TinyURL4.info!!!!!!

[skychief12]

Is there a reason why you go to Google before accessing the site, rather than just typing in our address?John

I don't go to Google. It is a bookmark. I can see a "waiting on www.kahrtalk.com" which I believe is connecting to the IP address on the server. Then suddenly there is a switch to TinyURL4. Sorry, but I don't think it is something on my PC. For me this only happens when connecting to the kahrtalk site. I have tried using just the IP address but I hit the Apache splash screen.

I create the bookmark but typing in the address directly so google is not involved in anyway.

[redjak]

Sorry guys, but it is something wrong with that Google search result. Other search engines do not do that. Is there a reason why you go to Google before accessing the site, rather than just typing in our address? For that matter it only does that in Chrome when I try what you are doing.

John

Now that I know about KahrTalk, I have a bookmark that I use in Firefox to access this site. But when I was looking for a Kahr forum, I used a search engine, and found this problem.

I just turned on the Guest account on my Windows 7 computer. The Guest account has no bookmark for KahrTalk. Using Internet Explorer 8 browser, I can get to TinyURL4 every time using Bing, Google, and Yahoo Search, as long as I clear the browser cache between tries. Using Firefox browser, I get the same results. I haven't installed the Chrome browser on this computer.

I think that the server that KahrTalk is installed on is hacked by someone pretty clever, and when a newcomer tries to get to KahrTalk coming from any search engine, they get redirected to TinyURL4. No KahrTalk site administrator should find this hack, since they would get to the site a different way, or already have the site bookmarked, but it will trap a newcomer.

Jim

[johnh]

Nope, the server has been scanned, scanned, and rescanned. I even had Google rescan it yesterday. I am not sure what to tell you as I cannot replicate this from my PC except on that one link from Google. I don't have bookmarks, I just type in the address each time I come here. Perhaps they still are returning a result from when the forum was compromised months ago.

John

[redjak]

This is a puzzle. The Google scan should find the problem. Here is what I did to show the problem:

I re-tried using the old computer running Windows XP that I keep to run software that won't run on Windows 7. Enabled the Guest account, because Guest has no privileges, and I don't want the malware on TinyURL4 able to load on my computers.

Next, I setup Internet Explorer 8 as follows: Tools, Internet Options, Delete, check all boxes except Preserve Favorites, click Delete, check Delete browsing history on exit, click Apply, then OK.

Test 1: Run IE8, enter www.kahrtalk.com. Result: kahrtalk. Close IE8 (to delete browser history).

Test 2: Run IE8, enter www.bing.com. Search for kahr talk. Click first link found. Result: TinyURL4. Close IE8.

Test 3: Run IE8, enter www.google.com. Search for kahr talk. Click second link found. Result: TinyURL4. Close IE8. Note that google is in my opinion doing kahrtalk a favor. The first link on google goes to a disclaimer page for kahrtalk, and the bottom of that page has a link that does go to kahrtalk correctly.

Test 4: Run IE8, enter www.yahoo.com. Search for kahr talk. Click first link found. Result: TinyURL4. Close IE8

Test 5: Run IE8, create a bookmark for Kahr Talk, click on the bookmark. Result: kahrtalk. Close IE8

Sorry about the long message. I've tried on two computers. It appears to me that a newcomer looking for Kahr Talk using a search engine will end up at TinyURL4 most of the time. But somebody who types in the correct address or has a bookmark will not have this problem.

Jim

[mr surveyor]

just prior to my massive infection I picked up from opening a news story link on another gun related site, I made the terrible mistake of loading IE8 on my XPpro laptop. I don't know if that was part of the problem, but I hated the way IE8 ran. I still believe what the computer tech told me. The anti virus folks build patches as fast as they can isolate the bugs.... some bugs are gonna get through regardless... I was one of the unfortunate few that opened the wrong link at the wrong time. Anyhow, I had the old Dell re-built, reloaded all my necessary s/w, and reloaded IE7. I am now back to being real cautios about opening any link posted in a thread until I see a half dozen other discuss it, or until a couple of days have passed and AVG has had a chance to build a bug catcher.

It happens to the best of us


surv

[earle8888]

FYI, followed Zorn 's advice. Used malwarebytes.com. NOW I am getting that TINYURL stuff!!!
Don't know if it related, BUT, all the links I had through bookmarks, favorites, stc. are corrupt.

[earle8888]

Just read the page two about "TinyURL4.". Please note that after running the malware software I cleared all my "Cookies, Histories, and anything else I could delete" Then I got TinyURL4. on trying to connect to kahrtalk. Also, note that the way I now get to kahrtalk is by going to WWW.kahrtalk.com then its fine. I don;t know if any of this is helpful in solving the problem, but, I offer it with hope that it will.

[robmcd]

tinyURL4.info is a free redirect service. Anyone can enter a URL and have it redirected to an alternate site by entering the info on tinyURL4.info. They are not the real bad guys, but are now complicit - it's whomever has entered kahrtalk.com and redirected it to the virus/spyware download. They have literally highjacked it so when you Google kahrtalk the search results are masked as the kahrtalk forum. The Administrators need to contact both Google and tinyURL4.info and get them to do something about it, or this will happen to everyone who searches for the forum on Google instead of using a link on the Kahr Arms website.

Administrators please read this article about tinyURL4.info.

[johnh]

I have the hosting service doing some removal and updates of some supporting software related to vBulletin. If anything is amiss, this would correct it as the relevant parts of the forum software would be removed/reinstalled. I will let you guys know when it is finished.

[johnh]

Any change in this today? The host finished yesterday. I have never been able to replicate this consistently, so would rather hear from someone who could.

John

[skychief12]

I have never been able to replicate this consistently, so would rather hear from someone who could.
John

It doesn't ever happen consistently when I connect using my bookmark.

[redjak]

Any change in this today? The host finished yesterday. I have never been able to replicate this consistently, so would rather hear from someone who could.

John

John,

I repeated my testing using the Guest account on my Windows 7 computer. I think that it is fixed. I tried searching from Bing, Google, Yahoo, and they all go to Kahr Talk instead of TinyURL4. Thanks!

Jim

[wyntrout]

Dang! All of my bookmarks get this result and I can't reference anything that I bookmarked:
"404 Not Found
The resource requested could not be found on this server! Powered By LiteSpeed Web Server
LiteSpeed Technologies is not responsible for administration and contents of this web site!"

I had bookmarked a lot of posts and threads for helping others and now they seem to be worthless.

Wynn

[skychief12]

I have the hosting service doing some removal and updates of some supporting software related to vBulletin. If anything is amiss, this would correct it as the relevant parts of the forum software would be removed/reinstalled. I will let you guys know when it is finished.

I've had no problem with TinyURL4 after the host service performed this.