(Vanity) Is DRUDGEREPORT.COM spreading Computer viruses?

drudgereport ^ | 12-8-04 | me

[grandpiano007]

For the last two days, every time I visit Drudge, my computer gets hijacked by some pop-up virus. Am I the only one? I have to put the Yahoo-toolbar virus scanner on it and it tells me I got a Trojan horse hijacking my computer. It does get rid of it, but what's going on? Can someone please proof me wrong, so I can look for the cause somewhere else? Or have you experienced it too. Is drudge out of money or something to allow this scumware to infect his readers' computers?

[BIGLOOK]

I got SPYBLASTER free. Nothing gets in.

[bigfootbob]

Will that browser prevent spyware? And what are the advantages of the browser other than being something other than a Microsoft product? Thanks.

[bad company]

I just ran my Webroot Spy sweeper and it didn't find any spyware on my computer.

[Redcloak]

It's no fair. I've got Firefox running on a Linux box. I never get to play in any reindeer games.

[JoJo Gunn]

Here's a trick for IE users to help block popups and unwanted ads:

As I write this, this ad was on Drudge's site:

It's not the actual ad as linked from Drudge, but an image I've uploaded, because for one thing I have that ad's server blocked and can't verify it in Preview. If you see it at Drudge, right click on it and select Properties, and you'll note that "servedby.advertising.com" is in the link. That's the part you want to focus on. Go to the top of the browser, click on Tools>Internet Options, then Security, highlight Restricted Sites, then click sites. You'll see a place where you can enter sites. What you need to do is use a "wildcard", an asterik (*), plus a period immediately afterward. Copy this exactly:

*.servedby.advertising.com

and paste it on that line and hit the Add button. That should block any ad, either on page or a popup, from that particular ad agency.

With patience and practice you can study and learn the links and who and what to eliminate. If sites don't render properly anymore, you can go into that box and remove the blocked site you've entered.

The trick with popups you try and close yet they send you there anyway, you can sometimes right click on them to get their properties. Sometimes you can't, but while offline you might can find the link in the browser History.

I have to say I hate giving out advice like this, because everybody's gotta eat, but in the three and a half years I've had a computer I've seen a lot of changes for the worse, and it's come to war.

Nobody's gonna protect us from the spammers and hackers and driveby downloaders, so it's up to ourselves.

[Straight Vermonter]

As others have mentioned firefox is more secure than IE. If you must use IE download google's toolbar which blocks popups.

[Roy Tucker]

BTTT

[KwasiOwusu]

"Don't buy the hype. ff is very flawed, does not render pages correctly, does not work with many forms, chat progs, vid embeds, the list goes on and on. Opensource is the biggest fraud and con on the net today."


Agree.
Firefox is a piece of garbage and a fraud.
Its rubbish.
The open source crazies keep polluting everywhere with their nasty propaganda.
They are every bit as insidious as the Dummies.
Fall for their evil propaganda at your own peril.

[myvoice]

What is the site to get spyblocker for free?
Spybot wants $39.95.
The scan was free I have Alexia, what does it do?

[KwasiOwusu]

"As others have mentioned firefox is more secure than IE"

Rubbish!

[Cableguy]

I use both IE and Firefox, and never had problems with Drudge.

[elmer fudd]

If you set the security settings on IE tight enough to block out the stuff on Drudge you end up with a browser that can't do squat. To see the superiority of Firefox all you have to do is run AdAware after a week of surfing and see the spyware you haven't picked up. Popup blocking is also built into it and you can still use Javascript.

[KwasiOwusu]

Whatever you do, DON'T use Firefox.
That'd be going from the frying pan into the fire

[bad company]

Thankyou sir. I've got my computer set up pretty good, but that damn media flash player thingie always gets through. I'll have something for them next time.

[Halgr]

If you are going to use internet explorer...YOU MUST protect yourself...no matter where you go on the internet.

Zonealarm as a firewall (its free)
Spywareblaster and Ad-Aware SE (both free)
and (AntiVirus) AVG 6.0 (again...FREE)

You silly people that cruise around without protection are just asking for trouble....

I have all the above and I have no fear and no hassles......even at the Drudge site.

Hello???

[myvoice]

Bless you!

[Fatalis]

Whatever you do, DON'T use Firefox.
That'd be going from the frying pan into the fire

LOL OK make your case.

[Fatalis]

And what are the advantages of the browser other than being something other than a Microsoft product? Thanks.

It's not integrated with your Windows OS.

[Susannah]

I use "Spyware Search & Destroy" but found it doesn't find everything, so I also use the free version of Ad-aware. Good idea to have a pop-up blocker too...I use NoAds, so I can just click on it when a pop-up shows up and it won't show up again.

I've also found that an occasional online scan can find things that my antivirus doesn't pick up, especially Trojans. I like the following free online scan:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/