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Chat bot?

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Comments

  • #92
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users Posts: 8,358 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    If this is ad related or connected to pay per click links on Boards? could they not temporarily disable them all & reintroduce them one by one in an effort to identify the rogue? I'd imagine it's not an easy one to locate but it's going on for a while now & merits some sort of immediate action.

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



  • #93
    Ginny
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 13,425 ✭✭✭✭Ginny


    It's definitely only on boards for me. I only made the connection last night. Nothing dodgy downloaded or accessed on this ipad. Plus I thought it was very rare to get malware on ipads?
    I haven't had this issue on the other devices in the house, so android phones, nexus, PCs.


  • #94
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    I've only ever got while browsing boards, and only ever on the android tablet - never on the laptop, never on my android phone. Have an ad blocker on the laptop, not on the phone and not on the tablet.

    I don't even know what "jailbroken" is, so I'm assuming the tablet isn't.

    I use Chrome browser. I installed about three apps on the tablet years ago, and literally nothing new has gone on there in about two years.


  • #95
    Calibos
    Registered Users Posts: 7,796 ✭✭✭Calibos


    When you back out of a redirect the offending ad has refreshed, so the ad you see a when you click back to boards isn't necessarily the ad with the malicious code. When I refresh several times there seems to be a limited number of adds however because of the google targeting based on keywords in the thread.

    Is there some way in chrome on the iPad to look at the source code while refreshing and copy and paste the ad urls. That way narrow things down for the admins. Eg, it's one of these 5 ads..... Etc


  • #96
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    Calibos wrote: »
    When you back out of a redirect the offending ad has refreshed, so the ad you see a when you click back to boards isn't necessarily the ad with the malicious code. When I refresh several times there seems to be a limited number of adds however because of the google targeting based on keywords in the thread.

    Is there some way in chrome on the iPad to look at the source code while refreshing and copy and paste the ad urls. That way narrow things down for the admins. Eg, it's one of these 5 ads..... Etc

    No idea what the above suggestion actually means...... but while you can back out of a Samantha invite, you can't back out of the porn sites - each time you click "back" you just get a different porn site. Have to close the tab and open a new one.

    Also, there seems to be a mixture of people with adblockers and not..... I don't have an adblocker on my phone but never get redirected. Also, I've had an adblocker on the laptop for a long time but I'm pretty sure I got Samantha in the early days on it - not lately though. (Although I couldn't swear to that)

    So is it actually certain it's a rogue ad?


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  • #97
    Macker2001
    Registered Users Posts: 53 ✭✭Macker2001


    Cantremember wrote: »
    last night and again tonight a chat bot appears shortly after I log in to boards. I'm on iPad and the boards window disappears replaced by a bot called samantha27. Same text each night. Houston, we have a problem.


    Exactly what's happening to me too


  • #98
    Mr. G
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 4,621 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr. G


    avalon68 wrote: »
    Im using chrome on an ipad mini (not jailbroken ever) - so its not specific to safari. I havent added any new apps recently - downloaded some books from itunes, but I dont think that would be linked to this. I only have a problem on ipad - never on my laptop, but I do use an add blocker on that. It also only occurs on the boards site and Id assume if it was something I had inadvertently downloaded, then it would also happen on other sites. I'm also a bit reluctant to continue using the boards site on the iPad now - rather embarrassing to have these sites be popping up - Id be mortified if something like that popped up while I was at work. It might even flag up somewhere in the IT department?? Is that possible? :confused: I normally browse on my lunchbreak on my ipad rather than using the work computer for anything non-work related.

    Depends if the helpdesk/IT department monitor or proxy your internet traffic. Although they would know Boards.ie is fairly safe. Ad traffic like that may come from ad networks so all that traffic would be generally ignored.

    Is anyone having issues on non-Apple devices? E.g. Windows? That might narrow it down.


  • #99
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    Mr. G wrote: »
    Depends if the helpdesk/IT department monitor or proxy your internet traffic. Although they would know Boards.ie is fairly safe. Ad traffic like that may come from ad networks so all that traffic would be generally ignored.

    Is anyone having issues on non-Apple devices? E.g. Windows? That might narrow it down.

