Threat Report [Antivirus-Archive]

[msfry]

I sometimes get a threat report when I click on a project in our catalog. In today's case, it was for Mongan's Frenzy, which I clicked on when I noticed my cover image wasn't rendering correctly.

The pop up window from AVG said:
Threat secured. Weve safely aborted connection on ia.802204.us.archive.org because it was infected with URL:Blacklist

Anybody know what's going on?

[TriciaG]

I am pretty sure it means they have detected what they consider bad stuff on that specific server before, so now it's on their blacklist. What they consider "bad stuff" is the question. Essentially, an anti-malware filter that might be too aggressive.

The images render fine for me, not using AVG.

[knotyouraveragejo]

Looks fine to me as well. I also use different antivirus software.

[msfry]

OK, thanks. I'll see if I can get it to ignore it.

[TheBanjo]

I'm getting the same problem, using free version of Avast Security on a Mac. Was able to tell AS not to show popup anymore for this site, and that seems to have worked. It's a real PITA, though. Means a lot of users will be put off accessing our files.

[annise]

Our files are spread over many of IA's infinite number of servers and so every server has files from all over the place so it is possible that message had nothing to do with our files - they were just "in the wrong place at the wrong time". And IA have an amazing system of backing up and switching servers on top of active anti-viral etc.
So if I had to trust a site IA would be high on my list.
This doesn't mean I would ignore the messages, just that I would check later and see if it still happened

Anne

[msfry]

IIt's a real PITA, though. Means a lot of users will be put off accessing our files.

Yes, Librivox is the one whose reputation suffers when someone gets a "Blacklisted" notice. So far I haven't been able to fix mine. It's only just a few of mine, and a few of other people's, including one of Tricia's I noticed yesterday. The cover doesn't render correctly on a search page (say, for author, reader or title), then if you click on the project you get the warning notice, and on IA you get a warning notice. Weird.

[annise]

Tell me which ones and I'll have a look - Probably can't do anything but I might be able to see something they have in common.

Anne

[redrun]

If you can't find anything, it is entirely possible that AVG is blocking that server, rather than the files themselves.

This can happen when somebody else downloads some other file from the same server, and their antivirus detects that as malware. AVG might have just said, "ok, anything else from this particular server (ia.802204.us.archive.org) is probably bad too."

[TriciaG]

If you can't find anything, it is entirely possible that AVG is blocking that server, rather than the files themselves.

This can happen when somebody else downloads some other file from the same server, and their antivirus detects that as malware. AVG might have just said, "ok, anything else from this particular server (ia.802204.us.archive.org) is probably bad too."

Yes, that's what Anne meant in the post 4 posts up.

[msfry]

Tell me which ones and I'll have a look - Probably can't do anything but I might be able to see something they have in common.

Anne

Today's search included:
Coffee Break Collection 031 - Springtime
Coffee Break Collection 033 - Gardening
The Forest Reverie
Short Story Collection 05. 82, 101
Short Ghost and Horror 55 and 57
Mongan's Frenzy
Coffee Break Collection 13 - Weather
Darkness and Daylight
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (Version 2)
The Thing In The Woods
Weird Crimes
Whispering Tunnels

In place of the thumbnail on the lists page, it displays 'book cover 65 x 65", and on the individual catalog page, 'book cover-large".

If any cover is blocked on the lists page (25 titles-per-page), the warning could be taken to apply to the whole page. If you click on the title with the missing thumbnail, the cover may or may not appear on the catalog page, along with the warning if it isn't there. If you go back to the list page, the cover may or may not appear. It's very squirrelly.

[TheBanjo]

Hi Anne,

I've noticed problems in the last 10 minutes with the following Librivox audiobooks:

End of the Tether (https://librivox.org/the-end-of-the-tether-by-joseph-conrad/)
Archive.org server for this audiobook is: https://ia804507.us.archive.org

Almayer's Folly version 3 (https://librivox.org/almayers-folly-by-joseph-conrad-3/)
Archive.org server for this audiobook is: https://ia904604.us.archive.org

Heart of Darkness version 4 (https://librivox.org/heart-of-darkness-ver4-by-joseph-conrad/)
Archive.org server for this audiobook is: Hosted at: https://ia904609.us.archive.org

Edit: Fixed typo in last Archive server address.

Peter

[annise]

Well both lots all work for me every time I look which proves nothing, could be that the offending thing on the server had been "exterminated"..
Michele - are you checking via our catalogue or do you have a personal favourites or similar thing on Archive you use so you see a multi-image page ? I have noticed Archive is being slow refreshing images on their search pages at times for no apparent reason which I assume means the actual image display is of low priority and they are busy.

Anne

[TheBanjo]

Well both lots all work for me every time I look which proves nothing, could be that the offending thing on the server had been "exterminated"..
Michele - are you checking via our catalogue or do you have a personal favourites or similar thing on Archive you use so you see a multi-image page ? I have noticed Archive is being slow refreshing images on their search pages at times for no apparent reason which I assume means the actual image display is of low priority and they are busy.

Anne

Anne, I really do appreciate your taking the trouble to investigate this further.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "work", though, here.

In the case of the three files I've listed, there will be no problem at all (I believe) for a web user who does not have a product called "Avast Security" installed on their computer, with the so-called "web shield" feature activated. I have this product installed on my Mac. I'm running the free version of Avast Security, version 15.4, with a set of virus definitions dated 22112304. I checked just before writing this reply, and I am still seeing the problem.

In order to replicate this problem, you must (a) have Avast Security installed and active on your computer, and (b) NOT have defined exceptions relating to the archive.org URLs for which we are observing problems.

Peter

[msfry]

Well both lots all work for me every time I look which proves nothing, could be that the offending thing on the server had been "exterminated"..
Michele - are you checking via our catalogue or do you have a personal favourites or similar thing on Archive you use so you see a multi-image page ? I have noticed Archive is being slow refreshing images on their search pages at times for no apparent reason which I assume means the actual image display is of low priority and they are busy.

Anne

These are my steps. I open the home page on LV, then type in an author, reader, title or collection in the search bar. Then I scroll through the list pages of 25 entries each. If any of the thumbnails don't register on a page, I get the warning. If I click on that project, I may or may not get the image and if not I get the warning. If I open the project on IA, I may or may not get the image, and if not I get the warning.