Virus message? (1 Viewer)

[KLF]

HTC One M8, running MUD in the browser. Android 4.4.4. Getting this message a lot:

I never hit OK, I just back out of the page, I don't trust it. Looks like a scam to me. Today it happened again, and then I got this:

Had to kill the browser to get out of the page.

Wtf???

 

[woody]

rogue ad, coming from Google...I thought I had it handled but obviously not...and GGoogle has continued to fail to fix.

Will make an adjustment shortly and see if it filters it out....thanks for reporting!

 

[KLF]

Thank you!

 

[woody]

This has been going on with Google for 3-4 weeks from what I understand...I've been "mostly" ahead of it, but the issues are obviously getting more aggressive.

Simply: it's a penny-ad causing the problem, so I have filtered ALL penny-ads via $ limits from displaying at all...but it's a constant adjustment. Hopefully the number I entered in just now will correct it.

I "believe" it is a 300x250 banner and happens on mobile browsers...hmmmm

IDEA: filter mobile to 300x100 and see if that's a permanent cure....on it...give me an hour

 

[woody]

@KLF - What "page" of the forum were you looking at? Home? Thread list? Actual thread? Conversation? That will help a ton and see if my idea is on the right track...

 

[woody]

nevermind...found the culprit as I was reviewing recent ads in Google...AND IT HAPPENED THEN TOO! Irritating...

But, it's a 320x50 ad size, and I've now blocked that size from my inventory entirely...we'll see what that does

 

[woody]

nevermind again...lol...

Finally found someone in the Google Product Forums with good info..."should" have it blocked entirely now...."should".

 

[jynx]

I am glad I'm not the only person to have this problem. I have been getting the same message for a few days now. I actually got redirected to the play store a couple times but not lately, just the same pop up that KLF posted above. Do I need to do anything special to get rid of this.

 

[woody]

I should all be done already on my end. I'm still monitoring/managing, but right now it just means an hour-two daily to review all the "pending" ads to ensure nothing questionable is targeting the site.

...at least until Google gets their $!#% together...

 

[KLF]

I'll let you know if it appears again. Didn't seem to have any particular section, just random.

 

[KLF]

Got it again a minute ago, in the Parts Wanted section:

Got the messages to stop, scrolled to the bottom of the page and found this banner, it's probably your primary offender:

 

[sdnative]

I have been getting that for the past couple of weeks. It not only displays that message, but redirects my browser to some dating websites (slimspaces? and others) and I also get random chat popups.

I think it is more than an annoying popup message. I downloaded a reputable virus scanner and initially it found something, but has been "clean" since even though I still get the strange behavior. I am getting my phone reset today, very concerning...

Same phone / software as OP. HTC One M8, Kitkat 4.4.4, HTC Sense 6.0, Chrome 39.0.2171.93

 

[woody]

The redirect site issue should be resolved now. It is VERY frustrating that Google hasn't handled this, since they've had reports on it for some time.

I believe I've chased down the other offending "virus" ads too. It's a manual process, and when the site serves 10m ads a month, finding "the one" is a challenge...particularly when the screen shots are of the ad AFTER it's activated, not BEFORE...meaning I'm guessing on what is causing the problem.

All new ads from Google now require manual approval...that process is handled personally by me twice a day and will continue until Google gets their @#$% together on this.


The "virus" ad is a spoof, and simply wants you to click the link to purchase something in the Play store. Hit the BACK button on your phone/browser and it goes away and doesn't cause any issues.


IH8MUD traffic is 45% desktop, 39% mobile and 14% tablet. Mobile has increased GREATLY over the past year and obviously the ad networks are not addressing that fast enough with their ad quality.

 

[BrotherRob]

Just got a similar but new one. Redirected me to a couple porno/ dating apps. Didn't get screenshots but they were rather inappropriate. Not that I care but it would offend some.

 

[Rockatansky]

Hey Woody,

I have been getting these ads in Chrome on my android phone (including just a few minutes ago), and I did some web searching on my computer when I came across this thread. I wanted you to know that I have been able to stop the popups by blocking cookies. I know this limits your ability to provide targeted ads and information, but it is a useful stopgap until you have identified all of the malicious ads. Good luck, and thanks for tackling this for us!

Samsung Galaxy S4, Android 4.4.2, Chrome 39.0.2171.93

 

[woody]

i'm still manually going thru ads, and have added every domain I've had reported to my block list. I've also performed the online searches and am not having much luck with a "final" solution. It appears these issues arise every so often and have for the past 3-4 years.

 

[Rockatansky]

Thanks for all the hard work. I wish there was a better solution than blocking cookies on mobile, but that's the only thing that's provided relief so far. Normally I would just back up from the message and that would be it, but these are super persistent, and it keeps redirecting. I guess I'll just have to use the app more.

 

[OGBeno]

I just picture Woody like this working through our issues...

 

[woody]

I guess I'll just have to use the app more.

The app is a whole new set of headaches...iOS has rejected my last update request...they are becoming REALLY picky, and I'm pretty done dealing with it anymore. Particularly for something I cannot stand using.

 

[sdnative]

This has happened to me again, after a complete reset of my phone. And my virus scanner detected an actual virus in addition to the redirects. Not sure if the two are related but I am very sanitary with my phone and only visit a handful of websites I am familiar with. To be safe, I am going to avoid visiting MUD on my phone