#googmayharm
January 31, 2009 7:10 AM Subscribe
The Google is down. Well, atleast broken as it's displaying warnings for every single site that it might be harmful to visit. You can follow the drama on Twitter.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Pending netcraft confirmation notwithstanding, looks like this may be a non-story already, so let's just leave it in the grey. -- cortex
I just noticed that when doing a couple of searches. I checked it out on 2 PC's and 1 Mac. Every search leads to an interstitial with the following message:
posted by ericb at 7:16 AM on January 31, 2009
Warning - visiting this web site may harm your computer!I'm not goin' to click on the StopBadware.org link. Was Google hacked?
Suggestions:
Return to the previous page and pick another result.
Try another search to find what you're looking for.
Or you can continue to http://www.metafilter.com/ at your own risk.
For detailed information about the problems we found, visit Google's Safe Browsing diagnostic page for this site.
For more information about how to protect yourself from harmful software online, you can visit StopBadware.org.
If you are the owner of this web site, you can request a review of your site using Google's Webmaster Tools. More information about the review process is available in Google's Webmaster Help Center.
posted by ericb at 7:16 AM on January 31, 2009
I don't think Google was hacked. Either someone has made a HUGE mistake or a system broke down.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:17 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:17 AM on January 31, 2009
In A.D. 2009: War was beginning.
Oh, Redirect Remover will remove the interstitial page -- I didn't even know there as one until I read it here.
posted by orthogonality at 7:19 AM on January 31, 2009
Oh, Redirect Remover will remove the interstitial page -- I didn't even know there as one until I read it here.
posted by orthogonality at 7:19 AM on January 31, 2009
Google Implementing Anti-Malware Feature in Search Results
"Google appears to be implementing an anti-malware feature that would scan URL's of sites that you search for within their search engine. If a site is found to contain malware, a link would be presented under the search results for that site indicating so. Apparently, they are testing the new feature today and while I was searching I found that everything I searched for said it had malware, which is obviously not the case. However, it is interesting to note that Google is implementing this feature, a feature that Yahoo has had for sometime now....Obviously, they still have some work to be done."posted by ericb at 7:20 AM on January 31, 2009
They've actually made it so the warning pops up on any non-Google related/affiliated search result. It's brilliant!
posted by gman at 7:21 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by gman at 7:21 AM on January 31, 2009
ericb, the anti-malware feature has been around for quite some time, so the article is incorrect.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:22 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:22 AM on January 31, 2009
Fuck. They fixed it already.
Quick. Find something else to bash Google about.
posted by gman at 7:22 AM on January 31, 2009
Quick. Find something else to bash Google about.
posted by gman at 7:22 AM on January 31, 2009
I'm pretty sure those "this website may be bad for you" pages have existed for a while now. Only they used to be applied only to pages with malware instead of all pages.
posted by bjrn at 7:22 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by bjrn at 7:22 AM on January 31, 2009
They're filtering properly now. The site associated with the MeFi driveby last week is showing an alert, but other sites aren't.
posted by maudlin at 7:24 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by maudlin at 7:24 AM on January 31, 2009
Someone was just hitting the Gulp a little too hard.
posted by netbros at 7:26 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by netbros at 7:26 AM on January 31, 2009
For a while there if you searched for Google it would list the Google site itself as malware.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:27 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by dunkadunc at 7:27 AM on January 31, 2009
For a while there if you searched for Google it would list the Google site itself as malware.
At least this inspired me to install Noscript.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:29 AM on January 31, 2009
At least this inspired me to install Noscript.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:29 AM on January 31, 2009
Best of the web.
posted by Eideteker at 7:33 AM on January 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Eideteker at 7:33 AM on January 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
ericb, the anti-malware feature has been around for quite some time, so the article is incorrect.
Yeah -- I'm just now reading about it from postings in the past.
Yep, as above, just did a bunch of seraches and it seems to be all cleared up.
posted by ericb at 7:33 AM on January 31, 2009
Yeah -- I'm just now reading about it from postings in the past.
Yep, as above, just did a bunch of seraches and it seems to be all cleared up.
posted by ericb at 7:33 AM on January 31, 2009
works fine for me
posted by parmanparman at 7:35 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by parmanparman at 7:35 AM on January 31, 2009
Oh, good, I was confuzzeled.
posted by threeturtles at 7:37 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by threeturtles at 7:37 AM on January 31, 2009
Follow the drama on Twitter? I've had more cogent fever dreams.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:38 AM on January 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:38 AM on January 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
Ah, so that's what was going on . . . I was like why is Wikipedia dangerous?
posted by Toecutter at 7:40 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by Toecutter at 7:40 AM on January 31, 2009
Heh, all the Twitter hating reminds me of the discussions here on Mefi about YouTube; a lot of bitching and whining but people eventually accepted it and realized how useful and powerful it can be.
