# deviantArt virus



## Willow (Mar 21, 2010)

Has anyone else heard about the virus going around on deviantART?

supposedly there are a few files in the t-shirt contest submissions that are infected (disqualification if the contestants are found) and cause an automatic download of 4 trojans (there was one other thing that gets downloaded but I don't remember)

Does anyone know when dA will be safe to log back into?


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## Teco (Mar 21, 2010)

NoScript, love. 

Apparently works. I wouldn't know, haven't gotten hit by it yet.


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## ArielMT (Mar 22, 2010)

The apparent irony of a DA forum thread with an embedded ad: http://forum.deviantart.com/devart/adstatus/1302287/


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## Runefox (Mar 22, 2010)

NoScript would work, as would disabling javascript in your browser if you don't have/can't use NoScript within it. This works for not just DA, but also pretty much anyplace you might get a drive-by download. With no dynamic content, there's nothing to exploit.

Well... There's always stuff like the WMF exploit with images, but to my knowledge or at least to the extent of my memory, that's only really happened once.


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## Willow (Mar 22, 2010)

Runefox said:


> NoScript would work, as would disabling javascript in your browser if you don't have/can't use NoScript within it. This works for not just DA, but also pretty much anyplace you might get a drive-by download. With no dynamic content, there's nothing to exploit.
> 
> Well... There's always stuff like the WMF exploit with images, but to my knowledge or at least to the extent of my memory, that's only really happened once.


My AVG caught it twice...I forgot the exact name of it though...


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## ChaoticSpark (Mar 22, 2010)

WOAH!

AVG catches viruses?

/attack on AVG and it's uselessness as an Anti-Virus solution


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## Karmarsi-Kedamoki (Mar 22, 2010)

Luckily I haven't bought anything from there so I'm safe for now. Luckily I don't visit DA as much anymore.

Bad enough I get the fake free scan ads there


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## Artificial Ginger (Mar 22, 2010)

Why not just use Adblock instead of NoScript? It blocks Javascript without being ridiculously paranoid...

Otherwise, what everyone else said.


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## Aden (Mar 22, 2010)

Hahaha, oh dA. Why do I still visit you anyway?


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## ArielMT (Mar 22, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> Why not just use Adblock instead of NoScript? It blocks Javascript without being ridiculously paranoid...
> 
> Otherwise, what everyone else said.



Last I checked, Adblock blocks ads from being displayed, not scripts from being executed.


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## Foster The Fox (Mar 22, 2010)

Sometimes when I'm on DA, random ads come. Sometimes it even might send viruses when an ad shows up. It happened to me a few times which it sucked a lot. =\


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## Artificial Ginger (Mar 22, 2010)

ArielMT said:


> Last I checked, Adblock blocks ads from being displayed, not scripts from being executed.


You should check again =P

If you open the blockable items list, it'll also show JavaScript files.


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## Runefox (Mar 22, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> You should check again =P
> 
> If you open the blockable items list, it'll also show JavaScript files.



This only works in known cases, though, which means it'll always be behind. The best way to browse is with a whitelist.


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## Artificial Ginger (Mar 22, 2010)

Runefox said:


> This only works in known cases, though, which means it'll always be behind.


Known cases? Huh?



> The best way to browse is with a whitelist.


Useless hassle. The best way to browse is behind seven proxies.


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## ArielMT (Mar 22, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> Known cases? Huh?
> 
> 
> Useless hassle. The best way to browse is behind seven proxies.



The only proxies that save you from drive-by downloads break the Web and ensure popular sites don't work at all.

"Known cases" means that they react only to bad stuff known about already; using a blacklist, in other words.  A blacklist is always behind the times, and it was the '90s way of doing things.

A scripting whitelist is a proactive approach, instead of reactionary approach, to the Web.  Those using one, such as NoScript, to allow only what's needed for DA to work have been protected from whatever ad-borne malady is going around on DA since it began.


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## PanzerschreckLeopard (Mar 22, 2010)

Karmarsi-Kedamoki said:


> Bad enough I get the fake free scan ads there




Like this? http://www.geekpolice.net/malware-r...remove-security-tool-removal-guide-t14738.htm Ugh, I dread those...all 3 comps had them at one time.


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## Liam (Mar 22, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> Known cases? Huh?
> 
> 
> Useless hassle. The best way to browse is behind seven proxies.


Isn't that still a useless hassle?



PanzerschreckLeopard said:


> Like this? http://www.geekpolice.net/malware-r...remove-security-tool-removal-guide-t14738.htm Ugh, I dread those...all 3 comps had them at one time.


Shouldn't frauds like this be illegal?


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## Karmarsi-Kedamoki (Mar 22, 2010)

PanzerschreckLeopard said:


> Like this? http://www.geekpolice.net/malware-r...remove-security-tool-removal-guide-t14738.htm Ugh, I dread those...all 3 comps had them at one time.


Yea, My boyfriend saved me from them when they first happened

He wigged out saying "X them off!! NOW!"

