| Hello. My name is Donovan, and I am one of the many people who log into Lavalife. Before I continue, I would like to clarify: |
| THIS IS NOT A JOKE |
| Please read on, as the security of your own computer may have been compromised by logging into Lavalife. |
| When I logged into Lavalife.com on November 8, 2008, I was prompted with a popup
telling me that "my system could be compromised" and that I should "scan my system now".
After a few tests, I determined that this popup will appear anytime from immediately after logging in,
right up to when you start to browse the logged-in part of the website (ie: mail, dating, etc.).
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Did you also receive this popup? Read on, this is VERY important.
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If not, it is very possible Lavalife has removed this link as of November 9, 2008, due to other members
like myself who notified Lavalife of this security risk. Yet they STILL do not notify
the community as a whole, of a possible security breach imposed on their computers as a direct
result of logging into the website. ALL IT TAKES IS ONE DAY TO COMPROMISE THOUSANDS OF COMPUTERS.
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Knowing my way around computers,
I was very sure that my system was NOT compromised.
the computer I use is highly secure by means of an enterprise level antivirus,
one which is not typically available to the general public. My experience as
an IT professional prompted me to wonder what this popup was really for.
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When I closed this popup, my antivirus IMMEDIATELY told me of an attempt by the popup
to download a malicious program onto my computer.
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IF you were NOT warned by your antivirus program of this attempt, chances are
your PC is now INFECTED.
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But it doesn't end there.
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Once I closed this initial popup, and was warned by my antivirus program of the FIRST attempt,
a SECOND window popped up, enlarged itself to fill my screen, and made additional attempts
to fool me into downloading its malicious software, under the disguise of 'cleaning your PC'.
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I have attached a photo below. Click on it for an enlarged version
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While this new popup begins its little animation to try to fool me into
thinking it is scanning my PC, it is making additional attempts to download even MORE
malicious software onto my system.
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I have attached a photo below. Note the 'virusscan on-access' message from my
antivirus, showing an attempt to download a file. Click on it for an enlarged version
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| Note the 'Microsoft Security Warning' window.... |
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It's FAKE.
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| Clicking on anything at this point only prompts this website to bombard you with more warnings, and a popup download which is simply more malicious software. See the below photos. |
Here's an attempt to make it look like Internet Explorer requires the download to function properly. DO NOT LET IT FOOL YOU
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Here's the download link for the program which will 'clean my computer' DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS
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One more attempt to force me to download the link, which apparently isnt working properly. |
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| The BEST way to get rid of this? Close the windows by using the red 'X' in the upper right corner of each window. |
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This does not mean you have escaped
an attempt to download the malware.
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| Get a good antivirus and scan your entire system! |
| Some good antiviral programs include McAfee and Comodo. I personally do NOT recommend Norton or Symantec, as I have encountered many infected PC's which have had Norton or Symantec products installed. If your system is already compromised, even a good antivirus program is not enough. Google 'Mcafee Stinger' to download a standalone program that can help you eliminate viruses in your system that may have already taken over your current antivirus. |
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If you have any questions or additional concerns, you can contact me
here.
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What's the little 'BSR' window? It's a little program I use to take snapshots of what you
are looking at right now.
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| But here is the big question: |
| What is Lavalife doing to protect us, their members? |
| The answer: |
| NOTHING. |
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Upon realizing what this popup was, and the hugely negative impact it can have on
the Lavalife community, I immediately sent off an email, indicating to them
my findings. To date, I have not received ANY reply from them, nor have I received any
sort of warning message, email or otherwise, indicating this possible risk/threat when logging into the site. |
| What does this tell me (and any security-conscious member)? |
| Lavalife is NOT CONCERNED with security risks imposed onto the users of their website! They are MORE concerned with a loss of revenue due to this threat than the threat itself! |
| Imagine how many users would decide to discontinue their membership if they knew that the site contained malicious software downloads? Lavalife does NOT want this to happen, so instead of doing the right thing and notifying all their members of a potential risk, they choose to quietly remove the malicious link, and 'hope nobody else notices', ignoring all those who were unknowingly infected by their website! |
| This sort of inaction is what causes viruses and malware to spread like wildfire over the internet. Lavalife should OWN UP to their actions, and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. |
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| Security risks like these pose a massive threat, and should be remedied IMMEDIATELY. Lavalife has made no attempt to contact all of their members, warning them of a possible breach in security! It has become clear to me, that through inaction, Lavalife is not concerned about this threat: a threat focused solely on the lavalife community - one which it relies on for revenue. In fact: |
| LAVALIFE MAY HAVE PLACED THIS ON THEIR SITE BY THEIR OWN ACCORD. |
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| What can we all do, as Lavalife users? |
| TELL AS MANY USERS AS YOU CAN! I am one person, who has made the effort of posting this security risk, in an effort to help those who may have already been compromised. Tell as many users as you can! let people know in the Lavalife Party, spread the word! |
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Contact Lavalife via this link: Contact Lavalife |
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Ask them this: WHY IS LAVALIFE WILLING TO AFFILIATE WITH WEBSITES WHICH
OBVIOUSLY CONTAIN MALWARE, AND IMPOSE A MASSIVE SECURITY RISK TO THE
LAVALIFE COMMUNITY? FURTHERMORE, WHY IS LAVALIFE DOING NOTHING TO WARN THEIR MEMBERS OF THIS RISK? |
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| The source of this malware? http://powerfullantivirusscan.com |
| DO NOT GO TO THIS LINK DIRECTLY. |
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| The Affiliate Website used? http://transferralsource.com |
| Warning! This site affiliates with other sites that contain malware, spyware and other malicious software. Avoid them at ALL costs. |