63% users fail to spot fake pop-ups

[markwolfe Veteran]

That makes you point a finger at somebody else! Why are ISP's not looking at ways to cut off these websites? Why doesn't Microsoft implement such a thing to Windows Defender, why doesn't I.T repair guys do a proper job instead of just cleaning.

Why? Money.

Isn't that just all "reactive"?

New threat pops up. Enough reports and analysis come in on new possible threat. Threat is confirmed. Blacklist updated. Repeat for every new variation of threat and new web site hosting it (heaven forbid it is submitted as a rotating advert).

[RAID 0]

Look on the bright side... it keeps a lot of us here on Neowin making money to remove that crap! Thank God for inept users.

[ANON86364]

That makes you point a finger at somebody else! Why are ISP's not looking at ways to cut off these websites? Why doesn't Microsoft implement such a thing to Windows Defender, why doesn't I.T repair guys do a proper job instead of just cleaning.

I just believe that a good 70% of infections could be prevented by URL filtering.

Why isn't something being done? Money.

ISPs do not need to be any more involved than they are right now. Their sole purpose is feed the information that is the internet through the proper channels uninhibited. You count on Microsoft to create a worthy product to do this? URL filtering would certainly not be as proactive as you are hoping, it is strictly reactive to what is already an issue. As part of an IT team I can assure you that I/we go to many lengths to prevent infections. You cannot, however, exclude end user error from the equation. Like I said, I truly believe as internet users everyone needs to be informed and not ignorant to what creeps throughout the internet.

[Hum]

Oddly, I never fall for fake ads.

I have very strong anti-advertising genes. :laugh:

[C++]

I love all the nerd rage... "ONLY IDIOTS CLICK THESE POPUPS!!!" Yea... Idiots who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, or otherwise smarter than you, but have simply dedicated their lives to something other than computers.

I am surprised it's down to 63% now. I would have expected it to still be more. The novices do actually seem to be learning, at a rate that is alarming to me as someone who relies on offering support in this field for bread and butter.

[Squirrelington]

I love all the nerd rage... "ONLY IDIOTS CLICK THESE POPUPS!!!" Yea... Idiots who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, or otherwise smarter than you, but have simply dedicated their lives to something other than computers.

I am surprised it's down to 63% now. I would have expected it to still be more. The novices do actually seem to be learning, at a rate that is alarming to me as someone who relies on offering support in this field for bread and butter.

QFT

[sycamore]

I swear they should make people pass a test before they are allowed on the internet.

Every country should pass this LAW.

[PermaSt0ne]

I love all the nerd rage... "ONLY IDIOTS CLICK THESE POPUPS!!!" Yea... Idiots who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, or otherwise smarter than you, but have simply dedicated their lives to something other than computers.

I am surprised it's down to 63% now. I would have expected it to still be more. The novices do actually seem to be learning, at a rate that is alarming to me as someone who relies on offering support in this field for bread and butter.

just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean they are smart. what you know has nothing to do with your "smartness". it's your ability to comprehend new ideas that defines your intelligence (IQ)

i know a lawyer and it's sad to say but, she's not smart. she memorizes laws extremely well (things anyone can learn from a book), but she can't solve puzzles worth crap. i frequently buy physical puzzles (ie two horseshoes chained together end to end with a ring around the middle. how do you get the ring off) and she always fails miserably at them and gives up. she can't think for herself, she can only regurgitate what she's read.

back on topic, if the average homeowner updates their computer to the most recent or 2nd most recent OS (vista and xp, or OS X v10) and updates their browser to the latest (whether it be IE, firefox, opera, etc.) then i think this number would drop by 30%. there's just too many people running outdated software like windows 98. they don't switch because "it just works" but they don't realize that not only do they get screwed, but they screw other people by becoming a zombie PC and a platform for some hacker to launch new trojans remotely

[Cormier6083]

Tell me about it. This definitely hits my uncle hard. He ALWAYS clicks one of those.

[theyarecomingforyou]

What are these "pop-ups" people speak of? Honestly, I haven't seen pop-ups for years.

NEway, that many people not knowing whether a pop-up is fake or not is no surprise at all. I recently had to help someone because they couldn't figure out how to set Google back to being their homepage after MSN/Live had managed to take it over.

[Angel Blue01]

I've done it a couple of times, the tip-off is that I don't use blue Luna so its pretty obvious :)

[+Warwagon MVC]

I love all the nerd rage... "ONLY IDIOTS CLICK THESE POPUPS!!!" Yea... Idiots who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, or otherwise smarter than you, but have simply dedicated their lives to something other than computers.

I am surprised it's down to 63% now. I would have expected it to still be more. The novices do actually seem to be learning, at a rate that is alarming to me as someone who relies on offering support in this field for bread and butter.

I wouldn't say they are stupid. They just lack common sense. I know quite a few brilliant people who are common sense dumb.

[Calum Veteran]

It's stupid ignorance of end users that causes this. People need to take the two seconds to actually read what is in front of their face instead of clicking the "X" or "OK". It's true, countless infections are caused by the end user being too ignorant to use a computer. It's quite sad.

I wouldn't say some users are too 'ignorant' to learn about computers or learn about these things, it's just they aren't aware of the dangers so they don't know they need to learn these things. Most inexperienced computer users will think they are using their PC perfectly fine & know all they think they need to know (chatting on MSN, browsing the web).

