Malware Attack Again
 

Today will be the third day in a row that my computer has come under attack while in the TOTV forum.

Twice I can believe coincidence.

Three times makes me now wonder.

I suppose it could in reality be the 4th time since I was infected a week or so ago.

Thank goodness I have the Malwarebytes Pro on my desk top computer as a result of the first attack.

btk

Now, I'm really glad I have a Mac!

This malware nonsense is good reason to own one....

Do you really think it's something on TOTV that's causing it? The site uses Google Ads [I think], so wonder if they are infecting the site there?

Admins ?????

After having Norton Antivirus for the past 11 years, I have never had a "high risk" security attack reported. In the past week while always logged onto the TOTV website, I have had 7 high risk security attacks reported to me. Although the Administrator has said that everything in the site has been checked and rechecked, I find it too coincidental that many participants to this site continue to have security breach problems. There is definitely a problem within the site but apparently no one knows how to correct it. It's going to cause lots of problems for those who don't have the right antivirus/malware installed on their computers. Again, this occurs only while on the TOTV website!!!! We need a resolution and sooner rather than later.

I too have been infected.....can it be something within this site?

A real "dummy", but very serious, question. How do you know if your pc has been infected?

Yikes, I don't have any anti-virus at all. Maybe I'm infected and I don't know it. How can you tell?

(yawn) The Mac Myth debunked yet again: https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...6&postcount=14

Barefoot there are some very good programs for free available...Microsoft offers Microsoft Security Essentials...another is AVG Free...

Then you will need to get a Malware program and here again there are several free ones like Malwarebytes....and Iobit Advanced System Care...

With no protection you are a PRIME target for invasion. There are some virus that will be quite happy hiding in your PC and then hitch hicking on your emails to infect those you email to or you will eventually get something that will just shut you down.

You are vulnerable.

btk

I have Webroot anti-virus, and run the Malwarebytes once a week, and I've NEVER had any indication that there was an attempt by spyware on my computer form TOTV.
So far, so good, I guess.:bigbow:

We have had the hosting company run scans as well as an independent contractor scan and review all files and there have not been any detections of Malware or other viruses on Talk of the Villages. There are over 1,000 unique users a day on the site, so if there were in deed malicious infection we would hear from many more people as well.

Go here for a free download of Windows Live Security Essentials http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...ity-essentials

You won't need anything else.

Xavier

I have experienced 3 attacks this week. One I am relatively sure was from something on TOTV.I leave my computer on 24-7 (Magic Jack requirement) and one morning when I got up it had been infected without going to any site. Malware took care of it and this is my second day with no issues.

OK, I will download this, thanks. Oh, I'm just so stupid about this stuff, which I guess is obvious! I will download it on my Acer Laptop.

Does this mean I don't have to worry about downloading a Malware program? I think Billiethkid recommended also downloading Malware?

Is there anything I need to do to protect my iPad?

We have had the hosting company run scans on the server and the site files and we have also had an independent contract experienced with these issues review and there have been absolutely nothing found in this process coming from Talk of the Villages. We have over 1,000 unique users a day on the site so if there was something originating from here we would have many more reports than there has been.

Also, if someone puts a link to another site and the link is corrupt that can cause these issues if you click on it. Be cautious of anything you click on unless you are sure of the user or source.

strange...
 

Just happened to me as well. My norton said it blocked an attack just now.

Reported to TOTV
 

I reported this issue to TOTV mailbox last Monday when a friend in CT was attacked while on the TOTV thread re: Facebook -Hate TV .

No feedback in a week!!!!!!

I stopped going into that thread and close the TOTV site when done browsing!

We did reply to your email. Perhaps it went into your spam or junk folder. Please see above information regarding the question on this issue.

Regards

????
 

Admin..... Thanks for posting....but....

If you are referring to my email, I have not received your reply....not in inbox, junk mail or deleted messages.

I know I can receive email from TOTV as I receive notification on Private Messages.

Have been looking each day in TOTV PM's but nothing there????

Tpop1

I'm the friend of TPOP1 whose computer was infected while on the thread haters TV .. At my request he notified you of the attack so you might get a handle on this problem .. He sent you my cell number to contact me if you had any questions .. As of this writing you have not contacted me...


