Site Warning from Firefox

[Scampi]

Just to let you know Firefox issue a Google warning that GPWA is a dangerous site to visit!

[thebookiesoffers]

same with google chrome

[universal4]

That is interesting.

Actually we have been working on a few things today, and I can say there was never any vunerabilty here, although there was an url injected into a page at one point that likely caused this warning.

In fact if you investigate the error further you will see this:

What happened when Google visited sites hosted on this network?

Of the 31 site(s) we tested on this network over the past 90 days, none served content that resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent.
The last time Google tested a site on this network was on 2013-09-25, and no suspicious content was found on this network within the past 90 days.

Has this network hosted sites acting as intermediaries for further malware distribution?

Over the past 90 days, this network has not hosted any sites that appeared to function as intermediaries for the infection of any other sites.

Has this network hosted sites that have distributed malware?

No, this network has not hosted any sites that have distributed malicious software over the past

Rick
Universal4

These kinds of errors are just plain stupid, if in fact there is a reason for the warning, don't then show me a page that says, no reason for this warning.

[Renee]

I marked them as not dangerous and it took me to a page with the following text (sorry tried to upload a screenshot and it wouldn't upload it).


Wait! Please don't visit that site right now!

Google detected badware on the site you were visiting. Firefox uses Google's blacklist to warn you about "Reported attack sites." We understand that you may know and trust this site, but it's possible for good sites to be infected with badware without the site owners' knowledge or permission.



Who is StopBadware?

StopBadware is a nonprofit organization that fights badware. Google and Firefox link to us to help you understand the warnings. We also help website owners prevent and clean up badware websites.



I visited the site and didn't see any badware

Many kinds of badware aren't visible or obvious, and they can install silently as soon as you visit an infected page. Google's detection systems are VERY accurate. We suggest you don't visit the site again until the owner resolves the problem!


Help! This is my site.

We know this is frustrating. To remove the warnings, you'll need to find the problem, clean it up, and request a review. We can help you do this.

Get started


There is a learn more button under the first part that goes to the following: https://www.stopbadware.org/badware

What is badware?
Badware is software that fundamentally disregards a user’s choice about how his or her computer or network connection will be used.

Some badware is specifically designed for criminal, political, and/or mischievous purposes. These purposes might include:

stealing bank account numbers, passwords, company secrets, or other confidential information
tricking the user into buying something that he or she doesn't need
sending junk email (spam), or sending premium text messages from a mobile device
attacking other computers
distributing more badware

This type of badware is often referred to as malware. It includes viruses, Trojans, rootkits, botnets, spyware, scareware, and more.

Some badware may not have malicious intentions, but still fails to put the user in control. Consider, for example, a browser toolbar that helps you shop online more effectively but does not mention that it will send a list of everything you buy online to the company that provides the toolbar. In this case, you are unable to make an informed decision about whether to install or use this software. Another example is when you install a piece of software, and that software installs additional software that you weren’t expecting. This can be especially troubling if the additional software does something you dislike or doesn’t uninstall when you remove the original software.

At times, the line between deliberately malicious software and unintentionally bad software can blur. Software creators and distributors can, and should, stay away from this blurry line by using clear messaging and thoughtful product design to keep users in control of their computers and networks.

[MichaelCorfman]

Google webmaster tools does now report that there is an issue with the GPWA website (they didn't earlier). However, the issue that is reported is the one that was found and removed earlier today. At this point in time Google just needs to respider the pages so that it can confirm the site is clean. We have submitted a request to respider the relevant pages, and we do observe that google is in fact spidering the site, so we anticipate the warning will be removed shortly.

Michael

[edgarf76]

For some reason i got the same warning. Luckily I got a ipad as a gift

[Enke]

Hey Michael, we had the same issue with PAL on Sunday night. It's a big hack going around VB forums right now where there is an exploit in the /install folder where hackers can set-up admin accounts and then either place redirect codes into your footer or announcements amongst other things.

Other webmasters, if you own a VB forum, you should immediately remove the install folder from your FTP as it is not needed anyways. Here is additional info here - http://www.pcworld.com/article/20477...l-exploit.html

We had the same warning on Sunday night / Monday, and after mitigating the issue and requesting re-inclusion from webmaster tools it was removed in a few hours with no damage done.

The joys of owning a forum!!! Glad you caught it and got it worked out as well.

[xecutable]

I was just gonna report that, but it seems like it's already been reported. Google said that whatever it saw wasn't found in their last check.

[MichaelCorfman]

if you own a VB forum, you should immediately remove the install folder from your FTP as it is not needed anyways. Here is additional info here - http://www.pcworld.com/article/20477...l-exploit.html

Yes, that is the same exploit used on the GPWA forum. We observed the admin accounts being created, and of course moved very rapidly to remove them and then diagnose the cause.

Michael

[universal4]

Yea I'm glad it is all sorted now, it was an interesting morning to say the least....

I tried so hard to blame Anthony, but no such luck, and Anthony and I could sit there and watch accounts maically appear and we knew Steven wasn't logged in.....

Rick
Universal4

[MichaelCorfman]

I tried so hard to blame Anthony, but no such luck, and Anthony and I could sit there and watch accounts maically appear and we knew Steven wasn't logged in.....

Well...I was logged in and I thought seriously about creating a few more admin accounts after the issue was fixed. But in the end I decided the joke would not be appreciated. At all. Or I would have done it.

Michael

[Anthony]

At the time I don't think we would have been amused, but it was a very clever idea. What would have really messed with us, is if you used our names in the new admin accounts...

[Renee]

I can't believe you passed on an opportunity for a good joke..

Now back to making all those fake accounts..


...I mean...


Nothing to see here!

[AE-Stephen]

I also got the Malware Ahead warning on Chrome. Switched Opera and it worked fine.

[MichaelCorfman]

Google recognized the issue was fixed some time ago, and has acknowledged that within Google webmaster tools.

Michael

[muffincrumbs]

Why did you guys delete that batch of muffin usernames

There was muffincramps - muffincups - muffinbuscuits - and poor little mini-muffins, she was my favorite....

That code was not an exploit it was just GPWA got momentary too awesome for the internet.

Seriously though, did you fetch as google tool to get it recrawaled or how did you go about that?