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Flightsimming and viruses!!

T

tigisfat

Guest
I haven't been around for several days because I've been fighting several potent viruses stemming from (possibly) one rootkit called "rootkit.win32.agent.mih". Another popped up as "trojan.win32.TDSS.adzz". They limited my ability to use anti-virus software, search engines and killed my access to many websites including anti-virus websites. To compound my frustration, advertisements played randomly over my speakers. At this point, it looks as if I've quite possibly beat the infections with help from quite a few friends online, multiple utilities and the tech support line at Kaspersky Labs.

What's this got to do with you, you might be asking? Using another computer, I started reading up on these viruses and compiling a small library of information about them and how to combat them. More than half of the people I came across through regular search engine inquiries are fairly positive that they got them from flight simming websites. Being a man of absolutes, I won't venture that far, but I will say that I don't visit very many websites and I don't really download anything anymore unless it's FSX freeware. This, coupled with the fact that many flightsim sites that have had battles with hackers and infections lately has me troubled.

I've got to give this waiver: I'm about an intermediate computer user. I'm sure I don't know half as much as some of you developers, artists and programmers here, so please go easy on me if I've said things or suggested things that don't make sense.

Is it possible that our hobby is being specifically targeted and attacked? Could I have recieved malware from this or other flightsimming websites simply through visiting? I know that the many administrators go to graet lengths to maintain sanitary libraries, so I don't think I'm getting malware that way.
 
tigisfat said:
Is it possible that our hobby is being specifically targeted and attacked?
Click to expand...

No it happens every year all year, its just the seasonal increase at the mo because all the schools/colleges/unis have closed for the summer. After avsim theres been a trend in the flightsimming circuls called paranoia :monkies:

tigisfat said:
Could I have recieved malware from this or other flightsimming websites simply through visiting?
Click to expand...

not sure on that one, think it depends on the sight and your antivirus etc

:wavey:
 
My other hobby is writing Sci-Fi Fan Fiction. One of the sites where I (used) to archive my latest work uses Google ads to pay for the bandwidth. Unfortunately, they don't monitor the ads and on two occasions, my computer has been attacked by ads on that site implanting Trojans. Last time it happened, it blew through my anti-virus and firewall like it wasn't even there.

I now use another site that doesn't use the same type of full banner ads but uses the smaller more unobtrusive ads like the ones Avsim runs.

The code is everywhere and we just seem to stumble across it.

Brian
 
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