They need to be taught both in school & in life in general the importance of computer security & the dangers of things like this on the internet. ICT should be compulsory throughout the whole of education & they should teach students these sort of things.

It is extremely easy to understand a fake pop-up & know it is fake when you have a good knowledge of computers & technology.

[Calum Veteran]

I swear they should make people pass a test before they are allowed on the internet.

Every country should pass this LAW.

I think I actually agree with this :p lol.

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Now playing on iTunes: The Killers - Human

via FoxyTunes

[markwolfe Veteran]

I think I actually agree with this :p lol.

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Now playing on iTunes: The Killers - Human

via FoxyTunes

Just to point out, your comment is one line. Your "fake sig" is three.

[Calum Veteran]

So it's then end of the world that a WINDOWS OS had a tiny error ?

Get worried if you do that 3-4 times and stops every single time.Jesus...are you going to pull a lawsuit on Microsoft now ?

Just to point out, your comment is one line. Your "fake sig" is three.

Please explain to me how it is a "fake sig" when it isn't even meant to be a signature. It is a piece off text (with links I cannot help) automatically inserted into my posts by my Firefox extension FoxyTunes, just to let everybody know what I am currently listening to in iTunes (similar to the "What I'm listening to" thread on this forum).

It is very handy & I could turn it off if I wanted to, but I don't want to.

How is it spam? How is it a "fake sig" & how is it anything to do with fake pop-ups or this thread?

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Now playing on iTunes: The Killers - Human

via FoxyTunes

[markwolfe Veteran]

Please explain to me how it is a "fake sig" when it isn't even meant to be a signature. It is a piece off text (with links I cannot help) automatically inserted into my posts by my Firefox extension FoxyTunes, just to let everybody know what I am currently listening to in iTunes (similar to the "What I'm listening to" thread on this forum).

It is very handy & I could turn it off if I wanted to, but I don't want to.

How is it spam? How is it a "fake sig" & how is it anything to do with fake pop-ups or this thread?

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Now playing on iTunes: The Killers - Human

via FoxyTunes

No problem.

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Now playing on iTunes: Ubuntu Rhapsody - Canonical

via My spam link

[Calum Veteran]

No problem.

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Now playing on iTunes: Ubuntu Rhapsody - Canonical

via My spam link

OK, you still aren't making sense to me :p

I know it's promoting a product (FoxyTunes), but it's also providing a useful feature, so I don't get what you're on about.

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Now playing on iTunes: The Killers - Human

via FoxyTunes

[ANON86364]

just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean they are smart. what you know has nothing to do with your "smartness". it's your ability to comprehend new ideas that defines your intelligence (IQ)

i know a lawyer and it's sad to say but, she's not smart. she memorizes laws extremely well (things anyone can learn from a book), but she can't solve puzzles worth crap. i frequently buy physical puzzles (ie two horseshoes chained together end to end with a ring around the middle. how do you get the ring off) and she always fails miserably at them and gives up. she can't think for herself, she can only regurgitate what she's read.

back on topic, if the average homeowner updates their computer to the most recent or 2nd most recent OS (vista and xp, or OS X v10) and updates their browser to the latest (whether it be IE, firefox, opera, etc.) then i think this number would drop by 30%. there's just too many people running outdated software like windows 98. they don't switch because "it just works" but they don't realize that not only do they get screwed, but they screw other people by becoming a zombie PC and a platform for some hacker to launch new trojans remotely

I've come to learn C++ is as arrogant as they come, and I generally don't bother with him anymore. You are quite right though.

[AudioDope]

fake or real?

all fake.

[remix17]

fake or real?

all fake.

They look genuine enough until you actually read the contents.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Well, the first one should trigger no further action on the part of the user; the second shouldn't be trusted if the user doesn't recognise / didn't install the software; the third could only be trigger by something already installed, so it's already too late. Obviously they all look quite genuine but it's in context that they are easy to spot out. The most serious is the second one, as I've seen plenty of malware that pretends to remove viruses / spyware - people assume it was already installed or is part of Windows and I know people that this has happened to (heck, I know someone that fell for the "I love you" virus).

[Wiley2008]

wow..I thought I WASN'T TECH SAVY!!!

I mean, really, 63% though....:smh:

[ANON86364]

Well, the first one should trigger no further action on the part of the user; the second shouldn't be trusted if the user doesn't recognise / didn't install the software; the third could only be trigger by something already installed, so it's already too late. Obviously they all look quite genuine but it's in context that they are easy to spot out. The most serious is the second one, as I've seen plenty of malware that pretends to remove viruses / spyware - people assume it was already installed or is part of Windows and I know people that this has happened to (heck, I know someone that fell for the "I love you" virus).

This is exactly my point. We are capable of deciphering what is legitimate and what is fraudulent. Not because we have a superior IQ or because it may be part of our career path (although that may help). I think anyone who takes the time and effort to actually read what is in front of their face and use some logic could find that these messages are at the very least suspicious.

[DELTETHISACCOUNT]

I remember back before I was a even a teenager I recieved my first popup. First thing I did was call my mom...

"MOM! MOM! WE WON A FREE CRUISE!! BUT YOU HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR IT IN THE NEXT TEN MINUTES OR ELSE SOMEONE ELSE WILL GET IT!!! HURRY! COME HOME!!!"

We didn't get the cruise :(

Edited September 25, 2008 by Ruiz