LOU924

I'm looking at an email on 12/13 from tpop1 that I replied to. We have had the hosting company run scans on the server and an independent security consultant scan the site. There have not been any viruses or malware found. I've been on the site using BOTH a mac and a pc with IE and I have not been able to replicate the issues reported. With over 1,000 unique visitors to the site a day and a limited number of users reporting an issue combined with all the measures we have taken, this appears not to be originating on Talk of the Villages. We will continue to monitor all feedback and continue to take any and all preventative measures. Feel free to email us with any concerns at talkofthevillages@gmail.com.

admin - have you asked the hosting company and/or the independent contractor what their opinion is re what is causing the attacks to visitors here?

i do not click on links that posters provide, nor do i look them up directly...yet my norton anti-virus has also blocked intrusions while i have been on the totv site. i verify the time that i check in to and out of totv and can identify that the intrusion took place while i was here. so i also have my suspicions - am just g lad that my norton is doing the job it is supposed to do!

I've been using the Security Essentials Anti-Virus program since the first day it came out and have never had the need for anything else. Adding a Malware program won't harm anything, I just haven't seen the need so I haven't wasted my time. It would just slow things down running in the background.

I really can't help you with your iPad. I don't own one. You may try to Google "iPad Security" and see what comes up.

As an aside, to the Administrators (and anyone else), I have NEVER had anything hit my computer from TOTV. ... and if I had, I certainly would have contacted you. My theory is that whatever these folks are carrying around on their computers wasn't cleaned up by whatever they are using for protection.

Xavier

I spend way too much time on TOTV and have not had my Norton (Comcast-provided) alert me on any malware or instrusions. On my desktop I run Firefox browser almost exclusively.

So, for those of you who have had an alert...what browser are you running? Internet Explorer, firefox, safari, etc? Do you all have Norton or some other antivirus/malware protection software?

Just trying to figure out if there is a pattern here.

Nothing showing up on my McAfee firewall. I use internet explorer powered by Bright House's road runner.

I have had 6 intrusion attempts in the past few days. I run IE and have Norton. Two of the attacks came from IP address 178.17.163.189, three of them came from 178.171.63.115 and one came from 95.168.185.234.

All of these events took place while I was on TOTV, on various different threads. A couple of them popped up immediately after I entered the site, before I clicked on any specific thread.

It could just be a coincidence that I’m on TOTV when it happens, but this is an unusually high number of attempts. I normally only see this kind of thing 2 or 3 times a year, and that’s usually when I inadvertently follow a link to a hoakey website.

Running Internet Explorer on my desktop; Have both Malwarebytes and Avast Anti Virus. Have been hit 3 times ; none since I ran Malwarebytes in Safe Mode and cleaned it.

I'm running IE 9.0 with Vista operating system. Use Norton360 for protection. The only thing I hit today was a Utube video that was titled "Have you seen this in the Villages" with some cute dog full of static electricity. It happened right at that time. Could have been a coincidence and not TOTV.

The norton site said the intruder was from zouriz.com?

Just hit me strange as a few days ago I was on TOTV and somehow my browser got messed up. Once I closed it I could not use it again. Thankfully I have firefox also installed and was able to go back out there and fix it. Just figured it was something stupid I did.

My wife and I run Firefox with Norton on our computers with Windows 7. We are regularly on TOTV. My wife viewed the video with the dog and static electricity. I just checked the history in Norton for both computers and there is no evidence of any threat blocked, nor have we experienced the red screen or other disturbance. Perhaps it is an IE risk.

178.17.163.189 is from Moldavia
178.171.63.115 comes back Russian Federation
95.168.185.234 comes back Hong Kong

What I am willing to bet is that people are getting a tracking cookie that is getting by the malware and anti virus programs. Years ago I played around with a program that I found on a bulletin board (that was before the Internet became popular and browsers even existed) that would cause your computer to do weird things after you hit a certain key so many times. For example you could set so that after you hit the "Z" key 37 times it would change the background color on your screen. You could set it to any key and any number of hits at that time none destructive things to happen to play a joke on your friends.

Now that the world has changes and things have become more complex it would be fairly easy to use a tracking cookie to do the counting and then when it hits the magic number execute the virus / malware warning. Registry entries are also made and tied to the tracking cookie.

