Question 'bout this sitet: I was not able to access for 2 days because of a malware attack . . .

M

mistral

Well-known member
My Norton Internet Security kept bouncing up and blocking my access to this swap due to an attack by JS Coinminer malware, which I read can be installed on unsuspecting websites.

I see posts from the last couple of days when I could not access this site.

Did anyone else have this problem?

 
if you ever get a message like this, please email it to me so that I can investigate

please provide the specific message or a screenshot of the message. Usually it will have some specific information. Often I find these reports end up being an infected browser. Like some installed a toolbar in their browser. These toolbars often hijack content so that you will be viewing a site but the toolbar adds stuff to it via your browser.

 
could not find an e-mail for you on my machine. . .

Thank you for the link to securi; I have bookmarked it.
I ran a full Norton scan on my machine, and nothing was found at all.

The JS Coinminer thing is a real thing according to Norton.

Thanks again! smileys/smile.gif

 
Mistral, I ran into the same problem ...

on Monday evening. I enlisted Norton's help via their chat support system. It appears, in the end, that there was no problem with my computer, but that Norton was defending it from a perceived problem from Eat.at. After checking out Eat.at and deeming it safe, they set up an exception for this site, so that I will not encounter the problem in the future.

 
Paul, this is what Norton support had to say...

about the event I experienced.

"JScoinminer is a web-based detection for a JavaScript cryptocurrency miner that runs in web browsers. The JavaScript coin miner consumes enormous CPU resources, making computer very slow. The JavaScript is loaded in the browser when you visit a webpage hosting the JavaScript. The JavaScript runs as long as you stay on the webpage. As long as the website being visited is injected with the coin mining JavaScript, the website will be blocked by this signature. The computer system is not actually "infected" when this detection triggers.

Norton protects you against the Coinminer malware. Run LiveUpdate to make sure that your Norton definitions are up to date and run full system scan. If you that particular website is suspecious according the Norton definitions that it will block it again."

 
there is no malware on the site

thank you for the info. I genuinely appreciate it and I am not being argumentative, just showing you that I am being thorough.

Most websites these days run offsite javascript ( "js" ). WAG would be something like 95%. This is via Google adsense and things like Bootstrap and a few other frontend frameworks which power the look and feel of most websites. But as far as I can recall the only offsite javascript run in the swap is via google adsense.

There is nothing on the server suggesting any kind of injection. There are no third party sites/blacklists indicating the site is compromised. I'm not a fan of Norton. I'm not a fan of Windows computers at all but invariably get asked to fix them. When I do if they are running Norton, I replace it with the free version of Avast. I've found Norton to be "bloatware" and to me it is just insult to injury to have to pay for it. The fact that they make it very difficult to fully uninstall is also another indicator to me that they are not a company that I trust. Avast is at least as good - in my opinion better.

https://www.avast.com/en-us/free-antivirus-download

 
All I can say is this is the only time I have had this problem, and I was very surprised . . .

that I had it here. First thing I thought of was "the swap was hacked!" Maybe the google stuff got messed with?

 
I've used AVAST for years and found it to be easy to use, great at detecting...

...viruses and other malware, while not sucking up CPU resources. It doesn't slow down my computer, and allows me to turn off Windows Defender and Windows Firewall (ugh!), as I recently upgraded to their $20 per year fee for an added firewall. I love it.

Up until recently, I only used their free version and thought it did a great job.

Michael

 
I also agree with Paul's assessment of Norton. It slowed down my computer so much...

...that I actually thought I had a VIRUS. So many "false positives" and, at least back in the day, too many side-by-side comparisons with Avast (and other anti-virus programs) showed Norton to be inferior to them at stopping certain actual threats.

No thanks.

M

 
RuthAB hello!! My I haven't seen you on here in ages!

Hope all's well. Today my orchestra had our winter concert and we played an all Dvorak program of Carneval Overture, Romanze, and Symphony No 9 "From the New World." Beautiful sunny day in the 'Nati and we took 14 year old granddaughter out afterward for her annual birthday sushi dinner.
.

 
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