Nordstrom Pop up Ad in a New Tab

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alleycat

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If you have experienced any re-directions to other websites (particularly Nordstroms) when clicking on AW, please let us know.

Tell us what browser you are using and how long it has been occurring. Also, per Medi's request, what operating system you are using (see post #5 below).
 
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Torgo

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In mobile safari on my phone I get regularly redirected to some pit of malware called mobrewards. Have cleaned out everything but still happening
 

heyjude

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:hi: Safari, just started this morning. Works fine in Firefox.
 

eparadysz

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Yes, this morning. Using Firefox (and Windows XP) and it's opening the thread I click, but also a new tab for Nordstrom's.
 

Deleted member 42

Please

Delete your cookies, if you're sure you know all your logins.
Log off AW.
Empty your browser's cache.
Completely shut down your browser.
Log back on to AW, clicking the little box to Remember your Login.
Click around AW as you normally would.
And let me know if it's still happening.

Also: I need your OS (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux . . . ) as well as the browser.
And thanks

ETA: I'd love a screenshot, if someone can get one, of the ad. I might be able to get something useful from the URL especially, if it's showing.
 
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backslashbaby

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Win 7, Firefox 17.0.1

It just started today, and the URL is:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/all-bea...&cm_pla=womens_btc_interest_tgt&cm_ite=728x90

and (if it's different):

http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/all-bea...&cm_pla=womens_btc_interest_tgt&cm_ite=728x90

It opened two tabs in the last 5-10 minutes, from the 'new posts' page links (9 and 10, the numbered links).

Let's see, the only thing I have turned off in Firefox is Java.

I'll do the cookie thing after I'm finished on AW for this session. I should know tomorrow sometime how that does.
 

Maryn

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Please

Delete your cookies, if you're sure you know all your logins.
Log off AW.
Empty your browser's cach.
Completely shut down your browser.
Log back on to AW, clicking the little box to Remember your Login.
Click around AW as you normally would.
And let me know if it's still happening.

Also: I need your OS (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux . . . ) as well as the browser.
And thanks

ETA: I'd love a screenshot, if someone can get one, of the ad. I might be able to get something useful from the URL especially, if it's showing.
Might I suggest that there be a link to instructions on how this is done in various browsers? (If it needs to be written, I'll help, but I only know my own browser.) I'm sure that at least some of our members would be hard pressed to do all those things and might be a tad embarrassed to admit it.

Maryn, sometimes one of them
 

suki

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Just happened for the first time - I saw the Nordstrom's banner ad for a split second as I scrolled down the threads - and when I clicked on the next page of threads, a new tab opened on it's own.

I'm using firefox with Mac OS X

Off to follow the instructions and then I will come back and update if it happens again.

~suki
 

heyjude

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I cleared everything. I'm still getting it, though not on every click, thank goodness.
 

gp101

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Funny I should find this thread. Just happened a minute ago. Opened several threads from the Comics section and noticed a Nordtrom's page open among the threads. Thought I had clicked on an ad by mistake (as unlikely as it seemed) until I found this thread.

I run Firefox on XP.
 

Reziac

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It might be DNS cache poisoning, or (more likely since it seems to go to a legit site, not some scammer's site) some server upstream has a dirty or corrupted DNS cache. Which is nothing to do with the user, but might be worth checking if the affected people are going thru the same pipes, such as all being Comcast users or some such. (Comcast leaps to mind because they seem to have all manner of DNS problems.)

BTW I use Google's DNS servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) and I am NOT seeing the problem. I also block all off-site scripting. (SeaMonkey on WinXP)
 
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Wilde_at_heart

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I'm using Chrome and have had no issues.

None on my blackberry either, whatever browser or O/S it uses.
 

AW Admin

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I confess that I'm puzzled. I don't think that the ad is "from" AW. Our ad lists do not list Nordstroms. The way the ad functions is such that it violates the contracts our ad services have with us and with ad providers.

