Why has my forum vanished?

[Hunnyluvs]

Technical Details

Forum version : #phpBB3
Position : Founder
Concerned browser(s) : Mozilla Firefox
Screenshot of problem : https://i.servimg.com/u/f44/16/43/04/13/july_110.png
Who the problem concerns : All members
When the problem appeared : I havent visited in some months, when I did, it is gone!!
Forum link : http://ww1.forumotion.com/

Description of problem

My forum (Ferbles) has been inactive for some months. When I visited it now, it is gone! WHY?

(Years ago) I banned two criminals who maliciously tried to destroy the place. Has one succeeded with false complaints?

If I did get a complaint, I need to know FROM WHO, please.


OR is the forum still there and something else happened?

Its address is supposed to be: http://furbles-dot-com.forumotion.com/

But when I click to go there, the address changes to this (and I see NOTHING):
http://ww7.forumotion.com/?z

(If it helps to know, before I stopped paying the fee, the address used to be
http://www.ferbles.com/ ...but we stopped using that years ago and the site has always worked fine.

What I'd like is:

1- to know what happened to it.

2- restore it

[skouliki]

hello

i can see your forum just fine http://furbles-dot-com.forumotion.com/ try to clear your browser cache or use another browser to test it

[Hunnyluvs]

hello

i can see your forum just fine http://furbles-dot-com.forumotion.com/ try to clear your browser cache or use another browser to test it

Well I don't know how you did it, but there it is!! THANK YOU. It hasn't been visible in 4 days. But it is now.

[skouliki]

i did not do anything really
so may i consider this solved?

[Hunnyluvs]

Uh oh. No not yet...

Okay I went there, it was fine. Then I left and went back to make sure it works consistently...and my anti-virus had to save me from the virus I almost got from being misdirected!!!!

I was sent to this address (pictured)(well, you don't want to actually go to it!):


Both my anti-virus and peer block told me DANGER!


Between that happening now,
and the way the addresses I showed you initially showed my browser being re-directed,
something is amis. How do I identify this problem?

[Hunnyluvs]

Okay and now it has gone back to being unavailable (my browser was re-directed to this address (which your site wont post.. it changes it...


Alright, I will take the spaces out -- h t t p: / / w w 1 . 3 f o r u m . b i z /

(and that's nowhere, I don't see anything at that address).


When I tried again, it went to yet another different nonsense address: http://ww1.forumotion.com/

[skouliki]

the popup ads come from the fact that your forum is not active

you need to get more active, post new threads and this will stop as your activity will increase from 0 points

the warning is cause you dont have a ssl certificate
to get a SSL certificate for your forum you will need to pay for a package from your ACP this will give you the right to get one

You do not need to buy a SSL certificate if you don't want to, your forum is 100% safe at Forumotion

read these
https://help.forumotion.com/t150650-ssl-certificate-guide-for-a-success-forum-migration-to-https
https://help.forumotion.com/t155627-forumotion-packages
https://help.forumotion.com/t155623-disabling-ads-on-your-forum

[skouliki]

Okay and now it has gone back to being unavailable (my browser was re-directed to this address: http://ww1.forumotion.com/
(and that's nowhere, I don't see anything at that address).

When I tried again, it went to yet another different nonsense address: http://ww1.forumotion.com/

clear your browser cache and history i can still load your forum fine

[Hunnyluvs]

Okay and now it has gone back to being unavailable (my browser was re-directed to this address: http://ww1.forumotion.com/
(and that's nowhere, I don't see anything at that address).

When I tried again, it went to yet another different nonsense address: http://ww1.forumotion.com/

clear your browser cache and history i can still load your forum fine

Okay I cleared all caches, and re-started. I am still being redirected.
But I don't understand why you mentioned pop-up ads and SSL certificates.
I don't get to the forum at all,
to be seeing anything like that.

