Hubzu.com ad spawning multiple unsolicited popups

Status
Not open for further replies.

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Whin I click on a thread that has a hubzu.com ad, I'm getting multiple tabs or popup windows going to hubzu.com, even though I'm not clicking on the ad.

I click on a forum thread with a hubzu ad. A new tab or window opens to hubzu. I close the tab or window. Within a second or two, a new one opens. I close that, and the cycle repeats. Sometimes I only have to close 2-3 hubzu popups to see the actual RR content, sometimes more like 10-15. I understand this site needs ads to keep running, but this is ridiculous. Besides being incredibly annoying, an ad spawning multiple tabs or windows without the user clicking on anything is borderline malware.

Can someone look into this?

Is anyone else experiencing this?

I'm using Google Chrome.
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
...and I had 4 hubzu tabs open in a row when I posted this thread.
 

ElroyJetson

I AM NOT YOUR TECH SUPPPORT.
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 8, 2002
Messages
3,687
Location
DO NOT ASK ME FOR HELP PROGRAMMING YOUR RADIO. NO.
Ever heard of a "hosts file"? Google it. Create one. Assign that site to redirect to null, 127.0.0.1.

Do that with every source URL that brings you content that bugs you.

Never see their garbage again. It just goes NOWHERE.

Some viruses create a hosts file that has entries in it for all the major antivirus websites, so you can't
get to those sites to get help. So if you know to look for the hosts file, you can edit or delete it and restore site access.

Between my hosts file and my ad blockers I enjoy a very advertising-free internet. It's wonderful.
 

KE4ZNR

Radio Geek
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
7,254
Location
Raleigh, NC
Whin I click on a thread that has a hubzu.com ad, I'm getting multiple tabs or popup windows going to hubzu.com, even though I'm not clicking on the ad.

I click on a forum thread with a hubzu ad. A new tab or window opens to hubzu. I close the tab or window. Within a second or two, a new one opens. I close that, and the cycle repeats. Sometimes I only have to close 2-3 hubzu popups to see the actual RR content, sometimes more like 10-15. I understand this site needs ads to keep running, but this is ridiculous. Besides being incredibly annoying, an ad spawning multiple tabs or windows without the user clicking on anything is borderline malware.

Can someone look into this?

Why? this is only occurring on your computer and is not an RR.com problem.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

Nope...time to do a malware scan on your computer and make a hosts file like Elroy Jetson has suggested.

Marshall KE4ZNR
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Yeah, what he said. You've got a malware infection. Might want to think twice before clicking on clickbait in the future.

Just one problem. I never clicked on any of the ads in the RR page, nor did I click on anything in any of the popup tabs. I've been in the IT field for over 20 years, and have cleaned up malware and virus infections in a corparate environment. This ain't my first rodeo.

I notice that the hubzu ads are no longer appearing in the RR ad rotation, so the most likely reason is that they got pulled by the ad service feeding RR. None of the other ads are spawning multiple popups or new tabs.

And I scan my computer regularly for malware and viruses.
 

JD21960

Active Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
1,368
Location
ILL-annoyed
Then it's time to rescan. I haven't had an episode like that since 2008. Besides Malwarebytes, Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit, Super-Anti-Spyware, ESET NOD32 AV, I use OpenDNS, Ublock Origin, Ublock Origin extra *for Chrome* MVSP HOST files
Blocking Unwanted Connections with a Hosts File
I wouldn't go on the Inter-web with a naked Windows host file if someone paid me. I use MVPS HOST files *and my own blocks* in Linux too *which I use 99% of the time* Haven't seen an AD in years and years unless I make an exception for them like I did for RRef and Scannermaster.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

GTR8000

NY/NJ Database Guy
Database Admin
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
15,422
Location
BEE00
Everyone is always an expert with decades of experience, never thinking it can happen to them. Well guess what? It can and it does.

If you were truly that well versed on the subject, you would understand that with malvertising, one does not need to click on the ads or have any interaction with them in order to suffer ill effects.

Spend less time trying to convince us that this isn't your first rodeo, cowboy, and more time reading up on the subject and learning how to actually protect yourself. The fact that you're seeing any ads on this site, i.e. not using some sort of ad blocker, is a clear sign that you're not nearly as protected as you claim to be. :roll:
 

ElroyJetson

I AM NOT YOUR TECH SUPPPORT.
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 8, 2002
Messages
3,687
Location
DO NOT ASK ME FOR HELP PROGRAMMING YOUR RADIO. NO.
Anybody and everybody can and eventually will pick up a malware infection or virus of some sort. Nobody, not even a top expert, is immune. We all get curious and we all click on something that isn't as innocent as it seems.

Which one of the antivirus companies tries to install some stupid toolbar when you go to do an update? I forget which one but it's either the Ask or Bing toolbar and I've become rather expert on rooting that CRAP out of my computer with a vengeance. I. need. no. extra. toolbars. I'm better at registry edits than I ever wanted to be.

Kaspersky may be Russian but it works when everything else failed. I'll keep it. I'm boring anyway, if it phones home to moscow, Putin will see what's on my computer and close the connection out of sheer boredom.
 

FKimble

Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
503
Location
Newnan, GA
Just wanted to say a big "Thank You" to Elroy J for the tip on "Host file". I followed his link and read it then installed it. No more ads. Other sites seem to be loading faster and my computer fans no longer speed up when no one is at the computer!.
Other reading on the subject pointed toward making shortcuts to load sites by directing a short entry such as "RR" for this site, pointing it to the correct IP address. Gonna do more reading on the subject.

Frank KK4YTM
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top