It seem Anton and some others have contracted something that attachs links to porn sites to there messages. It is not there doing! It is some kind of hack or virus that is doing it. If anybody knows how to deal with it, please post it. Thank you!

Is it only here at renderosity, or is it at other sites too?

I am not sure what you are talking about? Sharen

Don't know.

Sharen, if you see a link that seems to look like it may go to a porn site. DO NOT CLICK ON IT! So far it is only a few people this is happening to.

Hi Guys, My guess is its Spyware... aka, tracking cookies & browser hijackers. Try Adaware, & Spybot, both free & easily locatable in a google search. Another hint, if your firewall has a spam-guard, make sure its enabled. To prevent pop-ups, I recommend NoAds or Pop-Up Cop, both free & easily located on google as well. Thomas Poser-Coordinator.... who hates Pop-Ups & browser hijacks

How does it place that link though? That's very curious. It's happened to a few people, I'd sure like to knowwhat exactly is causing it. I did some Google research myself last night and came up with a few links, but nothing specific to placing that link when the poster hits the reply.

Hi judith.... to the best of My knowledge, its part of the browser hijacking cookies. Thomas Poser-Coordinator

Attached Link: http://www.darkageofcamelot.com

K cleared my history, internet files, and ran Spybot. And it is still doing it.

I am currently working around it by

1. You must preview your post
   2)Then replace porno link with harmless one

What happens if you log out, delete your cookie and then log back in? Does it still place the link?

Anton tried that and it's still doing it.

:(( I hope they find out where it was picked up from.

It found me somehow. Haven't been collecting midget porn lately. heheh

Does it place a link if you don't normally or automatically place links?

Are you browsing using Internet Explorer? It is vulnerable to having nasty software downloaded and run on your computer simply by going to the wrong web site. If you have Netscape, Mozilla, or any other non-Microsoft browser on your system, try re-booting and then use that other browser to see if it is still happening.

Attached Link: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Anton.... did you try Adaware? Also, did you delete your cookies & temp internet files from the Control Panel? If so, try this free, o/l Virus Scanner (updated daily) @ the link above. Thomas

I logged out and deleted all temp/cookies/offline/ etc. Ran Spybot and Nortons. When I first logged back in it didn't do it but now it is again. Sigh.

I started getting there occassional porno pop ups a few weeks ago. Maybe one took me somewhere when I didn't know? Anyway no idea. Will try housecall now.

Google has a pop-up killer that installs with it's search toolbar if anyone needs a free one. I don't use it myself (my firewall kills 'em), but I haven't ever heard that Google is spyware.

test

LOl! I was infected too. Oh you silly, silly little hackers. Your uncle Scott just loves your ingenuity. Lets see what you can do next. ;-) I use a prohram called "Ghost2003". It allows you to back up your "entire" HD. And I can retore my whole system (OS,programs, settings, the whole sheebang)in under 20mins with one mouse click. It works with all versions of Windows. And can span multiple CD's or DVD's. My entire HD is loaded from one single DVD. There is no simpler way to recover from this type of thing. And I recommend the program highly. Go Back type programs won't remove these hacker type invasions. Only wiping out your HD will fix it. But with Ghost2003. It's as easy as loading Poser onto your HD. -ScottA

Anton, did you try using a non-Microsoft browser? This sounds like a typical Active-X exploit that MS IE is vulnerable to.

Scott, Is that Norton Ghost 2003 your referring to?

. Scarab

Attached Link: http://avenger800.freewebpage.org/

Let's try it on a Mac using Netscape. that link should go to my website I'm also going to try the same from IE

Yup, I agree with daverj. Try a different browser and see if that helps. bonni

Attached Link: http://www.startrek.com

This should go to Star Trek's home site

Yes cherokee69. Norton makes the Ghost program. In this day and age. It doesn't make sense to not have your HD imaged on back-up disks.

I use Norton Ghost too. I disagree with Scott though. It's easier than loading Poser. :-) What would normally take an entire weekend (or more) of reloading, now takes 10-15 minutes.

Attached Link: http://www.spywareinfo.com

The Windows HOSTS file and the Registry both contain the info that hijacking scripts use to corrupt web browsers. DON'T play with the registry unless you're awfully sure of yourself. :)

I'd suggest using both Adaware and Spybot, then Hijack This. IF you are using Windows 98 forgo Adaware, as it has been known to corrupt the winsock.