And I don't even get re-directed to the same bogus address each time, it differs.
This time it took me to this address, intially:


And then it quickly changed to another address, which my anti-virus says is a link to MALWARE.


I dont know what the problem is. All I can tell you is I've not been having any problems with malware at all.
I suppose that's what this could be starting up now, BUT I don't have any similar results when going to any other sites, just Ferbles.

[skouliki]

i can not generate that i have Kaspersky and i try with all browsers and your forum loads fine
the additional information was in case your antivirus gives you the "Not Secure" warning

Please don't use bold or color and keep to the default text. This is reserved for the staff for moderation. Thank you.

[Hunnyluvs]

Oh, sorry (the text).
Okay I just tried two more times. One time it went to the site fine. The next time: malware link.
I'm being re-directed and have no idea why.
Two other forumotion forums I went to without issue.
Wikipedia loads. The site where I buy music.
Its just this one site (Ferbles).

The only thing I can think of, since you mentioned pop up ads,
is that I have been having a minor problems with my ad blocker (Ad Block Plus, a firefox add-on).
It sometimes causes my browser to go slow, until a message comes up saying " a site is slowing you browser, would you like to stop it?" So I stop it, then the browser proceeds. Today I uninstalled and re-installed that add-on and it is working a little better.
But this was AFTER the problem with Ferbles, which started almost a week ago. ....I'm grasping for straws now, but if what you're saying is I'm being bombarded with pop-ups, from not having been posting for some months, then MAYBE my ad blocker is causing this re-directing (or causing it to be possible for a third party to take advantage of). But, again, grasping at straws.

I will try shutting the ad blocker off, see how it behaves.....

[skouliki]

yes and inform us thank you

[Hunnyluvs]

Okay it's not the ad blocker.

Shutting it off entirely, makes no difference.

I get re-directed to numerous different sites, some of them malicious, all of them nowhere

(I'll show just a picture of them, since going to them is not advisable)

[Hunnyluvs]

I also just tried shutting down to clear everything, and than re-start, But again no change.

Whatever it is is sending me to addresses that aren't addresses (like with 2 w's, not 3).

Is it possible my site has an infection?

I did see (from my e-mail) that a a few spam accounts got made in July...but I wasn't able to go look at them because I cant get to the site. Possibly I've been given a virus IN my forum...is that possible? someone's post? ..If I can get back there I will look at those spam accounts...


Oops, no!! Anti-virus caught another virus when I tried. I'm afraid to keep trying, because the anti-virus catches a virus every time I do. What if it misses one? yikes. I dont know how to fix this.


And the address it re-directs me to keep changing each time.

[Shadow]

Hello @Hunnyluvs,

What happens if you access the forum directly through the administration panel, through this link?
http://furbles-dot-com.forumotion.com/admin/

Regards,
Shadow

[skouliki]

Please don't double post. Your posts need to be separated by 24 hours before bumping. Please use the edit button, instead! Please read our forum rules: ESF General Rules

[brandon_g]

I also am able to view your forum with no issue:

[SLGray]

Is this only occurring to you or all your members?

[Hunnyluvs]

Hello @Hunnyluvs,

What happens if you access the forum directly through the administration panel, through this link?
http://furbles-dot-com.forumotion.com/admin/

Regards,
Shadow

That works. Consistently. Shall I just use it as the link now? (Though that still leaves WHY IS THIS HAPPENING to sort out.
I still get re-directed to malware every time I try using the site's normal link.)

Is this only occurring to you or all your members?

The site has been inactive. I no longer have contact with the other members.
It's a valuable forum to me though because a lot of work went into its design, the magazine, graphics, games, widgets.
I actually still hope to use it again even now, which is why I had gone to check on it and found this problem.
But to answer you, no, there aren't any other (active) members to ask if they have an issue.
And I don't have another computer to try going to it from.
But I'm not having any problems whatsoever with any other site. Just this one!
And now I find I can use that admin log-in without problem....but the regular link takes me to malware...but this only happens to me, not you!

