weird happenings with "able2know" link

If I understand correctly, the link you clicked was from am A2K-generated automatic topic reply notification, right? There's no way I know of that an A2K auto-message could have caused the symptoms you report. The bug might, however, be related to some other email youi looked at in that particular session, or even an earlier email session. It could also have been picked up merely by visiting some other website during a browsing session, or even from closing a popup or popunder encountered while browsing - a "Drive-by Download"

ahh a new term.." drive by download" so much to learn ... hehhe hope something will stick :wink:

incidentally.. shouldnt my McAfee firewall and virusscan, Spywareblaster and Spywareguard ( all updated regulary ) pervent these happenings?

There is a long history of spyware using visits to other websites as a trigger for their ads.

The intent is to delay removal of the spyware by making it look like it's coming from the website being viewed (nothing is more obviously spyware than popups spawing when no site is being viewed).

Here is one example of some spyware doing this to the NY Times:

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2003/12/15/those_pop_up_ads_on_the_nytimescom.php

The author of the post had an infection, and blamed the NY Times for the popups before realizing that it was local spyware.

The same thing happens here.

We have dedicated countless hours to fighting spyware and have rejected many forms of advertising (like popups for example) that could have made the site profitable.

But then users get spyware infections on their computers and sometimes think that the spyware spawned ads are coming from A2K.

Usually they are triggered by URLs like those from our legitimate advertisers, in an effort to make them a red herring and allow the spyware more survival time on the user's puter.

Depends, "adware" is poorly defined. Some legitimate apps like Opera are adware.

"Spyware" is also poorly defined, and legitimate apps like the Google toolbar are considered spyware by some.

Anti-virus companies focus on clear illegal threats like viruses. Since much scumware is still legal (unfortunately) it's a trickier issue.

Existing spyware programs have a poor track record at preventing spyware and a mediocre record at removing them.

Like it or not, there's really no silver bullet program out there for this scumware.

Your best bet is computer security, and SP2 goes a long way towards addressing security.

SP2??????


I never get scumware clinging to A2k at home, BTW - but I have at work....


This seems odd?

hi craven.. . i had no intentions of blaming ]A2K for this occurance at all[/u] im sorry if it sounded that way ! Im really greatful for all the insights you have given me on this issue ..

thank you all ...[/[/b]B]. ...

as for SP2 i've installed it as soon as it became available..and in spite of all the complaints i've heard about it. . it had no adverse effects on my comp at all.. !!!

dlowan interesting ... does that mean that your security is better at home than at work?

Seemingly so....though my work network is pretty strongly policed - but it gets viruses way more than I do. Of course, I am not hundreds of people going god knows where on the net!!!

What is SP2??? Is that service pack 2?

yes.. SP2 is the recently released security package by Microsoft.. for Windows XP users.....

Oh, dlowan knows all about SP2 :wink: :wink:

Well - not ALL.....

Just funnin' with ya, wascawy wabbit.