The ad in question:

1. Is a Nordstrom ad for shoes or frangrance.
2. The ad appears in a new tab.
3. The ad appears either from after clicking a New Posts link or clicking on a thread title (1 instance).
4. The ad appears for users on OS X and various flavors of Windows, using Firefox and Safari.
5. I've been using Firefox and Safari and trying to get the ad to display. I can't.
6. I can't find a link on AW that plants a redirect cookie, or a similarly functioning graphic or webbug.
7. Logging off, deleting cookies, emptying the cache and history seem to solve the problem temporarily, but the ad returns a day or two later.

At this point I'm wondering about one or more other sites planting the redirect that is then triggered while browsing AW because the people seeing the ad are all regular readers of AW.

It is happening elsewhere; I'm on touch with a number of other admins with the same concerns and no answers. None of the other sites I know of that are seeing the ad are writing sites, or I'd point to a common writing site as the vector.

It's not dangerous or malicious as far as I can determine, just annoying, and I don't like it happening to AW members.
 

backslashbaby

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I haven't had it again since clearing cookies.

I am a 'member' of some of those deal sites for shopping like LivingSocial, who give half off to Starbucks and similar deals. I've noticed that they seem to know a lot about my online habits (and I agreed to that by signing up).

I don't know if that helps any, but I could see a shopping sort of spyware on this machine, certainly.
 

onesecondglance

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Just as a point of interest, I've never seen this happen on my wife's Macbook - Safari on OS X Snow Leopard - which backs up the assertion that it's not inherent in AW.
 

Reziac

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If it's also happening at other sites (and since all cases seem to spit up a legit Nordstrom link), then it's most likely indeed a DNS problem, a dirty or poisoned DNS cache. I don't know why it would open a new tab, tho, that seems odd. Unless it's happening as part of the action of some worm.

Has anyone who's had it happen here tried changing their DNS?
 

Deleted member 42

Has anyone who's had it happen here tried changing their DNS?

DNS caching works entirely differently on Macs than it does on Windows; I really don't think this is a DNS caching issue.

DNS caching wouldn't only affect specific browsers.

I really do think this is a cookie and javascript issue, wherein a cookie is set that acts as a timer to trigger a javascript that lurks in the browser's cache.

After the time period elapses, the javascript uses the next link to trigger the tab and loads the URL for the ad.

It is conceivably possible that there is a third party link on AW in a sig or something that loads the cookie and script, but I haven't found one.

I suspect that it's actually set elsewhere, but can't guarantee it.

Again, it doesn't seem to be malware, just annoying as all get out.
 
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Reziac

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DNS caching works entirely differently on Macs than it does on Windows; I really don't think this is a DNS caching issue.

DNS caching wouldn't only affect specific browsers.

No, I meant the DNS server at affected persons' ISPs. That DNS cache.

If it's a malware-planted cookie and/or javascript, that should be easy enough to find -- clear 'em out, turn off js, see what, if anything, gets recreated.

BTW when I went to the Nordstrom links (above) to see what the hell, they were 404'd.
 

backslashbaby

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They aren't 404'd for me right now. I get "All Beauty and Fragrance" and a shopping list of 80 pages, as if I had legitimately searched for all beauty or fragrance at Nordstrom's. Sorted by 'featured', no less.

That's what I got when they first came up, too.
 

backslashbaby

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Mine's hanging in there, no new occurrences.
 

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I haven't had any problems here (so far), but a few days ago I was browsing on icanhascheesburger (the lolcat site) and got redirected to a Nordstrom's ad multiple times in a few minutes. Wonder what that's about?
 

Deleted member 42

I haven't had any problems here (so far), but a few days ago I was browsing on icanhascheesburger (the lolcat site) and got redirected to a Nordstrom's ad multiple times in a few minutes. Wonder what that's about?

If you can get it to happen again, I'd love to know any data you can give me.
 
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