    Android tablet in my case.


  • #100
    Macker2001
    Registered Users Posts: 53 ✭✭Macker2001


    Happens on my ipad but never on the phone both apple. Doesn't happen while using any other site only boards.


  • #101
    r93kaey5p2izun
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,962 ✭✭✭r93kaey5p2izun


    Mr. G wrote: »

    Is anyone having issues on non-Apple devices? E.g. Windows? That might narrow it down.

    Android phone


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  • #102
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    More porn sites just now when I tried to scroll up a page in the Charlie Haughey documentary thread.


  • #103
    ct5amr2ig1nfhp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,019 ✭✭✭ct5amr2ig1nfhp


    Were the ads taken offline on boards earlier this morning? Didn't see any ads for about 30 mins this morning.

    So it appears the problem is isolated to the following:

    Android - chrome, stock browser
    iOS - safari, chrome

    Is that right?

    I have never seen the problem on any of my Windows deveices.


  • #104
    D2D
    Registered Users Posts: 8,391 ✭✭✭D2D


    It's been happening to me on Chrome on my iPad lately. Checking up the basketball forum to be randomly sent to some daterex site, which then sends me to about 10 other sites (all porn). Only thing I can do is close the tab. As others have said, it's only on iPad that this problem is happening on. I've never had that Samantha chat pop up but I'm seeing dating ads around boards so maybe it's some malicious code in the ads.


  • #105
    Summer wind
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,285 ✭✭✭Summer wind


    I've had this Samantha chat link lots of times and now it's going directly to loads of porn sites too. I've actually stopped using boards as much lately because almost every time I log on it happens and you can't get out of it you have to shut everything down and log on again. I'm using an Apple iPad and Safari is my browser. I would really love if someone could please make it stop.


  • #106
    Boards.ie: Chris
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭Boards.ie: Chris


    So I'm coming back to this again. Apologies for the delay but between the Christmas break, and trying to set up the new Boards office I've been a little short on time to devote to site operations.

    I'm 100% convinced this is an ad that is coming from one of our ad networks. The issue is trying to figure out what ad it is, and get it blocked. Ads on the site come from various sources, so it is difficult to pin it down exactly. From what I can figure so far someone has found a vulnerability common to the mobile browsers and is making use of this via code in an ad to redirect people to adult content sites, something that desktop browsers have blocked for years, and the ad networks haven't picked it up in their validation processes yet.

    I've identified a number of ads I'm suspect of, and have asked for them to be removed completely from the site, and have also asked that the categories they belong to is removed from our pool of available ads. I don't have direct access to this, so it might be a couple of days before they are blocked, but hopefully it eliminates the b*****d things.

    Please do keep reporting when it happens, I'm particularly strongly interested in what ad/ads if any you saw before you got redirected.


  • #107
    Ginny
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 13,425 ✭✭✭✭Ginny


    Right literally just happened again, I had the baby car seat megatherium open from last night, opened the iPad and tried to access the talk to section. Re directed straight to something called bongo cams? Tried to go back and redirected to something that actually tried to open my App Store?
    I'm on an IPad 2, on safari.


  • #108
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    Just got a Doomsday-style warning on a pop up.

    Thought it was going to be the usual porn (!) but no.

    Was fairly persistent, telling me I'd four (4) viruses, and click here to repair my phone. It's a non-SIM tablet.

    When I typed a new address in and tried to reopen boards, I got a dialogue box saying I hadn't followed instructions and did I really want to leave this page. Lots of very convincing android symbols etc. on all pages.

    Could this have been for real, or just more spam?

    Getting to be a proper pain now, I'm getting afraid to log into boards at all on this device.

    Don't know how to get screenshots I'm afraid, and no idea what ads were showing at the time as I was down the page in the Bewleys thread.

    Please tell me this will be sorted soon!


  • #109
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    An AVG ad has now taken up residence at the bottom of every page.

    Presumably this is no coincidence.

    Is there a chance my tablet actually IS virus-ridden?


  • #110
    Odelay
    Registered Users Posts: 3,782 ✭✭✭Odelay


    HeidiHeidi wrote: »
    Just got a Doomsday-style warning on a pop up.

