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Just to keep the awareness up, avg reported yet another malware threat on this site. The exact page I was on was page 151 of the Summer Transfer Rumour thread, with the following message:

"Danger: Surf-Shield has detected active threats on this page and has blocked access for your protection.
The page you are trying to access has been identified as a known exploit, phishing, or social engineering web site and therefore has been blocked for your safety. Without protection, such as that in the AVG Security Toolbar and AVG, your computer is at risk of being compromised, corrupted or having your identity stolen. Please follow one of the suggestions below to continue. "


The suggestions part had a link to click, but I just got the **** off the computer as the message may have been fake.. Either way, tread carefully on here!

St Phoenix, I don't know your level of computer literacy, you may be a User of considerable experience and expertise, a beginner, or anything in between, so please don't be insulted by this but... some anti-virus software programs consider the cookie as a major threat. Granted that AVG realsies that they aren't going to make your machine explode as some do. :)

You may consider something a little less vigilant than AVG though, in Ghostery. If you have any of the popular browsers, Ghostery blocks all advertising, analytics, privacy invaders, trackers, widgets and corporate cookies, whilst allowing one to swan through webpages with barely a trace on their stats. At present, on this very page it is seeing and blocking: Facebook Connect, Google +1 [oh how I love it for that], Google Analytics, OpenX and Skimlinks. Often it is seeing and blocking more, but not depriving me of my pleasure. You don't need a Linux machine for it, although you may be better off with one [that's a general statement], but it'll also help a Windows machine as it is a browser add-on only. If you have web-based mail only, I don't see any point in having more anti-stuff on your machine.
 
I access from my phone and have been getting a pop up saying i have won an Android phone competition which gives me a free i pad. Sure i haven't won one of those but has anyone else had the same? Is it site supported advertising or a potential virus?
 
St Phoenix, I don't know your level of computer literacy, you may be a User of considerable experience and expertise, a beginner, or anything in between, so please don't be insulted by this but... some anti-virus software programs consider the cookie as a major threat. Granted that AVG realsies that they aren't going to make your machine explode as some do. :)

You may consider something a little less vigilant than AVG though, in Ghostery. If you have any of the popular browsers, Ghostery blocks all advertising, analytics, privacy invaders, trackers, widgets and corporate cookies, whilst allowing one to swan through webpages with barely a trace on their stats. At present, on this very page it is seeing and blocking: Facebook Connect, Google +1 [oh how I love it for that], Google Analytics, OpenX and Skimlinks. Often it is seeing and blocking more, but not depriving me of my pleasure. You don't need a Linux machine for it, although you may be better off with one [that's a general statement], but it'll also help a Windows machine as it is a browser add-on only. If you have web-based mail only, I don't see any point in having more anti-stuff on your machine.

Alrighty, I may well give Ghostery a run in the future. My point of view is 'better safe than sorry', and I have no doubt that Not606 has enough threats around it to be concerning! AVG mentioned that Blackhole Exploit Kit was the threat, and one of the things I like about avg is it usually lists the exact cause to be sure it's not just a cookie problem.

With regard the warning I received earlier these kind of things shouldn't be happening, and while I have enough computer literacy to not go clicking on every link that appears it's likely that someone else won't be as fortunate, so that's my main worry.
In terms of Ghostery, what kind of security is it? I'd much prefer something that runs quietly in the background, not hogging all the resources and constantly needing to update...!
 
I access from my phone and have been getting a pop up saying i have won an Android phone competition which gives me a free i pad. Sure i haven't won one of those but has anyone else had the same? Is it site supported advertising or a potential virus?

Are you signed in at the time? If I'm just having a quick look and don't sign in I get all kinds of advertising, I think signing in is supposed to remove all the adverts.
 
Yeah, my user id is saved so when i access the site i am logged in. I exited the pop up straight away but just wondered if it has happened to anyone else.
 
Alrighty, I may well give Ghostery a run in the future. My point of view is 'better safe than sorry', and I have no doubt that Not606 has enough threats around it to be concerning! AVG mentioned that Blackhole Exploit Kit was the threat, and one of the things I like about avg is it usually lists the exact cause to be sure it's not just a cookie problem.

With regard the warning I received earlier these kind of things shouldn't be happening, and while I have enough computer literacy to not go clicking on every link that appears it's likely that someone else won't be as fortunate, so that's my main worry.
In terms of Ghostery, what kind of security is it? I'd much prefer something that runs quietly in the background, not hogging all the resources and constantly needing to update...!

And that's fair enough. I can see from your answer that you've been around the PC User block, so to speak, and are not of the panicking sort. AVG is actually a very good piece of anti-virus kit, provided you don't download and install every sodding thing it wants you to have. By and large, the free version is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of private users, and a fairly sensible attitude to browsing is the best way. You don't really need the AVG toolbar. In truth, one can actually browse a Windows PC with little or no protection at all, save Ghostery, Windows own Firewall and a decent and secure Router. All it takes is sensible browsing. Failing that, use Mozilla Firefox, and it will flash you a message that having checked a website, it considers it unsafe, and you're on your own, brother. ;)

Ghostery is practically invisible [ghostly, in fact], in terms of the impact of your system resources. Its only physical presence is in the top right corner of your browser. Type Ghostery in Google to goto their website and you'll find a list of browsers you can download Ghostery for. Follow the instructions to set it up once installed.

BTW, I've actually written this reply on my slow bareback Windows XP SP3 PC through Mozilla Firefox with Ghostery addon.
 
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