Now the OP stated he is using the purchased version of Malwarebytes and it is stopping the attack but he is still getting hit. Again I am betting on the tracking cookie as the problem. There is a program called Spy ?????? that will clean the cookies on your computer. I do not have it here on my lap top but do have it and use it all the time on my desktop (up north). The program was recommended in a TOTV post many months and is very good. It is NOT CCleaner that is recommended by many at TV computer club.

Not one program will catch everything so in some cases you will have to run Malwarebytes along with Microsoft Security Essentials and then a registry cleaned and a cookie cleaner.

I will try to find the Spy something program and post the link to this thread.

VG

SPYBOT is freeware I have been using for years to clean spyware.....if that's the one of which you were thinking???

I just ran my Malware Bytes and my computer is clean. I've been on TOTV daily.

It is good advice to clear ones cache in the event what users are fighting with is tied to their cookies.

Spyware Blaster
 

Was given to me by a NT guy that used to be Gateways top on line service tech.

Now a head trainer for BMW of North America

Majorgeeks has it for free ware.

It works in the background you never know what it is doing. Stealth. This is sometimes a problem because unless you make yourself a reminder you forget to maual update.

As my Mac sales tech said what are you going to do with the extra hour or so of not maintaining Windows on all your computers at home

Herv

I use Firefox 7.01, Windows XP, Microsoft Essentials, Malwarebytes, Spybot, Ccleaner and Advance System Care.

I use multiple cleaners as there is no one that gets it all. Even after using Malwarebytes when I run Advance System care it always finds some things to fix/remove.

btk

PS I was using Firefox 4.0 and just upgraded today to 7.01

My computer was infected over the weekend...CRASH! I too was on TOTV! Coincidence? My computer is in the emergency room...:sad:

There are way too many incidents here to be a mere coincidence. Along with a couple of other posters, I, too can add dates, times, attacking computer URL, and attacking name of website. I now have a total of 7 and they are all different. If the Administrator would take all of this info and refer it to a professional computer security person, they might be able to tie this together to come up with a solution. Not sure enough is being done to resolve the issue.

Well for the first time ever since owning a computer from 1983 while on TOTV I got hit with an attack on Saturday 12/17. My AVG was documenting four to five infections and I keep getting messages to block attempts to breach my firewall and to allow to block them. a message came up telling me if i wnated protection for $192 I could get. so I wondered if some company was pushing for a sale????

Anyway I closed out and used my malware and it found 4 infections which it cleaned. i tried it today again and the scan was clean. never thought about cleaning disk, etc.

thanks btk I do a complete clean now

I have been using Norton Internet Security for some time and it automatically scans several times a day and removes "tracking cookies" as routine cleaning. If you do not have a program installed that will do this for you, you can follow these instructions to do it yourself:

Delete cookies in Internet Explorer 8
1.Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.

2.Click the Safety button, and then click Delete Browsing History.

3.Select the check box next to Cookies.

4.Select the Preserve Favorites website data check box if you do not want to delete the cookies associated with websites in your Favorites list.

5.Click Delete.

In Google Chrome follow these directions:

Click the wrench icon on the browser toolbar.
Select Tools.
Select Clear browsing data.
In the dialog that appears, select the checkboxes for the types of information that you want to remove.
Use the menu at the top to select the amount of data that you want to delete. Select beginning of time to delete everything.
Click Clear browsing data.

All information has been provided to the hosting company as well as a security expert with the software the forum is on and there have not been any malware, viruses, trojans, or anything originating from Talk of the Villages.

We take site security very serious and have not held back any expense in investigating the reported issues. We will continue to take any information provided and continue to have any issue reported to us investigated.

I've been pretty secure in my opinion that my computer hasn't been compromised in any way. After reading all of these posts about being attacked time after time I decided to use the "Microsoft Live Security Essentials" program that has been on my system since the day it was released to do a full scan. This takes quite some time as over 1,000,000 items were scanned. I was feeling left out because my computer hadn't caught some nasty virus, malware, spyware, worm or trojan horse. Guess, what? Nothing was there. So, following the example of others, I downloaded Malwarebytes and did another full scan - nothing. Then I download something with the word "Spy" and "Pro in it and did the full scan - nothing. I guess I'm clean. I've uninstalled the Malware and Spyware and am now depending totally, as I have been doing for years, on the FREE solution software "Microsoft Live Security Essentials."

Now I'm feeling smugly secure! My mama always told me to be careful who I hung out with and where I went to meet friends! I declare that TOTV is on-limits.

Xavier