...I have no clue or possibility to offer as to what's going on.

______________

It keeps changing where I get mis-directed to.
Don't follow this link! but here is the last address I arrived at.
I offer it as an opportunity to see an address I am being re-directed to, in case it sheds light.

Code:

https://secure.calcch.com/performance/bdv_rd.dbm?enparms2=7564%2C1913812%2C2734651%2C7515%2C7518%2C11514%2C7725%2C0%2C0%2C7519%2C0%2C1913032%2C589095%2C10564%2C112676747379%2C80087872%2Cary.nfilu3&ioa=0&ncm=1&bd_ref_v=www.bidvertiser.com&TREF=1&WIN_NAME=&Category=1000&ownid=3forum.biz&u_agnt=&skter=ary%2Bnfilu3&skwdb=ary%2Bnfilu3

Peer Block says that page is this IP address: 216.200.199.79
It says it is called " b.path.com ads"

And though I end up at various different addresses, that IP seems to be the culprit behind it. It seems like adware.

More things finding...
I can paste and go to the correct address successfully http://furbles-dot-com.forumotion.com/

I will try making a new link to use, and also try clicking it as admin, but these are straws I am grasping at. I am exploring though.

I will update by editing here...


Okay the latest development is I ran a scan, did some updates to my computer, shut down, restarted,
and I shredded the link I had been using to go to Ferbles. I then made a new link from the correct address
and now all of a sudden I can go there with no issue. I don't know that this means I've solved it by happenstance
because during this last day here I have repeatedly been able to go to Ferbles sometimes, then minutes later, no.
So: maybe the problem has been solved, and it was a corrupted link I had been using
(though its properties pane showed it was okay, and an avast scan agreed), but..maybe it was just a corrupted link.
I think what to do next is follow that "wait 24 hours before posting again" rule, in order to give the situation that long,
to see that the problem does not recur.

If it does not, I will post thank you and mark it solved tomorrow...


You guys are the best, by the way. Thank you all for looking at this for me.
It is a great thing that you are here, even as years go by, to help us.

Please don't double post. Your posts need to be separated by 24 hours before bumping. Please use the edit button, instead! Please read our forum rules: ESF General Rules

Forgive me. It's been years. I did used to know the rules, and will refresh my memory now.

[brandon_g]

Ok, let us know if it is still fine after a day or so.

[Guest]

Hello @Hunnyluvs

I have an answer of why is this occuring and how to stop the ads to showing up. I can see that your forum has a global of 0 activity points.

As you may know, Forumotion has a lot of forums in its database and some of them are inactive. This causes that we don't get any renenue out of that forums and they just fill empty space. In order for us to not start erasing forums with 0 activity points (which we understand they might eventually turn active again or they might be useful for older members of it to check older topics), we placed adversitements in those forums. We earn a little amount but we can help to keep them online.

The way of making those odd ads dissappear is just to earn at least 1 activity point Ads will be gone until the forum has 0 activity points again!

Best regards.

[Hunnyluvs]

Hello @Hunnyluvs

I have an answer of why is this occurring and how to stop the ads to showing up. I can see that your forum has a global of 0 activity points.

As you may know, Forumotion has a lot of forums in its database and some of them are inactive. This causes that we don't get any revenue out of that forums and they just fill empty space. In order for us to not start erasing forums with 0 activity points (which we understand they might eventually turn active again or they might be useful for older members of it to check older topics), we placed advertisements in those forums. We earn a little amount but we can help to keep them online.

The way of making those odd ads disappear is just to earn at least 1 activity point Ads will be gone until the forum has 0 activity points again!

Best regards.

Thank you! I will attend to that

Okay I'm marking this solved, because the problem no longer occurs.
It turned out to be a corrupted link, which I've discarded and replaced.
Thank you so much for your time guys

[SLGray]

Thanks for posting the solution.

Problem solved & topic archived. Please read our forum rules:  ESF General Rules