your issue using SpyBot with Internet Explorer.

I'd like to suggest a way you can work around this issue and raise the security of your system while surfing the web.

Please consider trying one of the excellent web browsers that are available free from the Mozilla Organization. I prefer Firefox, some others prefer the original Mozilla. You can get Windows versions of either one at http://mozilla.org/

These browsers have excellent popup control built in and configured by default. They are able to discriminate betweeen popup windows you have requested by following a link, versus the annoying kind that you get when you visit creepy websites.

Microsoft browsers have a default behavior of running certain scripts that can sometimes be used to do harm to your computer. Mozilla browsers always offer warnings first, when appropriate, and are designed to automatically do the right thing.

I create web content for a living. The last thing I would ever want to do is go surfing random websites with IE. It is a dangerously defective product.

On the other hand, sites like this one do not contain malware. You're just suffering the effects of trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear in taming the gaping security holes in IE.

Trust me, try a new browser. You'll love it.

GreenSteve

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenSteve\";p=\"43964)</div>

Steve, I love FireFox too but the latest build has been crashing regularly for me on the PriusChat site. Have you had any problems?

BTW, the banner ad mention previously shows up with Firefox too. The "Avenue A" that Varko complains of is attempted by numerous banner ads (including several at Yahoo) and is not really malware or popup or even an IE issue -- it's more of a cookie system.

The latest version of Spybot puts a bunch of sites, like IWon.com, into the Restricted Sites list in IE6.

To access those pages again, go to Tools/Internet Options and pick the Security tab. Click the Restricted Sites icon, and then click the Sites button. Any site you want to visit must be removed from that list.

Much practice lately, to keep IWon working. Someday, I (might actually) won something...

I have no sites listed in Restricted Sites in IE. This seems to be Spybot that is blocking the files page(s).

Gee, I've used at least 4 different computers running either Win2K or WinXP and Firefox version 1.0 PreRelease on all of them, never a problem on this site.

As far as cookies go, most of the concerns people have about cookies are misguided IMHO. Cookies are generally very useful, I'm nearly cerrtain this site, and absolutely similar sites of mine that use forum software, use cookies to identify users. This is essential to a complex database driven site.

I hope Danny is able to at least offset some of his costs, and even better if he makes some money. I certainly do not object to banner ads.

Steve

I'm using Spybot v1.3 and haven't experienced any problems with the pages here on PC.

Varko: You might want to update your version to 1.3 (link below):

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

mozilla....free, secure, configurable, full featured and microsoft safe@!!

Thanks Danny for the explanation - I thought I was losing my mind (I have been sleep deprived. You know I have been kept up late with the new addition to the house. Those night time oil changes are killer )

FYI: I have used other sites with banners with no interference from Spybot and I have had other Avenue A block message windows where the page still loaded after clicking OK. Rarely have I had the page stay blank and the status bar read "Done."

Thanks Guest for the news about the update to Spybot I will look into it.

i used to that before with IE but usually just closed the blank window and clicked on the link the 2nd time and it usually loaded the 2nd time around.

never could figure out why it did this.

Is Spybot needed when using Mozilla's Foxfire?

nope.

spybot or some other malware/adware detection program is recommended to maintain the performance of your computer. because of the platform independent nature of the internet, all browsers are equally vunerable.

the sneaky part of spyware/malware is that most will not notice any immediate effect of an infection. but as more and more of these unwanted secret processes slowly monopolize the CPU cycles of your computer, over time you see a gradual decline in performance. for people with broadband connections, it may take dozens of infections before you notice any degradation of performance

adaware is another program that works well also. many people say that one should run both programs to make sure that they catch all the infecting programs but i have yet to see one miss something the other caught. both work equally well although i tend to lean towards adaware a bit more since they seem to do more definition updates than spybot does.

Hi there,
Last night I had a similar problem as the OP of this thread from long ago. I use Webroot and one particular thread in FHoPol was blocked several times. The warning was that it had malicious content. When it happened 4-5 times, I quit trying to open it and thought maybe there was something to it. Today, however, it was blocked once but then it opened fine with no warning. Any thoughts on why this might have happened, other than the unsavory title and the fact that the thread festers in the political forum? Perhaps the content of the banner advertisement?

The thread in question:
http://priuschat.com/forums/freds-h...aves-proposes-tax-cuts-stimulate-economy.html

I should add that I use Firefox.

Knowing IE, you probably got flagged for trying to access a site that DIDN'T have driveby malware installation.

Perhaps this might be related:
https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/major-ad-networks-found-serving-malicious-ads-121210

Since I believe PC uses doubleclick....