caimag.com forum back up and running - finally

[Buzz Kanter]

After an amazing amount of hard work and long hours by our geek team the www.caimag.com site and free forum is back up and running and we are no longer listed as an attack site.

The look and feel is a bit different and we continue to refine it with the new software. So I'd like to invite everyone back over if you wish.

Sorry for what happened but glad it is over now.

Thanks for your support.

[Rooster]

Buzz, with all due respect, I don't see how being "no longer listed as an attack site" prevents the site from being an attack site. I got smacked hard over there, I'm in no hurry to return, thank-you.

[Buzz Kanter]

I hear you. Same thing can happen at any forum - including this one.

We have set up much stronger anti-virus protection at www.caimag.com now.

[rwm]

go to your local library and check out the forum.the one here in town has a killer firewall and it let me on.this just brings to light that you need to watch all the forums you visit.yes the sting hurts but you'll get over it

[rickgeo]

Dudes , I may get over it ,,, but my stingy bookkeeper that keeps me solvent....is gonna take awhile !!

[Rooster]

Personal Update:

After suffering a pretty good whack (presumably from the CAIMAG site), I was able to clean my computer of the nasty Google-redirect Trojan that infected it. There was also another 'download' Trojan, a 'back door trojan' that had inserted itself into the System Restore portion of Windows; this is apparantly an area of the system that is typically not scanned by most anti-virus programs. I've been staying away from the CAIMAG site, but today I decided to venture in to see what was going on. AVG didn't pick anything up, and ZoneAlarm reported the site was safe to navigate.
Well, guess what...! A few hours later, I get an alarm--- seems AVG had stopped a Trojan from activating. It was the back door trojan, entitled "Trojan horse Pakes.HFF". Thats the one that sneaks into the System Restore files--- it seems to be a download trojan that allows the hacker to steal personal financial information and rob you blind. (Good thing I don't do any banking online.) It is not a new piece of malware, I see references to it at least two years old.
Now, is it just a coincidence, or did this Trojan originate from the CAIMAG site? I do not know--- but I DO know that I do not trust the CAIMAG site any more. It's a real pity, it used to be my favorite hangout. So for the rest of you that visit the site--- have fun! And if strange things start to happen, I'd like to hear about it....

[micmac]

Same here Rooster, I quit going and stopped havin g viruses and having to clean my machine. I would like to know where (and how) to check for that nasty 'lil devil you described as I do do paypal and purchase goods on the 'puter. I miss the site as well. I really enjoyed it there.

[Sargehere]

I've got AVG antivirus, too, and it kept my system from catching the Trojan that went around, "Trojan horse Pakes.HFF" as Rooster described. It caught and sequestered it, or isolated it, or whatever it does, in duplicate, the other week when it was running around. And not only the CAIMag site. It was reported all over the world.

The other day I left here (someone was asking about source for 28x3 clincher tires) and I went through Google to Coker Tires' motorcycle tire page to get the web address, and as I come into Coker Tire site, surprise! AVG alerts that it's lassoed the "Trojan horse Pakes.HFF" trying to download and install itself in my computer again, in duplicate, two copies. It was isolated again and didn't get any where.

Who you gonna blame? Was it in this forum? Google? or Coker Tire, where it appeared? None of the above.
What I've heard, that particular Trojan Horse was set loose in the WWW, meaning, all over the world, and whacked computers from here to Singapore: private, business and Defense, until it was identified and corralled. It may rear its ugly head here-and-there, but updated anti-virus softwares all have its number, now, making it harmless.

I know that CAIMag installed a totally-new copy of the same release number that this forum is using, completely replacing the suite, so it's not the same outfit, and no more likely to, or actually less likely, to harbor the "Trojan horse Pakes.HFF" now than a software suite that was in service when it struck. It's a brand new car, only the passengers, our posts, are the same (less the uninvited hitch-hikers junked with the old car).

[Mr. Big]

I got the same blocked attack from the Coker tire site. It was from a link to Coker from this forum I believe. I just can't remember which thread.

