My Web Face ads?

[Giant Baby]

I did a search, but tech isn't my area so please move this if I've missed a conversation already in progress.

The past few weeks, when I refresh an AW page, I'm occasionally redirected to a website called "mywebface dot com." I haven't done an official count, but I want to say this happens about every 5% or so of refreshes. It's annoying. I can't find a way to back out of it, and have to reload the page I was looking for. (Really damn annoying if you were in the middle of something, but not exactly a catastrophy.)

I don't think this is AW. I think it's attached to something I've clicked on somewhere, because I'm having the same experience with my Statcounter (unless AW and Statcounter are now advertising with the same annoying company).

Does this sound familiar to anyone? If I've clicked on something, does anyone know how I can turn off what it's left behind? I've cleared my cookies, but I'm really not that savvy with the tech stuff. Also, it happens on both sites from both work and home (and my work has a pretty crazy firewall).

Thanks if you have any thoughts.

GB

[Medievalist]

That sounds to me like a cookie hijack--not from AW--but from another site you've visited. Have you tried using another browser and do you get the same thing?

This is how to get rid of it if it's what I think it is.

Make sure you know your log in for AW and other sites.

Log off AW

Delete all your cookies.

Empty your browser cache (this is important)

Completely shut down your browser.

Relaunch, and log back in.

[Giant Baby]

Ah! Let me try that now! (And no, I haven't tried another browser. Hadn't even thought of it, sorry. I'm a bit entrenched with IE, I'm afraid, and I haven't had enough troubles to force me to grow out of that and get comfortable with a new browser... Sigh, I know, I know!)

Okay, off to do what you've advised. This is one of those problems I won't know is fixed right away, because it's intermittent (and the tech guys at work swear the "intermittent" problem is the bain of their existance). I'll know in a day or two, though. So, absent the possibility of an immediate result, I'll thank you now for your help!

(GB's first ever emoticon wave!)

:TheWave:

Thank you.

[alleycat]

Yeah, this isn't a problem with AW, it's a problem on your computer.

Redirects can be a minor problem that can be easily gotten rid of, or can be an indicator of a larger problem.

Come back and tell us what worked and what didn't. Be a little more careful about clicking any pop-ups until the issue is resolved. If you need to, close the browser rather than clicking a pop-up.

[Giant Baby]

Sorry, I thought I replied to this last night, but must have wandered off before hitting submit. I tried Medi's steps, and the mywebface was actually the first thing that came up when I loaded AW back up again last night (although it hasn't been a problem since- like I said, though, it's intermittent).

Thanks, alleycat. I keep my pop up blocker turned on (which works for almost everything but the damn impervious Netflix), and AW's one of the very few sites where I let over ride it (for PMs). I do worry sometimes about what I might pick up doing research, though. That leads me down some curious roads, but I'm more careful about where I go at work, and this is happening in both places. So, it's come from somewhere I'd visit from both locations?

I'll try Medi's suggestions again tonight when I log off, in case I missed anything on the first try. Any other ideas are welcome. Thanks again, Medievelist and alleycat.

[alleycat]

Have you run any kind of scan, such as MS Security Essentials?

[Medievalist]

Important:

Any Web browser or just one?

[Matera the Mad]

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

[Giant Baby]

Important:

Any Web browser or just one?

I use IE at work and home, so just the one.

Have you run any kind of scan, such as MS Security Essentials?

Yeah. Norton's set to run weekly full scans, and must have done ten or more since this started.

[Giant Baby]

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Thanks, Matera. Will check it out.

Sigh. Computers.

[Medievalist]

Would you try another browser just to see if you have the problem?

Doesn't matter what -- Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Flock, whaterver.

[Giant Baby]

*Buttons up big girl pants.*

Yup. I'm running a scan of the anti-malware Matera recommended at the moment. When it finishes, I'll shut everything down and try one of the others for a couple of days (or until it shows up again).

If that cures the problem, does it mean I have to break my IE habit forever?

[Medievalist]

If that cures the problem, does it mean I have to break my IE habit forever?

Friends don't let friends use I.E.

Also, if you're on Windows, I'd think hard about ditching Norton, and going with Microsoft's own free security suite.

[Giant Baby]

Friends don't let friends use I.E.


Dumb old tough love. Every other browser may be less glitchy and penetrable, and they may be more more user friendly than IE, but that doesn't make them mine! (Yes, I'm going.)

Also, if you're on Windows, I'd think hard about ditching Norton, and going with Microsoft's own free security suite.

Oh, those Microcenter bastards. Yeah, it's windows. They pulled out all their sheets of stats and info when I bought my latest laptop, trying to push Norton on me. I didn't buy there, because hard sells piss me off, but I needed an anti-virus (and McAfee also pisses me off), so I googled and it did seem good based on reviews, etc, so I purchased it online.

I've already got the MS Security Essentials as of today, thanks to alleycat -- I was planning to run the full scan tonight to see if it picked up anything Norton missed and then dump one of them. I guess I know which one I'll be dumping.

Thanks, Medi!

[Medievalist]

You absolutely do not want to have both installed; competing anti-malware / security programs step on each other and can create problems.

[Giant Baby]

Okay, all. I appreciate the help much. I can't say for sure, due to the fact that the problem is intermittent, but I've been home all today writing and I've made it a point to click and refresh liberally on the two sites in question (AW and StatCounter), and not a peep from the nefarious MyWebFace.

I've ditched Norton for MS Essentials, and I'm now cruising via Google Chrome. I'll report back if it returns, but I think you've fixed me up. (I won't be able to change my security at work on Tuesday -- ISD has full control over that stuff, but I can change the browser. Hopefully that'll be enough there, as well.)

Major thanks, Medievalist, alleycat, and Matera.

[Giant Baby]

Just an FYI, should anyone else come across this- changing browsers did the trick. I haven't seen the damn things once since switching to Chrome, but I did leave IE on at work a few days longer just to test, and sure enough, they kept popping up (rectified there now, too).

IE monkey's been picked up by animal control. Scratches on back are starting to heal.

[Medievalist]

Just an FYI, should anyone else come across this- changing browsers did the trick. I haven't seen the damn things once since switching to Chrome, but I did leave IE on at work a few days longer just to test, and sure enough, they kept popping up (rectified there now, too).

IE monkey's been picked up by animal control. Scratches on back are starting to heal.

I still think this is a cookie redirect exploit.

I.E. in its wisdom stores TWO copies of any cookie associated with a site you have Bookmarked or Favorited. It is my understanding that Firefox on Windows does the same thing--but I have not personally checked.