I'm seeing them happen more often to my friends

DA how you are falling


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## Willow (Mar 22, 2010)

ChaoticSpark said:


> WOAH!
> 
> AVG catches viruses?
> 
> /attack on AVG and it's uselessness as an Anti-Virus solution


I was kinda shocked too that my AVG caught something...twice...
Maybe it's because I keep it updated and scan my computer every day...


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## Runefox (Mar 22, 2010)

WillowWulf said:


> Maybe it's because I keep it updated and scan my computer every day...



Generally, scanning the computer every day isn't really going to do much. Your anti-virus provides a constant, realtime scan anyway, so anything that sneaks by it probably won't be gotten with a full scan. That said, though, feel free to scan if you're suspecting a certain file or number of files to be infected, and scan files you've downloaded juuuust to be sure, but that's about all really.

If you're not particularly happy with AVG, I usually recommend Avast nowadays; I find it pretty good myself, and quite lightweight. It's overtaken AVG in my mind


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## Willow (Mar 22, 2010)

Runefox said:


> Generally, scanning the computer every day isn't really going to do much. Your anti-virus provides a constant, realtime scan anyway, so anything that sneaks by it probably won't be gotten with a full scan. That said, though, feel free to scan if you're suspecting a certain file or number of files to be infected, and scan files you've downloaded juuuust to be sure, but that's about all really.
> 
> If you're not particularly happy with AVG, I usually recommend Avast nowadays; I find it pretty good myself, and quite lightweight. It's overtaken AVG in my mind


True...but it scans on a schedule...


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## Artificial Ginger (Mar 23, 2010)

ArielMT said:


> The only proxies that save you from drive-by downloads break the Web and ensure popular sites don't work at all.


Oh, just like NoScript.



> "Known cases" means that they react only to bad stuff known about already; using a blacklist, in other words.  A blacklist is always behind the times, and it was the '90s way of doing things.


My computer works just fine with a blacklist.



> A scripting whitelist is a proactive


Now _there's_ a meaningless buzzword I haven't seen in a while =D



> approach, instead of reactionary approach, to the Web.  Those using one, such as NoScript, to allow only what's needed for DA to work have been protected from whatever ad-borne malady is going around on DA since it began.


NoScript completely breaks most sites and is unnecessary for the vast majority of browsing. Unless you surf like a kludge to begin with (in which case you deserve whatever you get), you're not likely to need it.


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## Runefox (Mar 23, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> My computer works just fine with a blacklist.


Enjoy falling prey to zero-day attacks that aren't yet on your blacklist and attacks like those found on DeviantArt. 

Besides, websites that are entirely broken without Javascript are poorly-designed to begin with on a hilariously massive scale.


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## Artificial Ginger (Mar 25, 2010)

Runefox said:


> Enjoy falling prey to zero-day attacks that aren't yet on your blacklist and attacks like those found on DeviantArt.


Maybe I'm just inconceivably lucky, but I have never once been hacked. Or maybe it's because I hardly spend any time on sites that usually get attacked. Perhaps even because I block the container widgets for ads rather than just individual ones.

Or it could just be that I'm right and you're basically using landmines to keep the neighbor's dog out. The world may never know...



> Besides, websites that are entirely broken without Javascript are poorly-designed to begin with on a hilariously massive scale.


Well, perhaps disabling Javascript doesn't _completely_ break them, but there's really not much point to YouTube without the videos or deviantART without the pictures, is there?


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## Aden (Mar 25, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> Well, perhaps disabling Javascript doesn't _completely_ break them, but there's really not much point to YouTube without the videos or deviantART without the pictures, is there?



The fact that dA needs javascript to display art is fucking retarded.


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## Artificial Ginger (Mar 25, 2010)

Aden said:


> The fact that dA needs javascript to display art is fucking retarded.


Yes, but as they say in the hospital, them's the breaks.


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## Runefox (Mar 25, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> Yes, but as they say in the hospital, them's the breaks.



Actually, it's just bad design.


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## Tewin Follow (Mar 25, 2010)

Aden said:


> The fact that dA needs javascript to display art is fucking retarded.



Is there any actual reason for it?


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## Aden (Mar 25, 2010)

Artificial Ginger said:


> Yes, but as they say in the hospital, them's the breaks.



Not if you go somewhere else! 
http://www.storm-artists.net/ is my favorite general gallery at the moment


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## Artificial Ginger (Mar 25, 2010)

Aden said:


> Not if you go somewhere else!
> http://www.storm-artists.net/ is my favorite general gallery at the moment


That seems like a great site with lots of talented artists, but I don't go to dA for the _quality_ =V


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## Garreth (Mar 26, 2010)

I've gotten a few viruses from browsing DA actually. It doesn't really bother me cause my virus protection kills em.


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## ardashir (Apr 1, 2010)

*Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

I am just curious here -- is anyone else having trouble with Deviant Art? My computer just got infected through them for the second time in a month, and an attempt at checking them out through a safer (meaning more heavily-protected machine) got me warned off in no uncertain terms.

That and the site just seems to be running very badly of late, doing things like logging me out when I go from page to page.

If anyone has any advice on who to e-mail at DA to warn them about these problems I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.


