cycling.tv harmful on-line ads

Maybe this is old news. I don't frequent this forum although it
seemed the most appropriate place to post. I also don't watch
cycling.tv except for the Giro and Vuelta. But insidious hackers can
infect computers even if you don't click on an ad.

Below is the text of my Email to cycling.tv. It mostly says it all.

Beginning of Email
Hello,

I have very strong evidence that one of the on-line ads appearing on
cycling.tv infects my computer. The details are below.

I have paid for and watched the Giro and Vuelta every year since you
started carrying them. The infection only began recently.

I usually watch with a desktop running Win XP home SP2. Recently I
picked up a used laptop that came with a Win XP Pro SP1 installation
disk. I installed it just to watch the Vuelta.

I'm running with firewall on (all exceptions disabled), IE6, Google
pop-up blocker on, Windows Media Player 10. No other applications are
installed (it is a fresh format of the hard drive). Windows Media
Player is configured not to access the internet.

I then watch one day of the Vuelta. Before the race is over IE
windows are popping up with advertisements, applications are
downloaded and installed, the Windows registry is altered, and other
harmful things are happening. If I close IE completely after 2 or 3
minutes it opens again with advertisements.

I will then wipe out the hard drive by reformating it, install the
applications listed above, and watch the next stage of the Vuelta.
Before it is over the computer is infected again.

This is surely coming from your site. Since this began I have not
visited any other websites with this computer. Furthermore, after
reinstalling Windows I will leave the computer connected to the
internet (with IE closed) for 24 hours without it becoming infected.

Paying $30 to have my computer infected is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.
If you expect me to continue paying you for cycling videos then PLEASE
CLEAN THIS UP.

I will continue reformatting the hard drive on a daily basis, since
you already have my money. But if this doesn't stop you can be sure
you won't get any more.

End of Email

Something I didn't mention is that I watched one stage with the Win XP
Home SP2 computer and it did not get infected. And, of course, I
haven't clicked on any ads. I'm still trying to find ways to stop
this.

On 09/06/2007 03:18 PM, in article
,
" wrote:

Maybe this is old news. I don't frequent this forum although it
seemed the most appropriate place to post. I also don't watch
cycling.tv except for the Giro and Vuelta. But insidious hackers can
infect computers even if you don't click on an ad.

Below is the text of my Email to cycling.tv. It mostly says it all.

Beginning of Email
Hello,

I have very strong evidence that one of the on-line ads appearing on
cycling.tv infects my computer. The details are below.

I have paid for and watched the Giro and Vuelta every year since you
started carrying them. The infection only began recently.

I usually watch with a desktop running Win XP home SP2. Recently I
picked up a used laptop that came with a Win XP Pro SP1 installation
disk. I installed it just to watch the Vuelta.

I'm running with firewall on (all exceptions disabled), IE6, Google
pop-up blocker on, Windows Media Player 10. No other applications are
installed (it is a fresh format of the hard drive). Windows Media
Player is configured not to access the internet.

I then watch one day of the Vuelta. Before the race is over IE
windows are popping up with advertisements, applications are
downloaded and installed, the Windows registry is altered, and other
harmful things are happening. If I close IE completely after 2 or 3
minutes it opens again with advertisements.

I will then wipe out the hard drive by reformating it, install the
applications listed above, and watch the next stage of the Vuelta.
Before it is over the computer is infected again.

This is surely coming from your site. Since this began I have not
visited any other websites with this computer. Furthermore, after
reinstalling Windows I will leave the computer connected to the
internet (with IE closed) for 24 hours without it becoming infected.

Paying $30 to have my computer infected is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.
If you expect me to continue paying you for cycling videos then PLEASE
CLEAN THIS UP.

I will continue reformatting the hard drive on a daily basis, since
you already have my money. But if this doesn't stop you can be sure
you won't get any more.

End of Email

Something I didn't mention is that I watched one stage with the Win XP
Home SP2 computer and it did not get infected. And, of course, I
haven't clicked on any ads. I'm still trying to find ways to stop
this.



Have you tried downloading and installing SP2 and all other security updates
on the laptop?



--
Steven L. Sheffield
stevens at veloworks dot com
bellum pax est libertas servitus est ignoratio vis est
ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee sea eye tee why you ti ay aitch
aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you
double-yew double-ewe dot flahute dot com [foreword] slash

wrote:

Something I didn't mention is that I watched one stage with the Win XP
Home SP2 computer and it did not get infected. And, of course, I
haven't clicked on any ads. I'm still trying to find ways to stop
this.


You just answered your own question--install SP2. It has a ton of
security updates. Also, dump IE as your browser, you're begging for
trouble if you use it, and install a third party firewall. Surfing the
net these days with SP1 and IE is like walking into a prison block with
your pants down.

Of course, the best solution would be to reformat your computer and
install a linux flavour instead. Ubuntu is ready for daily desktop use.
Nobody can upload and install anything without your express approval,
and malware simply doesn't work.

Kyle Legate wrote:
Of course, the best solution would be to reformat your computer and
install a linux flavour instead. Ubuntu is ready for daily desktop use.
Nobody can upload and install anything without your express approval,
and malware simply doesn't work.

You don't even have to reformat (or re-partition):
http://wubi-installer.org/

Donald Munro wrote:
Kyle Legate wrote:
Of course, the best solution would be to reformat your computer and
install a linux flavour instead.

You don't even have to reformat (or re-partition):
http://wubi-installer.org/

Isn't Cycling.tv notorious for being inaccessible for non-Windows?


--
E. Dronkert

Ewoud Dronkert wrote:
Isn't Cycling.tv notorious for being inaccessible for non-Windows?

Well, I haven't got it to work on my GNU/Linux machines, their support
service wasn't much help and I've seen many similar reports elsewhere.
I wish they'd put up a simple stream playable in vlc, mplayer, portable
devices and so on, even if it means using traditional tv-style adverts
in addition to any web-scripted ones.

Regards,
--
MJ Ray - see/vidu http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html
Experienced webmaster-developers for hire http://www.ttllp.co.uk/
Also: statistician, sysadmin, online shop builder, workers co-op.
Writing on koha, debian, sat TV, Kewstoke http://mjr.towers.org.uk/

I believe the problem has now been solved. You should be able to enjoy
this weekend's racing in relative safety.

Ewoud Dronkert wrote:
Donald Munro wrote:
Kyle Legate wrote:
Of course, the best solution would be to reformat your computer and
install a linux flavour instead.
You don't even have to reformat (or re-partition):
http://wubi-installer.org/

Isn't Cycling.tv notorious for being inaccessible for non-Windows?



It doesn't work from a more-or-less vanilla Ubuntu 7.03 system, but it
took just a few minutes to get it to work on my MacBook (OS X 10.4.10).
And I just got this thing yesterday, so I'm no OS X whiz. If there is
such a thing.

On Sep 7, 6:08 am, Halverde wrote:
I believe the problem has now been solved. You should be able to enjoy
this weekend's racing in relative safety.

Interesting. Would you please elaborate. What have you read or heard
that makes you say that?

Tom

Fred Fredburger schreef:
took just a few minutes to get it to work on my MacBook (OS X 10.4.10).

You mean installed Flip4Mac? I have that, took a look on the website,
nothing works with Safari, very crappy with Firefox. Anyway, I'm not a
potential viewer so no need to look further into it.


--
E. Dronkert