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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Bigmik’s `site’ and Spam - Now fixed

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bigmik

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Joined: 20/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 2870
Posted: 04:28pm 23 Jan 2016
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Hi All,

For a while now I have been getting reports of unwanted spam on my web site (kindly hosted by dontronics.com). I received another complaint yesterday and I even got a pop up spam message when I went there..

After doing an extensive google search it appears that it was the Free counter program that shows how many visits have been to that page.. We thought it was a good idea to have that but like most `freebies' on the web there are catches and this unsolicited spam and redirecting is one of them.

The counter we used was www.freecounterstat.com So BEWARE of this add on.

I apologise for all those that complained earlier (going back nearly a year) and saw nothing done..

To test that it is finally clean I ask that, if you feel so inclined, please visit Bigmik's site and let me know if there is any recurrence of this spam.

Kind Regards,

Mick

PS. If anyone wants to read further, this is the web site I found.

SITE

mik

Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<<
 
ajkw
Senior Member

Joined: 29/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 290
Posted: 06:02pm 23 Jan 2016
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seems to be ok, no pop ups noted
 
bigmik

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Joined: 20/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 2870
Posted: 08:25pm 24 Jan 2016
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Thanks AJKW,

Mik
Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<<
 
aargee
Senior Member

Joined: 21/08/2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 255
Posted: 12:29am 26 Jan 2016
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Mik, clicked on the Mikmatix directory and a spam window opened titled 'Woolworths' .
Could not repeat it though.
I had several sites and windows open, so not sure if it was a coincidence.
For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED.
 
bigmik

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Joined: 20/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 2870
Posted: 01:18am 26 Jan 2016
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Damn,

Doesn't sound good, I don't know what else it could be.. The spam I saw was a Woolworths one as well..

Unless there was some cache on either Dons site or your PC..

It really is annoying... It doesn't seem to happen on dontronics.com itself and my site is just a new page on the dt site..

I will handball back to Don.

Regards,

Mick
Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<<
 
donmck

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Joined: 09/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 1310
Posted: 03:07am 26 Jan 2016
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  bigmik said   Damn,

Doesn't sound good, I don't know what else it could be.. The spam I saw was a Woolworths one as well..

Unless there was some cache on either Dons site or your PC..

It really is annoying... It doesn't seem to happen on dontronics.com itself and my site is just a new page on the dt site..

I will handball back to Don.

Regards,

Mick


Have been using that directory software since Aug-2011, when Maximite was really kicking on, and must have had thousands of visitors during that time.

Only difference is the counter code I added for you when we started off your pages Mick. That code has now been removed, so I can only think it was browser or internet cache working against us. I have never seen the results, so there isn't much point in me trying another browser, but I would be interested in others findings, if the problem still exists.

Cheers Don...
https://www.32v8.com/1
 
Gizmo

Admin Group

Joined: 05/06/2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 5019
Posted: 03:46am 26 Jan 2016
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I suspect the counter. A popup opened for me as well, but I closed it before it loaded. Couldn't get it to happen again, which is typical of this sort of popup advert/spam. Had a look at the page source code and the only suspect bit is in the freecounterstat javascript. Further research shows this freecounterstat web site makes money from advertising, which it displays on your site randomly. See http://freecounterstat.com.hypestat.com/ for more info.

It should be harmless, but annoying.

Glenn
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now.
JAQ
 
Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9066
Posted: 03:55am 26 Jan 2016
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I tried several of the folder links, and not one single pop-up.
Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
 
Chris Roper
Senior Member

Joined: 19/05/2015
Location: South Africa
Posts: 280
Posted: 06:20am 26 Jan 2016
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Here's what I get:




I also get the occasional Popup page but it gets killed by the Browser/ABP befor it has a chance to load any content.

That image is a bit small the relevant info is:

Privacy Badger detected 3 potential trackers on this page. These sliders let you control how Privacy Badger handles each one. You shouldn't need to adjust them unless something is broken.

d19tqk5t6qcjac.cloudfront.net
s925.thetrafficstat.net
trendtext.eu

Cheers
Chris

Edited by Chris Roper 2016-01-27
http://caroper.blogspot.com/
 
hitsware
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Joined: 23/11/2012
Location: United States
Posts: 535
Posted: 06:28am 26 Jan 2016
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Got this this morning : Edited by hitsware 2016-01-27
 
hitsware
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Joined: 23/11/2012
Location: United States
Posts: 535
Posted: 06:32am 26 Jan 2016
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  hitsware said   Got this this morning :


(image upload not working)
 
hitsware
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Joined: 23/11/2012
Location: United States
Posts: 535
Posted: 06:53am 26 Jan 2016
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  hitsware said   Got this this morning :
 
Chris Roper
Senior Member

Joined: 19/05/2015
Location: South Africa
Posts: 280
Posted: 08:51am 26 Jan 2016
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That one is particularly nasty ........

