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Doubleclick.net Pop-ups

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but here goes.

I just resubscribed to STO and started the updater. It was going to take awhile to update (well, it's still updating) so I went to do something else while it worked. When I came back to check the progress I found my browser open (I had not left it open) and several tabs opened to doubleclick.net

STO was the only thing I had running and I never had this problem before now. I keep my virus scanner (Avast) up to date and check for spyware/malware on a regular basis. (and I just just interrupted typing this because it popped up again) I have to assume that the problem is coming from the STO updater.

I'll keep working on it here and if I get any more info I'll let you know, but I thought I should let you folks know asap so you could check your end. Here is the actual URL that is coming up in case it helps:
https://fls.doubleclick.net/activityi;src=896085;type=1001b558;cat=hpsta115;ord=1;num=8211303583853.265?

Thanks!

Oh, and let me just say that I'm really, really, REALLY impressed with how far this game has come along since launch. You should be proud of the work you've done.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Hello there!

    Thanks for the praise, I'll make sure the game team knows of it. :)

    As for the "opening of windows" - the launcer cannot open windows for you without any clicks on elements happening. Which browser was open from your end? How did the "opening of windows" appear, did you get new windows or new tabs? Can you give any more data than what you gave so far?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Mozilla Firefox, current version. it was opening new tabs ever few minutes. Firefox was not open before that started. The problem disappeared as soon as the updater finished and I launched the game.

    There also appeared to be some sort of error on the "News" tab of the updater. I'm sorry, I didn't write it down. It said something about not having what I needed to view that page. It looked like it was trying to display the STO website's main page.

    If it happens again I'll try to get more data for you. I'm just glad it quit to be honest. :P
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    FYI. Use the following steps to block doubleclick all together (as well as other ad agencies.)
    1. Go to the Start menu
    2. click Run
    3. Type Notepad C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc\Hosts
    4. Hit the Enter key
    5. Move the Curser to the end of the file
    6. Add "127.0.0.1 google-analytics.com" to the end of the file.
    7. Press Enter key and add "127.0.0.1 fls.doubleclick.net" to the end of the file.
    8. Save the file and exit Notepad
    9. Shutdown and restart the computer

    Will stop those all together.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    it sounds like spyware or a virus on your PC.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    ACES_HIGH wrote: »
    it sounds like spyware or a virus on your PC.

    Agreed. Use Spybot Search and Destroy, Ad-Aware, or Malwarebytes to get rid of it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Doubleclick.net is a google adverting company. The problem stopped when the updater closed and hasn't returned. As I said in my first post, I keep my virus scanner up to date and check for spyware on a regular basis. I suspect this was caused by an error in a script - especially considering there was an error in the "news" page of the updater.

    As for modifying the hosts file, that is a good way to treat the symptom, but I prefer to repair the cause if possible. By modifying the hosts file you're preventing the script from reaching the internet, but you're not eliminating whatever is causing it to begin with.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    You say you use Firefox. The launcher actually uses elements from Microsoft IE (and at home I had to unblock a lot of stuff when I started playing Co and STO). Do you know if your IE has regular access to the internet?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Sounds like you have a double click virus of some sort. They are nasty can hide from virus scans and even keep updates to antiviral software from updating properly. They can get at Firefox but most often hit up IE components.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    No one program will find everything. I have to break the news to numerous customers every day when I tell them their anti-virus didn't catch the nasties they are infected with. Having used Avast for close to a decade now, it is absolutely a wonderful anti-virus but needs an anti-trojan like malwarebytes and an anti-spyware like spybot search & destroy to help catch things it just simply is not made to catch.


    If it was the STO launcher, many people would be reporting this, and they are not. Logically the problem is something unrelated to the STO launcher.
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