AUGI Exchange IS usable!

[sinc]

I've downloaded three files from the AUGI exchange now, and two of them contained ads embedded in the zip file that run during the extraction. One was one of the ones that keeps popping open an internet explorer window every minute or so. I wasn't sure how it was working, and rather than waste time trying to figure it out, I just rebooted my computer to get it to go away.

The whole experience has soured me on the AUGI Exchange, and now I'm extremely leary of downloading ANYTHING from AUGI Exchange. I've been having an unexplained and so-far-unsolvable problem where I can't access any Land Desktop objects from Lisp, no matter what I do, and now I have a fear that I got infected from AUGI Exchange with something. (I actually think the culprit is something else, but the AUGI Exchange thing has thrown another variable into a mix that's already difficult to make sense of. I'm leaning toward the actual cause being either MS Office or this stupid HP Memories program that started installing itself when I was installing my new photo printer, but I still haven't figured it out.)

When (if?) AUGI gets the new version of the Exchange working, I hope they institute a policy that any submittal to the Exchange that contains anything in addition to the advertised code will be deleted from the archive. In it's current state, I find the Exchange unusable because of the "threat factor".

[BrenBren]

I've downloaded three files from the AUGI exchange now, and two of them contained ads embedded in the zip file that run during the extraction. One was one of the ones that keeps popping open an internet explorer window every minute or so. I wasn't sure how it was working, and rather than waste time trying to figure it out, I just rebooted my computer to get it to go away.

The whole experience has soured me on the AUGI Exchange, and now I'm extremely leary of downloading ANYTHING from AUGI Exchange. I've been having an unexplained and so-far-unsolvable problem where I can't access any Land Desktop objects from Lisp, no matter what I do, and now I have a fear that I got infected from AUGI Exchange with something. (I actually think the culprit is something else, but the AUGI Exchange thing has thrown another variable into a mix that's already difficult to make sense of. I'm leaning toward the actual cause being either MS Office or this stupid HP Memories program that started installing itself when I was installing my new photo printer, but I still haven't figured it out.)

When (if?) AUGI gets the new version of the Exchange working, I hope they institute a policy that any submittal to the Exchange that contains anything in addition to the advertised code will be deleted from the archive. In it's current state, I find the Exchange unusable because of the "threat factor".

Can you tell us what files you have downloaded from the exchange, so they can be checked out.

Thanks

[richard.binning]

I've downloaded three files...
<snip>.

I can assure you that what you are experiencing is NOT generated by or resulting from your downloads from the AUGI Exchange. We have no ads in any of the submittals.

Whatever behaviour you are experiencing is only located on your end. I will be happy to verify individual submissions to set your mind at ease.

May I suggest you run some Antivirus software. There are a number of free AV solutions out there. If you need a link let me know. Also, you should be running a "pest detector" of some kind to ferret out spyware, tracking cookies, and trojans. Products are available free of charge to accomplish this task. The behaviour you are describing is typically related to introduction of a spyware program on your machine. These things can get quite insidious and should be scanned for frequently. Lastly, may I recommend a good firewall program to prevent malicious links from depositing any code on your machine.

Good Luck!

[sinc]

McAfee antivirus seems happy.

I actually had this happen several months ago, and have avoided the Exchange ever since. I've never had it happen before or since - I don't do a lot of downloading from websites like the AUGI Exchange, for exactly this reason.

Just for grins, try EX001131. I tried searching for the same thing I was searching for before, and may have found the malicious post. At least, an add popped open when I unzipped it, and as I've been typing this, I've had ads for Yahoo Jobs and MSN WeatherBug pop up.

This is now the second time I've ever had this happen on this machine, and the first time was the last time I downloaded this same file from AUGI Exchange... Seems likely that this file is the culprit. Otherwise it's one hell of a coincidence. Hopefully I just got "lucky", and this is a very rare exception on AUGI Exchange...

It's probably some simple Javascript timer thing, but it's annoying. I guess I'll reboot again now. It's the fast and easy solution to get the ads to go away.

[sinc]

Actually, it seems this one was the more innocuous one. I decided to wait a while and see if I could figure out how it was working, but another ad never appeared.

Initially, I had downloaded the file and gotten an add when I unzipped it. I tried unzipping it again, but got no ad. So I downloaded the file again, and unzipped it. I got no add. All in all I downloaded and opened it three times. Then, as I was typing the last post, I got two ads. Then nothing.

I just tried downloading the file again, and unzipping it again, and got another ad immediately. It seems to be a one-shot deal, popping open an ad only the first time you open it, and it seems to have some delay if you try triggering it multiple times in quick succession.

[Glenn Pope]

I downloaded the file and didn't find anything that would cause this. Just a DCL and LSP file. Have you tried using any adware removal programs like Ad-Aware or Spybot-S&D?

[sinc]

No, but I might have to check into them. If the file is fine on your end, then it must be something on my end. Glad to know that AUGI cares... That makes me feel better, if confused...

I can't figure out why I've only noticed the problem when searching the AUGI exchange... But as I said, I don't do a lot of downloads from sites like AUGI; maybe I just haven't noticed it before, or thought it was a popup from the site itself. It might have just been obvious at the AUGI site, because I KNEW the site itself didn't do that...

--

Oh well. A brief test of going to random web sites and downloading files is leading nowhere. No more pop-up ads. If it is my download accelerator, there's a randomizing factor.

Oh well, it's past my bedtime. A problem for some other time.

[richard.binning]

The problem is definitely on your end. I'll do a little research to see if I can find the culprit you are describing. I would recommend downloading and running Spybot Search and Destroy. It is free and includes a handy immunizer that will notify you any time a program is attempting to write to your registry. Do yourself a favor and get a firewall and AV program installed.

RLB

No, but I might have to...
<snip>

[hand471037]

Also just by switching your default browser you can avoid about 99% of these problems. Most of the spyware/virus stuff rides in on flaws that are built into MS Internet Explorer. Until they clean up that mess of a browser (which I guess they are doing some of in SP2, I hear, but we'll have to see) I highly recommend that you dump IE and start using Mozilla, a free open source web browser/email client that's so much better in many ways: www.mozilla.org

If you just want a browser, and not something to read the newsgroups too, then there is a version of Mozilla that's just the browser called 'firefox'. You can get to it on the same page above.

But in recent light of Virus warnings associated with IE, and identity theft and moreso attached therein, you'd have to be a fool to use IE when there are free alternatives out there that are much better that don't suffer from the same design flaws that allow for the spyware and viruses to flourish on your system.