ComputerGuy Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 I deal frequently with spyware that's landed on people's computers, removing all sorts of little bits of nasty junk that takes over the home page of your browser, or your search engine, or damages your operating system. And for years, people's Yahoo and HotMail accounts have been getting hacked: their contacts lists stolen, their passwords changed so they can no longer access their own private emails. Yahoo and HotMail and everyone else has been pretty silent about how these attacks occur. Today's NYTimes reports that hackers are buying ads on Yahoo, which target millions of their customers, and dump this spyware onto the connected PCs. How can one protect oneself from something that is delivered through such a legitimate method? This is pretty damn scary. If the hackers are this sophisticated, that they can masquerade as legit businesses, I'm at a loss. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/hackers-exploit-flash-vulnerability-in-yahoo-ads/?emc=edit_th_20150804&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=70443563 In this case, though, the attacks are aimed at out-of-date installations of Adobe FLASH on your PC. For a while now, I've been recommending that users keep their Flash updated. In times gone by, I would tell people to ignore the constant, weekly annoying update messages unless a website specifically needed the latest version. But if I ever told you that, and I haven't seen you in a while, please hear me now: update your Flash player anytime you are asked. Scammers can get into our systems far too easily through Flash. There is a growing movement to drop Flash altogether, but it is so ubiquitous--and there are few workable alternatives-- that it will be awhile. Meantime, do yourself a favour and use these links to install and check for the most recent version. (When asked by the software, click on Notify me to install updates.) Make sure you uncheck the "Optional Offer" to install McAfee Security Scan; it's a very poor tool that can actually make your web browsing more difficult. Click here: Install: https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ Test: https://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Berca Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 No problems with Yahoo on my Apple products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted August 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Yet. No problem on mine yet either on my PCs. But it is not an Apple vs. Mac situation. It is a browser advertising situation, and those are the same on any browser on any machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 ok, computerGuy Im running Yahoo, and have had problems with it off and on, mainly runs slow. I tested my Adobe Flash Player and I have the latest version, but I still get those messages that Flash player is blocked because I don't have the latest version. Im running Windows 7 ultimate, with Norton Security, and have it set really tight against attacks. Would you have a suggestion on my problem with Adobe Flash Player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Berca Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Thanks, CG. Guess I should have asked if Apple products were safe rather than what I wrote. The answer seems to be that none of us with Yahoo are safe. Vamos a ver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted August 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 ok, computerGuy Im running Yahoo, and have had problems with it off and on, mainly runs slow. I tested my Adobe Flash Player and I have the latest version, but I still get those messages that Flash player is blocked because I don't have the latest version. Im running Windows 7 ultimate, with Norton Security, and have it set really tight against attacks. Would you have a suggestion on my problem with Adobe Flash Player. When Yahoo, HotMail, GMail, or any other webstie-based email runs slow, the first thing to check is Internet connection and speed. Because, in and of itself, Yahoo cannot run slowly: it is completely dependant on what's happening on your end. The second thing to check is your own computer's performance. A Windows system that has slowed down over the years is going to present with "delayed typing syndrome", as your own keystrokes "wait in line" behind whatever it is the computer might be doing at that moment. A slow computer has a definite affect on Internet speed. An older PC, with say Windows XP, will have a far less powerful CPU (the brains, the chip) than a more current machine, and it will struggle to keep up with your browser right out of the gate. As for the issue with Adobe Flash reporting it is out of date: this is a recurring problem with Safari on a Mac, and with FireFox on a PC. They somehow seem to be out of sync; I imagine it is the way they track releases from their link to Adobe's update data sites. No one has offered a solution. If you know your Flash is up to date, by checking the version number, then there is no need to worry. This "blocking" is really a sad commentary on FireFox at the moment. You are usually given the option to "Allow and remember" that your are unblocking for that particular page, and then it happens again anyway. Every new build of FireFox is supposed to fix this, but so far 95% of the time it hasn't. A few weeks ago, the problem went away for me, then resurfaced last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giltner68 Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 I downloaded the latest Flash https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.htmlthe other day and Firefox seems to think it's ok, at least for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Computer Guy, I am pretty much a computer :() and you obviously are not, and what you say about websites running slowly having to do with the connection or the computer itself makes total sense, but I can confirm that Yahoo takes forever to load. Other websites do not. I figure it's cause Yahoo has to load its mountains of useless "news" and ads and videos before it will actually let you open your mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted August 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 There are no computer $%&/()s, just people who don't have the long-term experience. Yes, certainly Yahoo loads a great deal of advertising and other content. I would compare in your tests to say, Amazon, eBay, the like. Even my book site, which admittedly has too many images per page (http://ajijicbooks.com/Morebooks.html). But my Yahoo.com page loads lickety-split, and many of them are fast-loading at the top while the ones you can't see into you scroll down actually are designed to load after the top of the page. So, who's to say for sure what's going on with your Yahoo. Could be damaged cookies, add-ons, Internet security tools... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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