Malware Found
Thread Starter
Scoundrel
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 510
Likes: 218
From: Montrose, Colorado
Malware Found
Hello,
I'm trying to find a way to contact admins re: Malware on this website. When I visit this site I continue to get a pop-up that takes over my window requesting that I update Flash Player for safari (I'm using a mac). The address that it wants me to go to is: https://flash-playerupdate.icu/K5amC...40RE7K1O36NF86
This only occurs on this website (F150Forums.com). I believe one of the users has an infected computer and is unknowingly spreading this. Hopefully you can find this file and isolate it as it makes using these forums very difficult.
Thank you,
Rich J.
I'm trying to find a way to contact admins re: Malware on this website. When I visit this site I continue to get a pop-up that takes over my window requesting that I update Flash Player for safari (I'm using a mac). The address that it wants me to go to is: https://flash-playerupdate.icu/K5amC...40RE7K1O36NF86
This only occurs on this website (F150Forums.com). I believe one of the users has an infected computer and is unknowingly spreading this. Hopefully you can find this file and isolate it as it makes using these forums very difficult.
Thank you,
Rich J.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,394
Likes: 1,171
I don’t think anyone is spreading malware via the website (in fact, in my 20 years in IT, I have not heard of that happening peer to peer over a public website). The pop up is an Ad that goes to a website hosting potential malware. I will say that it’s sad that the forum is partnering with an Ad agency that will link people to malware, though.
IB Staff
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 419
Likes: 84
I don’t think anyone is spreading malware via the website (in fact, in my 20 years in IT, I have not heard of that happening peer to peer over a public website). The pop up is an Ad that goes to a website hosting potential malware. I will say that it’s sad that the forum is partnering with an Ad agency that will link people to malware, though.
We obviously don't wish to partner with agencies that do this---and almost all of the time, the agencies themselves don't know it either. Most of our ads are run through Google or Amazon's ad platforms, and those ads are very clean, filtered aggressively so their numbers remain stable.
The remaining 20-30% of our ads are run through a variety of other platforms, and some of those platforms re-sell the inventory they bought from us to fill the slots as they see fit, and sometimes it's the re-sold ads with numerous middle-men in between that might be infected in malware. It's unfortunately become the nature of the online ad business where these in-between transactions can be targeted by bad actors masquerading as legitimate businesses.
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Joined: May 2016
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We obviously don't wish to partner with agencies that do this---and almost all of the time, the agencies themselves don't know it either. Most of our ads are run through Google or Amazon's ad platforms, and those ads are very clean, filtered aggressively so their numbers remain stable.
The remaining 20-30% of our ads are run through a variety of other platforms, and some of those platforms re-sell the inventory they bought from us to fill the slots as they see fit, and sometimes it's the re-sold ads with numerous middle-men in between that might be infected in malware. It's unfortunately become the nature of the online ad business where these in-between transactions can be targeted by bad actors masquerading as legitimate businesses.
The remaining 20-30% of our ads are run through a variety of other platforms, and some of those platforms re-sell the inventory they bought from us to fill the slots as they see fit, and sometimes it's the re-sold ads with numerous middle-men in between that might be infected in malware. It's unfortunately become the nature of the online ad business where these in-between transactions can be targeted by bad actors masquerading as legitimate businesses.
A popup for suspected fake flash player update opens on my Mac OS/Safari. It only happens on a specific forum website I frequent. It is likely associated with one of the many Ads on the page. Here is the URL of that popup.
https://fixheavilyquickproduct.icu/b...Flash%20Player
Here is one specific forum post it has been happening on lately. It doesn’t happen every time opened but maybe 50% of the time.
https://www.f150forum.com/f30/amp-lo...ro-con-452953/
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F150 Forum is the only site in recent memory that this popup happens on my Mac.
If it happens to you, please report it to Adobe at the above email address and F150 forum (not sure if there is an email address or it has to be in a post).
Can the F150 forum administrator do anything about it?
IB Staff
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 419
Likes: 84
Hi folks.
Same as it's been since the beginning of the year. The number of these types of ads have been reduced since we partnered with a third-party scan service, but they do still sometimes slip by.
Generally we file a report with these guys, but generally by the time we have everything set up and filtered--the nature of these ads is that they expire very quickly, or rotate to new URLs very quickly as well.
It is great to have reports like this for reference, and it does help us to be a little more alert about these since the pattern for these ads is that they occur in waves across a few of our sites at once.
Same as it's been since the beginning of the year. The number of these types of ads have been reduced since we partnered with a third-party scan service, but they do still sometimes slip by.
Generally we file a report with these guys, but generally by the time we have everything set up and filtered--the nature of these ads is that they expire very quickly, or rotate to new URLs very quickly as well.
It is great to have reports like this for reference, and it does help us to be a little more alert about these since the pattern for these ads is that they occur in waves across a few of our sites at once.