Re-load your hard drive image over a browser hijacking? Would work for those who don't keep their data files on their system partition. Just a friendly reminder to anyone who choses to go this route: Back up your data folders to cd, along with your email folders, bookmarks, favorites, etc. THEN re-load your hard drive.

BTW, Ghost won't work at all in this situation until you have a clean Windows and programs install with no spyware, hijackers, etc. Don't mean to state the obvious but thought I'd point it out anyway. :)

http://www.mozilla.org In short: F$#K Internet Explorer. Ever since I got Mozilla, I've been able to do 99.99% of the same stuff on the web and in mail*, but I've also become immune to VB-scripting viruses, auto-launching mail viruses, link-spoofing, pop-ups, generic browser crashes that take the OS with it, and I get a damned decent junk mail filter and tab function built in to boot. (* the only things I haven't been able to do with Mozilla involve some real funky .asp pages with weird IE-related calls, and certain flash sites that tie in too closely to IE/OS functions for personal comfort anyhoo.) Sounds like I'm pimping, but there's a real good reason for me to: There's something better (or at least safer) out there. :) /P

"The Windows HOSTS file and the Registry both contain the info that hijacking scripts use to corrupt web browsers. DON'T play with the registry unless you're awfully sure of yourself. :)" ...you mean LMHOSTS (Win98, NT, 2000)? XP went back to just HOSTS, but 98(I think) NT and 2000 (certainly) have two files - HOSTS, and LMHOSTS. They do the same thing... the "LM" stands for "Lan Manager" - a legacy thingy from Microsoft's attempt at a networking protocol :) Both files are real easy to fix: Ditch averything in 'em but this line: ---------- 127.0.0.1 localhost ---------- ...and you're set. Then stop using IE and Outlook (Express) once you clear up the spyware, and you should be okay. /P

Adaware got rid of it thank goodness. I hate hackers.

Attached Link: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

For those that have had the same problem, I posted this link in the Community Forum this morning, as well as e-mailing it to Anton.

Lavasoft are the makers of Adaware.

...you mean LMHOSTS (Win98, NT, 2000)? XP went back to just HOSTS, but 98(I think) NT and 2000 (certainly) have two files - HOSTS, and LMHOSTS. They do the same thing... the "LM" stands for "Lan Manager" - a legacy thingy from Microsoft's attempt at a networking protocol :) Yup on the above, my bad. 98, NT and 2000 have both files. I tend to walk end users through renaming the file or deleting it rather than deleting lines from it. Trust me, on the phone it's a lot easier. :/ Brynna

"In short: F$#K Internet Explorer." No need, there isn't anything that IE has that makes it inherently unsafe, and it is a rocking browser. 1) Get a GOOD personal firewall/anitvirus. You need it anyway, even if you get Mozilla. Norton internet Security is a GREAT combo... Zonealarm will help some if you need something free. 2) Keep up to date with Windows Update. You should be doing it anyway. 3) Do >NOT< just blindly say "yes" when a box pops up asking you to say yes :) 4) If you want pop up blocking, tabbed browsing and so on, just grab any of a million IE wrappers that do that (I use MYIE2) Mozilla is cool, and if you want it thats fine - but the simple truth is that a secure windows box, using IE and Outlook, is trivial.

"there isn't anything that IE has that makes it inherently unsafe" Only true if you disable Active-X. IE uses Active-X for plugins, and that's how it runs all sorts of media. But it's always been extremely insecure and Microsoft knows that but refuses to change it. It allows a software programmer to create an Active-X module that can be automatically downloaded to your computer simply by going to a web site, and once downloaded it runs like a regular program on your computer and has access to the entire computer. A simple way to install spyware, install viruses, and do a lot of damage. You can set up IE so it will ask you if it's OK to use an Active-X module once it gets asked to by a web page, but that get's so annoying that people tend to re-enable them. Then they get bit again. Netscape 7, Mozilla, etc... don't support Active-X, so are not vulnerable to those same attacks.