Blatantly obvious Social Engineering, for most of us, but would terrify any novices, certainly my parents and their friends.

http://caroper.blogspot.com/
 
hitsware
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Joined: 23/11/2012
Location: United States
Posts: 535
Posted: 09:02am 26 Jan 2016
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> obvious Social Engineering,

That's putting it politely ...
 
donmck

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Joined: 09/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 1310
Posted: 10:20am 26 Jan 2016
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Hi all,

the original software I had on my site was found at:
http://www.evoluted.net/thinktank/web-development/php-directory-listing-script

not only did I use the software, I modified the source slightly to suit my requirements, and added messages to the comments about this. But this was back in 2011. Only time it has been modified was to add the counter. That has now been removed, and back to the source I helped to create.

So I don't believe there is a problem now.

I am in the process of software repairing a computer for my sister in law. Her daughter who owned it, passed away recently, and the computer was left with viruses and ad-ware.

Last weekend I hope I got rid of the viruses. This weekend I am going after the ads.

What a crazy world we live in.

I accused Norton of infecting 1000s, if not millions of sites with their bugs:
https://community.norton.com/en/forums/cosymantecnisbfw-bug-and-auto-injection-additional-html-code

They admit to it, but still haven't repaired it.

I can only assume that many viruses are written by anti virus companies to keep themselves in business.


Cheers Don...
https://www.32v8.com/1
 
donmck

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Joined: 09/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 1310
Posted: 11:27am 26 Jan 2016
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After chatting with Mick, we decided to change the sub directory name of his files, by dropping an 's' from the end of the 'mites' URL:
http://www.dontronics.com/micks-mite/files/

or correctly linked:
http://www.dontronics.com/micks-mite/files/

If for some reason the page has been captured by Browser cache, or internet cache, this hopefully will clear it.

The old site should give an error on your browser now.

Mick will edit his sig when he gets a chance.

Cheers Don...
https://www.32v8.com/1
 
Gizmo

Admin Group

Joined: 05/06/2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 5019
Posted: 12:23pm 26 Jan 2016
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Looking at the source code, I dont think there are any issues with the server software, so nothing at your end Don. The source code is pretty clean, except for the link to the java counter thingy, I'll bet with the counter now gone, the popups will be gone too.
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now.
JAQ
 
donmck

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Joined: 09/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 1310
Posted: 01:55pm 26 Jan 2016
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Thanks Glenn,

just as a side note, I had one member report to me that he had problems signing into TBS because of pop up ads.

Sounds more like a local problem his end, but if he contacts me if he still has problems, I'll put him onto you for assistance.

Cheers Don...
https://www.32v8.com/1
 
Gizmo

Admin Group

Joined: 05/06/2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 5019
Posted: 02:10pm 26 Jan 2016
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Yeah it could be a rogue google ad. In my google adsense settings for the site I've said no to pop up ad's, but its not bullet proof. Advertisers will push a ad into the google adsense system and give false infomation about the ad, for example they may put together a advert for a dating site, and claim its a ad for gardening tools. I've blocked dating ads, but Google does not check every ad, so these ads sneak through until someone reports it.

But your right, it can sometimes be something on the users computer. Underlined phone numbers on web pages usually means the user has installed skype and not checked the default ticked options. You got to keep an eye on those default ticked options when you install any software, they install all sorts of trouble.

Glenn

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now.
JAQ
 
bigmik

Guru

Joined: 20/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 2870
Posted: 07:59pm 27 Jan 2016
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Hi All,

I think the move to a new link seems to be working well. I tried it today on a computer that has never been to the original site and I could not get the pop up crap no matter how many times I clicked around..

I feel that the crap that popped up since the deletion of the counter must have somehow/somewhere been caught up in cache, either on the local PC or the internet/ISP somewhere.

Please if anyone sees the spam/scam/crap again let me know..

Thank you to all those who put up with my SPAM to test for the unsolicited crap.

Thank you Don for a quick response and re compile of my Micks `web site'

Regards,

MickEdited by bigmik 2016-01-29
Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<<
 
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