Forum Hijacked?

But shouldn’t it be .png?

Reduced to an extension … 😀 … you mean?

and you are the only person affected

Well, Bruce has reported being affected once and now Creaking Door too so we’re three, at least. C D and I did the same thing, shut down the browser/computer without delay. I believe there are many more who have been affected but people simply don’t care enough to report it.

Creaking Door wrote:

I run Windows XP and IE8 with Norton Antivirus (and understood hardly any of the technical content of this thread)!

Almost the same software environment as on my system (I run Norton Internet Security) and I too am getting close to not understanding. I have no idea how websites and advertising works but:

Bruce stated that the moderators made an investigation into his “issue” but found nothing to indicate that Key was to blame. Did you investigate the advertisers and other crapware who have links into your site? I mean, it happened for me and apparently for the other two as well, when one of those “external contributors” refreshed the page.

Edited: The “Replies” count now seem to be correct and the attachments showed up this time.

I was once immediately redirected from the Key Historic Forum to an unknown webpage; I didn’t like the look of it so I immediately shut-down my computer.

It has never happened again. I run Windows XP and IE8 with Norton Antivirus (and understood hardly any of the technical content of this thread)!

Maybe I’ve become PNG

That’s very funny! (But shouldn’t it be .png? )

Christer, I can’t be of any great help to you, the symptoms sound like a trojan on your machine, but your tests seem to indicate not.

Equally, since we have several thousand users pass through here each day, and you are the only person affected, it would be a very specialised hijack of the forum for it to single out one, solitary user.

Moggy
Moderator

The post (#11) I made yesterday didn’t increase the “Replies” count (9 but should be 10) nor did it bring the thread to the top. Also, the attachments don’t show up but they do if I click the “#11” in the upper right corner.

I don’t know why so I try to bump it. Maybe the attachments are the problem. Maybe I’ve become PNG … 😮 … ?

Edited: This brought the thread to the top but the “Replies” count is still one down and the attachments in post #11 don’t show up.

I started Windows XP, opened IE8 and went to Key Publishing. This time, the browser immediately refreshed two times and when clicking the dropdown arrow it looked like “KEY-XP-1.jpg”. After clicking the back-button once, it looked like “KEY-XP-2.jpg”. Going to a different page removes this “history”.

Nothing “bad” happened and I don’t know if “googleads” were involved when I was redirected to “Blinkx”. On that occasion, I just closed the browser.

Edited: I don’t know what happened, the attachments don’t show up and the thread doesn’t go to the top.

Edited again: The attachments are there, under my User CP > Attachments. They show up if I click the post count number (#11) in the upper right corner.

As DC Page states the problem lies on your computer and is affecting your browser.

As I indicated to him, he has no idea because he has not even seen my computer.

Personally I would try Malwarebytes Anti-Malware if your current anti-virus/spyware isn’t picking anything up. It can sometimes find problems that others programs can’t.

Your wish is my command. I spent/wasted over an hour installing the suggested program and running a full system scan. It told me what I already knew but couldn’t convince you of: MY SYSTEM IS CLEAN! I hope that you too believe it now and that you were the last one to suggest that the problem is local, in my system. I quote the log files. They are in Swedish but I think you understand.

The first one of the C: partition (Win XP) and the D: partition (Win 7):

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Testversion) 1.70.0.1100
www.malwarebytes.org

Databasversion: v2013.01.29.08

Windows XP Service Pack 3 x86 NTFS
Internet Explorer 8.0.6001.18702
X X :: YZ [administratör]

Skydd: Inaktiverad

2013-01-29 18:24:09
mbam-log-2013-01-29 (18-24-09).txt

Skanningstyp: Fullständig skanning (C:|D:|)
Aktiverade skanningsalternativ: Minne | Start | Register | Filsystem | Heuristik/Extra | Heuristik/Shuriken | PUP | PUM
Inaktiverade skanningsalternativ: P2P
Antal skannade objekt: 323015
Förfluten tid: 46 minut(er), 25 sekund(er)

Upptäckta minnesprocesser: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta minnesmoduler: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta registernycklar: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta registervärden: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta registerdataposter: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta mappar: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta filer: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

(klar)

The second one of the E: (data) partition:

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Testversion) 1.70.0.1100
www.malwarebytes.org

Databasversion: v2013.01.29.08

Windows XP Service Pack 3 x86 NTFS
Internet Explorer 8.0.6001.18702
X X :: YZ [administratör]

Skydd: Inaktiverad

2013-01-29 19:11:58
mbam-log-2013-01-29 (19-11-58).txt

Skanningstyp: Fullständig skanning (E:|)
Aktiverade skanningsalternativ: Minne | Start | Register | Filsystem | Heuristik/Extra | Heuristik/Shuriken | PUP | PUM
Inaktiverade skanningsalternativ: P2P
Antal skannade objekt: 215777
Förfluten tid: 16 minut(er), 34 sekund(er)

Upptäckta minnesprocesser: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta minnesmoduler: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta registernycklar: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta registervärden: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta registerdataposter: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta mappar: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

Upptäckta filer: 0
(Inga skadliga poster hittades)

(klar)

(0 equals “zero”)

Now, can we focus on why, while on the Historical Aviation forum, the browser refreshed the page several times before shifting to this “malware” which didn’t succeed in infecting my system?

Where it is happening isn’t necessarily the source of your problem. As DC Page states the problem lies on your computer and is affecting your browser.
Personally I would try Malwarebytes Anti-Malware if your current anti-virus/spyware isn’t picking anything up. It can sometimes find problems that others programs can’t.

It didnt have anything to do with Key mind – we went through it on the mod forum.

Of course it has something to do with Key. For me, it has happened on here and nowhere else.

I dual boot Win XP pro and Win 7 pro but I don’t recall on which OS it happened. I’ll make sure I do if it happens again.

It is a piece of malware, and can be a sod to get rid of.

Not at all … 😎 … I’ve been creating my monthly backup images using Norton Ghost from the day I bought my first computer. It’s a matter of minutes to restore my system.

No matter what, I just thought I’d let you all know what happened.

I had something similar a month or so back. It is a piece of malware, and can be a sod to get rid of. It only happened on this forum as well! It didnt have anything to do with Key mind – we went through it on the mod forum.

Bruce

Do a search for “Blinkx Beat” or “Blinkx Beat virus”.

I went google on those and as far as I can tell, it’s not a virus but a screensaver that gets installed but there’s no such thing on my computer. Maybe there would be, had I clicked to allow it to install?

I’ve never seen the page self-refresh before.

I’ll take a screenshot the next time it happens.

Bager, he has the Blinkx Beat Virus on his computer.

DC Page, you’re quick … :rolleyes: … I never saw you at my computer!

Bager, he has the Blinkx Beat Virus on his computer.

I’ve never seen the page self-refresh before.

Are you sure you haven’t picked up some malware on your computer?

Do a search for “Blinkx Beat” or “Blinkx Beat virus”. I don’t think there is any problem with the forum, it’s almost certainly resident on your machine. You’ll probably see more of it regardless of what website you visit until you find it and remove it from your computer. Good luck.