"Only true if you disable Active-X. IE uses Active-X for plugins, and that's how it runs all sorts of media. But it's always been extremely insecure and Microsoft knows that but refuses to change it." Actually, your incorrect they don't refuse to change it ... they have closed the hole and solved the problem :) ActiveX is perfectly secure, if you spend ANY time at all thinking before you go clicking buttons. By default, IE will >DECLINE< to load and run ActiveX controls unless you SPECIFICALLY give it permission. Those controls have been digitally signed. So if >YOU< decide to let the folks at Yahoo put code on your machine, that is not an insecurity in IE. Never was. The equivelent in Mozilla is that you need to download plug-ins and allow them to run - same security problem exactly. And the annoyance of the queries? Just turn activeX off entirely... its only ONE setting change to do so, and it is trivial and well documented. So to recap, ActiveX is secure by default, easily disabled and no actual threat - unless the user does something brain dead or doesn't pay any attention to security - and NOTHING will save them if they are like that.

(disclaimer: "perfectly secure" is of course a misnomer. NOTHING is "perfectly secure" - that includes Java, Linux, Mozilla and a whole lot of other stuff)

The hole MS plugged was just the most publicized one. There are a number of others. It's actually fairly easy to forge an MS signature, and since most people have set their system to trust MS signatures then the module loads without asking. There's also the media expoits that can attach commands to video and audio files, like MP3s. The only way to make IE very secure is to disable active-x. But then you miss out on all sorts of good stuff. I think it makes more sense to go with an alternate browser and take a little extra time to install the plugins you need for the types of media you like. Then you can browse in relatively high security and still enjoy the experience.

The only way to make IE 'secure' is to completely decouple the rancid POS from the OS. -It is a web browser-. An application. Not a valid component of an -Operating System-, which is concerned with memory access, I/O control and polling, and storage. Check out www.litepc.com You can make Windows quite secure by using either 98lite to scrape the crap off the OS on a new installation, or 2kXP lite, to disable Windows File Protection, yank out the security problems, remove the dll caches so Winders can't 'fix it all better for you', and turn the FP back on. I haven't used IE in years; I went from Netscape to Opera, and have throroughly enjoyed the lack of security issues. I've never used Outlook; Eudora and Agent do the job quite well, and each has survived (with all files intact), multiple OS reinstalls. About the only thing I worry about is the Active Desktop, and if 2kXP lite had a non-active shell to swap for it, I'd be using that as well. Between that, a good hardware firewall in your router, and a good software firewall on your system, you can make things pretty bullet proof; particularly against the script kiddies. Genuine hackers have talent and skill, and can tunnel through just about anything when they put their minds to it....but how many genuine hackers are going to bother with a user? They have bigger fish to fry.....

Attached Link: http://mindprod.com/jgloss/digitalsignatures.html

"It's actually fairly easy to forge an MS signature, and since most people have set their system to trust MS signatures then the module loads without asking." Actually, as it is a public key signature system it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to do so. In fact, there was only one case of a Microsoft signature key being lost to the wild and that signature key was promply disabled in an update - so none of the stuff it signs is valid. If you have any links to any information on how to forge a large bit number cryptographic key by all means, let us know. Post a link... I (and lots of folks on Slashdot who hate MS) would LOVE to know how to do it. "Genuine hackers have talent and skill, and can tunnel through just about anything when they put their minds to it....but how many genuine hackers are going to bother with a user? They have bigger fish to fry....." You know, as someone responsible for the security of a fair number of client systems (MS and Linux) on the web the mythical "real hacker" who can tunnel through security is almost entirely bogus. Unless the firewall has a flaw, for instance, a hacker cannot "tunnel through" it... they CAN get through ports you specifically open - but that is different. In point of fact it is fairly easy to make your computer the most secure thing in your existance. Even determined attacks will fail (even by "real hackers") when properly secured. The problem is so few people take the time to understand this stuff they are simply wide open out of a lack of knowledge. As always, a little understanding is a good thing. The link goes to a primer on digital signatures. (note: there was also a short window of vulnerability before a patch that allows ActiveX to bypass the signature check under low memory conditions in rare circumstances, it's been patched)

Ummm folks, This debate has been going on since the dawn of the internet. And it's not relevent anymore. As I've said before. The technology now exists to image your entire system in one mouse click. Therefore.... There is no reason to worry about what people are dumping on to your system. Or what browser is safer than another. Instead of defraging your HD once a week. Re-load it from a saved imgage. Chances are. It will actually be faster than defragging. When the web monster has no teeth. You won't mind getting bit. :-)

Well, I am not so worried about the havock someone might causeTO mys ystem (I back up) but the problems if someone gets into my local network. I have a lot of data here that is not intended for public consumption (source code, proprietary and client data and so on). The problem is not always some kid causing me damage :)