    Thought it was going to be the usual porn (!) but no.

    Was fairly persistent, telling me I'd four (4) viruses, and click here to repair my phone. It's a non-SIM tablet.

    When I typed a new address in and tried to reopen boards, I got a dialogue box saying I hadn't followed instructions and did I really want to leave this page. Lots of very convincing android symbols etc. on all pages.

    Could this have been for real, or just more spam?

    Getting to be a proper pain now, I'm getting afraid to log into boards at all on this device.

    Don't know how to get screenshots I'm afraid, and no idea what ads were showing at the time as I was down the page in the Bewleys thread.

    Please tell me this will be sorted soon!

    I got something similar between 20:30 20:40 on my tablet, will post a photo I took with my phone tomorrow.


  • #111
    FF7 7777
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 27 ✭FF7 7777


    FFS. And they wonder why people block ads.


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  • #112
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    Odelay wrote: »
    I got something similar between 20:30 20:40 on my tablet, will post a photo I took with my phone tomorrow.
    Clever!

    Will remember that trick next time.

    Then I just need to figure out how to post photos......


  • #113
    Hannibal Smith
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,893 ✭✭✭Hannibal Smith


    it seems to be on your radar judging by the last few posts, but 2 nights ago I got redirected to a porn site. I didn't see what as came up before because sometimes they're littered throughout a thread and when you scroll down you miss them.

    Tried again today and was redirected to a virus warning telling me to click to fix it, which I didn't. I tried to get a screenshot but tablet is new and I don't know how to that yet :o

    Sunday when it happened I was in training logs in athletics and running, so not sure if it was an as there? And today I just hit the boards window on the browser and got the warning so I don't know what forum in was on last.

    I'm using an android tablet and can access fine from my phone and from the app on there tablet but not the browser.

    sorry for the waffle but I'm no good with tech stuff so don't know what, if any, of the above is relevant.


  • #114
    Hannibal Smith
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,893 ✭✭✭Hannibal Smith


    Hannibal Smith wrote:
    it seems to be on your radar judging by the last few posts, but 2 nights ago I got redirected to a porn site. I didn't see what as* came up before because sometimes they're littered throughout a thread and when you scroll down you miss them.

    Hannibal Smith wrote:
    Sunday when it happened I was in training logs in athletics and running, so not sure if it was an as* there? And today I just hit the boards window on the browser and got the warning so I don't know what forum in was on last.

    ad, not as...damn auto correct


  • #115
    DublinCJM
    Registered Users Posts: 826 ✭✭✭DublinCJM


    Mentioned this previously in the thread.

    I'm getting the same pop-ups on my ipad using safari, but I don't browse boards.ie on my ipad, only on my desktop.

    I'm getting the pop ups browsing a site called irishkop.com, which has a very similar look and feel to boards. So it's not exclusive to boards.ie.

    I'll put a post up there. I think the site owner Paul is also a mod on here somewhere.


  • #116
    ct5amr2ig1nfhp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,019 ✭✭✭ct5amr2ig1nfhp


    If you google search daterex[dot]com it looks like a few other chat forums have started to see this problem (in Nov/Dec2014). They all seem to be chat forums.


  • #117
    Boards.ie: Chris
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭Boards.ie: Chris


    Yep, I did some more research yesterday and it seems to be a common and known issue that the ad networks are dragging their feet over.


  • #118
    ct5amr2ig1nfhp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,019 ✭✭✭ct5amr2ig1nfhp


    Going to bump this thread. I haven't had any popups in about a week. Has something changed?


  • #119
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    Had been meaning to post something similar.

    No Samantha or porn for quite a while.

    Thank goodness!

    Presumably they found the culprit, or the culprit decided to torture some other forum!


  • #120
    Boards.ie: Chris
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭Boards.ie: Chris


    We tweaked our ad categories and pegged a few domains as being not welcome. Glad to hear it seems to have at least some success.

    success_baby.jpg


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  • #121
    Odelay
    Registered Users Posts: 3,782 ✭✭✭Odelay


    Alas, my romance with Samantha is doomed. She hasn't contacted me in over a week and to think she lives only 4 miles away :(










    Thanks guys for sorting this out, well done!


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