Also, I can't wait to read an analysis of the consequences of this incident. I'm betting it has cost merchants millions in lost revenues, caused a huge traffic spike for Yahoo, etc.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:46 AM on January 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
Also, I can't wait to read an analysis of the consequences of this incident. I'm betting it has cost merchants millions in lost revenues, caused a huge traffic spike for Yahoo, etc.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:46 AM on January 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah, that lost early Saturday morning traffic might just bring Google down.
(snark off...and well aware that mocking those on the Internet at a time that I was on the Internet is pretty sad)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:55 AM on January 31, 2009
(snark off...and well aware that mocking those on the Internet at a time that I was on the Internet is pretty sad)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:55 AM on January 31, 2009
gman: "Fuck. They fixed it already.
Quick. Find something else to bash Google about."
"It has been well-documented that Google conveniently ignores some of America's national holidays like Memorial Day. But commemorating Columbus Day with the Paddington Bear? "
posted by Joe Beese at 7:56 AM on January 31, 2009
Quick. Find something else to bash Google about."
"It has been well-documented that Google conveniently ignores some of America's national holidays like Memorial Day. But commemorating Columbus Day with the Paddington Bear? "
posted by Joe Beese at 7:56 AM on January 31, 2009
Heh, all the Twitter hating reminds me of the discussions here on Mefi about YouTube; a lot of bitching and whining but people eventually accepted it and realized how useful and powerful it can be.
Point taken. I still disagree however. Trying to follow "news" on Twitter (where I have an account) is a pointless endeavor. I like my news to come in the form of complete sentences and semi-well written news stories from semi-reputable places; not spurts of reactionary, rambling brain drippings that people seem so fucking excited to post 24/7.
BigSexE1: GOOGEL IS DOWN!!!!11
TDurden: OMG FOR ME TOO!
Sasha2001: I'm sipping a chai tea and reading Ayn Rand to pass the time.
etc....
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:56 AM on January 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
Point taken. I still disagree however. Trying to follow "news" on Twitter (where I have an account) is a pointless endeavor. I like my news to come in the form of complete sentences and semi-well written news stories from semi-reputable places; not spurts of reactionary, rambling brain drippings that people seem so fucking excited to post 24/7.
BigSexE1: GOOGEL IS DOWN!!!!11
TDurden: OMG FOR ME TOO!
Sasha2001: I'm sipping a chai tea and reading Ayn Rand to pass the time.
etc....
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:56 AM on January 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
At least this inspired me to install Noscript.
I'd fav your comment but I'd have to enable the googleapis to do it.
posted by srboisvert at 7:58 AM on January 31, 2009
I'd fav your comment but I'd have to enable the googleapis to do it.
posted by srboisvert at 7:58 AM on January 31, 2009
I'm sipping a chai tea and reading Ayn Rand to pass the time.
etc....
That is the worst driveby malware downloader there is.
posted by srboisvert at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2009
etc....
That is the worst driveby malware downloader there is.
posted by srboisvert at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2009
Joe, I'm hoping that you posted that to laugh at.
posted by octothorpe at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by octothorpe at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2009
...that lost early Saturday morning traffic
Well, it's only early morning in a select number of time zones in North, Central and South America.
posted by ericb at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2009
Well, it's only early morning in a select number of time zones in North, Central and South America.
posted by ericb at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2009
This day shall be remembered as the first SLTP. Mark my words.
posted by Big_B at 8:05 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by Big_B at 8:05 AM on January 31, 2009
I think you're more likely to find good discussion at http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Web+Search than on Twitter.
posted by crapmatic at 8:07 AM on January 31, 2009
posted by crapmatic at 8:07 AM on January 31, 2009
> Heh, all the Twitter hating reminds me of the discussions here on Mefi about YouTube; a lot of bitching and whining but people eventually accepted it and realized how useful and powerful it can be.
Except that Twitter is like YouTube without the videos, and just the comments.
posted by bjrn at 8:10 AM on January 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
Except that Twitter is like YouTube without the videos, and just the comments.
posted by bjrn at 8:10 AM on January 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by Lord_Pall at 7:14 AM on January 31, 2009