Phishing Attempt

Last nite my antivirus software flagged a possible Phishing attempt through this site.

Has anyone else had that happen?

Yes, I ran a full system scan checked for updates that aren't already automatic...cleared browser history, etc. Plus I contacted Ning and Terry. My system seems secure now.

That has not happened before with this site since I've been here.

[Eric Sears]

I've been watching something going on. Being a IT I have a bit more understanding about this kinda stuff. I ran into a cookie problem that was coming from NING that was shooting info to an errant location, at that time errant. I havnt checked into it as of late. I think someone probably set up a phishing site on NING to capture the local info.

Its always good to make sure your AV is up to date and that you have a good Anti Spyware. For those more technical that run firewalls and what not, Im sure they already know.

-Eric-

[duain]

i get this phishing report about NING everytime i upload pictures on here, and after the upload completes my laptop freezes so i have to alt/ctrl/del to shut the page. then i run a scan and its NING everytime. i did IT work on the side for a hospital for a while so i know its not my system. i still cant upload videos on here, my AV shuts down the loader do to phishing being present. alot of the problem is with java, its so easy to hack into and setup a phisher (so to speak), or its NING watching our every movement.

[Eric Sears]

duain said:

i get this phishing report about NING everytime i upload pictures on here, and after the upload completes my laptop freezes so i have to alt/ctrl/del to shut the page. then i run a scan and its NING everytime. i did IT work on the side for a hospital for a while so i know its not my system. i still cant upload videos on here, my AV shuts down the loader do to phishing being present. alot of the problem is with java, its so easy to hack into and setup a phisher (so to speak), or its NING watching our every movement.

What you are describing is a bad Java Client from the NING site. I have tried about 30 diffrent flavors of Java to see If I can find one that works well with the Java on the NING site. Honestly, I think its just a NING issue. I have tested the embed on other clients and it get hung up after the upload has completed. I however am not a Java Script Kiddy so I couldnt tell you where the problem is in the code.

-Eric-

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

Thanks for the input..I'm not that computer savy..I learn as I go. My background is in building construction, IAQ and insurance claim work. None the less it sucks to have to be concerned about the safety of this site.

I was thinking about changing my AV to Bit Defender..the current software seems to slow the computer down...and I would bet that's a possible problem for many on this site.

The good thing is my software flagged it and prevented it from happening...after a brief moment of shear panic...lol

The good thing is when I contacted ning, they were Johnny on the spot getting back to me...but if they're the source of the potential problem...a lot of good that will do.

I did run a scan and checked for updates...everything seems to be fine now.

Another thing that concerns me was that e bomb thing (if it's called that) that was loaded on to the site several days ago(Rick Roll). Yeah I'm one of the unsuspecting few that fell for that. It locked up everything and had I'd been working on important documents and/or work related stuff, I would have lost everything and had to start over. It may have not been a big deal, but losing data as I'm working with it would have been a real bummer. I was doing some research at the time and it was no big deal to find it again.

Thanks again for the info.

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

Just wanted to share Nings response....


[The Ning Team - 09/26/2008 07:31 PM]
Hi James!

I'm sorry to hear you experienced this issue. Sometimes anti virus software will pick up on attempts that turn out to be false. however, the best thing to do is contact the Network Creator of this network and confer with them regarding this issue. Any phishing attempt would most likely come from a piece of wayward code on the network which was inserted by the network administrators.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Susan


Now the creator's....

(crickets chirping)



Thank you Eric and Duain.....It helps to have some understanding why something might happen...in order to take preventative measures later....or at least, not be as concerned. You guys Roc!!!!

[Terry "the Pirate" Calhoun]

Thanks, guys. I had not picked up in this thread because I wasn't aware from the title that it addressed something specifically in here.

In addition to Ning functionality, I use a lot of scripts4ning.ning.com scripts on the site. In the case of both vendors, they are building and adding new stuff constantly. You are noticing things that I have not noticed. I appreciate a heads-up on any such thing, and also suggestions on how to deal with such issues.

Thanks.

- Terry, 734.355.0431

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

Thanks Terry for acknowledging this issue...I guess you missed the report I sent you after it happened and the comment I left asking for a response....anyways thanks again for the acknowledgment that this happened. Better late then never,


It is a concern that it happened but I’m less worried about it now….knowing that my AV caught it and worked like it was supposed to


I am curious to the ‘Rick roll’ thing that was put on here that locks up your computer and forces you to control/alt/delete. I had to shut everything down to escape it. That would have been bad if I was working on important stuff at the time. That should not have ever been put up…yes I one of the few that fell for it. Trust was compromised a bit on that one.