[Rooster]

I wasn't trying to 'cry wolf' yesterday, I was just trying to logically determine where this thing came from, and let folks know. I was thinking about things again last night, and realized the only other thing I did yesterday on the computer was to download an update to Adobe Reader, which as most programs do, notify the user when an updated version is available. My AVG software is set to automatically scan all downloads, and it came over clean, so I don't know. I seem to remember something about fake Adobe downloads from a few years ago, so I Googled the issue this morning, and found that the trojan in that case happens when a user is browsing a site and is prompted to download an update while browsing. Also, the name of THAT trojan is not the name of the one that AVG caught yesterday. So, it's still not clear to me exactly where it came from yesterday.... However, if I can change the setttings in Adobe, I will tell it to NOT alert me to available updates, that way I'll know.
At least it's not just me that's having these irritating issues---- let's see, Sarge and Mr Big also had issues yesterday. And we all three visited the CAIMAG site. Coincidence? Don't be naive.

[Rooster]

Same here Rooster, I quit going and stopped havin g viruses and having to clean my machine. I would like to know where (and how) to check for that nasty 'lil devil you described as I do do paypal and purchase goods on the 'puter. I miss the site as well. I really enjoyed it there.

I also use PayPal and do a lot of purchasing online, using my debit card. I'll do some more research on it this morning...

Okay, ... "Trojan Horse Pakes" resides in 'System Restore' in the computer. (Ever try to do a System Restore and have it be unsuccessful?) That's an area of Windows\System32 that is not scanned by most antivirus software. What I've learned is, you must go into the System Restore, click on 'System Restore Settings' and 'Turn Off System Restore'. Then reboot in Safe Mode, and run the antivirus scan (be sure the software has the latest updates). Once cleaned, reboot normally, go back into System Restore and turn it back on.

[Mr. Big]

I wasn't trying to 'cry wolf' yesterday, I was just trying to logically determine where this thing came from, and let folks know. I was thinking about things again last night, and realized the only other thing I did yesterday on the computer was to download an update to Adobe Reader, which as most programs do, notify the user when an updated version is available. My AVG software is set to automatically scan all downloads, and it came over clean, so I don't know. I seem to remember something about fake Adobe downloads from a few years ago, so I Googled the issue this morning, and found that the trojan in that case happens when a user is browsing a site and is prompted to download an update while browsing. Also, the name of THAT trojan is not the name of the one that AVG caught yesterday. So, it's still not clear to me exactly where it came from yesterday.... However, if I can change the setttings in Adobe, I will tell it to NOT alert me to available updates, that way I'll know.
At least it's not just me that's having these irritating issues---- let's see, Sarge and Mr Big also had issues yesterday. And we all three visited the CAIMAG site. Coincidence? Don't be naive.

Just to be clear, I have not had any attacks at CAIMAG since they switched to the new format like this one. The attack that was blocked was from the Coker tire link posted here on this forum. Since both the AMCA and CAIMAG forums use the same servers, I don't understand how this forum is safe and CAIMAG is not. Just sayin.....

[Buzz Kanter]

Just to be clear, I have not had any attacks at CAIMAG since they switched to the new format like this one. The attack that was blocked was from the Coker tire link posted here on this forum. Since both the AMCA and CAIMAG forums use the same servers, I don't understand how this forum is safe and CAIMAG is not. Just sayin.....

I do not believe this site and www.caimag.com are using the seme servers. We are using the same bulletin board software - as are 90% of all forums these days.

[micmac]

I too am using the AVG stuff. Thanks Rooster and Sarge, time to head up to the Blue Ridge Parkway on the CHief with my wife and forget about the internet. Leaves are in full glory.

[Mr. Big]

I do not believe this site and www.caimag.com are using the seme servers. We are using the same bulletin board software - as are 90% of all forums these days.

Ah, my bad. I did not realize that vBulletin was a purchased software versus a hosted forum. In any case, I don't believe that this forum is somehow safer than CAIMAG. Case in point is the link to Coker that was posted here that I was attacked from. The bad guys are out there and everyone needs to be sure that their virus software is working and up to date.