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## foxmusk (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

i've always had problems with DA. 12 year olds making shit art to assault my eyeballs, haters hatin', getting my submissions reported, etc.

nothing new.


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## Willow (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

I heard about the viruses on DA..but as far as being logged out automatically or the site running slow, I've never experienced either..

My anti-virus picked up on the same virus twice in one week and it came from DA


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## SirRob (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

Yeah, my laptop has to shut down the site to protect itself from viruses sometimes. That, plus the fact that it runs slow... deviantART really needs to get its act together.


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## Kusatsu (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

There are some nasty things on DA, I think they're probably shit from the banner ads.


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## Willow (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



Kusatsu said:


> There are some nasty things on DA, I think they're probably shit from the banner ads.


If you get an ad about the t-shirt contest...don't view the submissions because some of them contain a shit load of viruses...


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## Ozriel (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

My workplace knows about it, and it has been blocked by SAM until it has been resolved.


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## Slingblade_47 (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

I didn't venture into DeviantArt anyway because of their community's often abusive attitude towards Furries, Vorarephiles and BDSM fans, and I don't want to sign up for it. But I didn't think there would be anything like this on there, though I guess it's another reason to put on my list of why not to sign up at DA - even though I use Linux.

Even if I did have an e-mail address for you, you'd be lucky if the recipient actually reads it let alone acts upon what you tell them, although that's just my take on things. I could be wrong. Only thing I can suggest is that if you _are_ gonna visit DA, make sure you have a pop-up blocker handy. These are some of the reasons that led me to completely stop using Internet Explorer.


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## furatail (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



Slingblade_47 said:


> I didn't venture into DeviantArt anyway because of their community's often abusive attitude towards Furries,



Possibly because nearly every furry thinks that they are an artist and will start uploading their sketches immediately after deciding that they're gonna learn how to draw.


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## Slingblade_47 (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



			
				furatail said:
			
		

> Possibly because nearly every furry thinks that they are an artist and will start uploading their sketches immediately after deciding that they're gonna learn how to draw.


Isn't that one of the basic ideas - learning from others how to improve one's ability? At least, that's why some of the artists I've seen do this. It takes a lot of talent, attention to detail and effort in your work for people who take art seriously or draw themselves to regard you as a real artist, although it's too bad that some don't seem to know what defines one. If I've understood your comment correctly, you're saying that quite a few people have uploaded badly drawn and poor quality images without any intention on improving their ability or tolerating constructive criticism. Either that, or many of those guilty of what you just said are trying to proclaim themselves as the best without much to show for their abilities.


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## furatail (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



Slingblade_47 said:


> Isn't that one of the basic ideas - learning from others how to improve one's ability?...



I think the problem may be with the motivation some people have. If your motivation is to be popular by drawing then you're gonna want start putting stuff out there as soon as possible. It seems some people consider pencil sketches as finished polished pieces and will upload that. No one will take you serious if you start uploading art like that and calling it finished.


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## Slingblade_47 (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

I can see exactly what you're getting at. There are many reasons why people would want to make and post their own art or literature, but I've seen the sort of thing you're talking about more than a few times. There's a distinct difference between uploading for popularity, uploading for critique and opinions, and uploading to show off, and the former, as I think we've both noticed, seems to give people an excuse not to put any effort into their work and just upload drawings as quickly as they want. The only popularity this kind of gallery will attract is that from less mature members who don't take art very seriously, have low standards, or essentially just prefer people to upload as fast as they can. If you're just starting out, then most bets are off, but anybody who takes art seriously will tell you that a sketch is, like you said, by no means a finished product, and should be accorded as such until another draft is made or when the said image is completed.


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## CynicalCirno (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

I am registered there but... I do not comment watch or make any kind of art. So nope.


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## kyle19 (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

I've been on DA for two years and I've never had a problem. Has anyone seen what happened to the icons today?


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## Willow (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



kyle19 said:


> I've been on DA for two years and I've never had a problem. Has anyone seen what happened to the icons today?


April Fool's 

I'm Team Seeker


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## kyle19 (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



WillowWulf said:


> April Fool's
> 
> I'm Team Seeker



Team Gaga


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## Vaelarsa (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

Noscript and Adblock are your friends.

I got a virus from DA a long-ass time ago, but it was pretty much my own stupid fault for being an internet noob and using IE.


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## SirRob (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



kyle19 said:


> Team Gaga


Team Jacob's where it's at. ):<


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## Willow (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



kyle19 said:


> Team Gaga





SirRob said:


> Team Jacob's where it's at. ):<


Here you go..here are your llama badges


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## Gem145 (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



kyle19 said:


> Team Gaga


 
I HATE THEM ALL !!!!

D:<


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## Mari (Apr 1, 2010)

I really don't like DA much anymore... they have sooo many ads and they've changed the site sooo many times. 


NoScript keeps me from raging though, so it's all good.


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## ArielMT (Apr 1, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*

Team Seeker.



Gem145 said:


> I HATE THEM ALL !!!!
> 
> D:<



That, I think, was the point.  Much like they did with mudkips a year or two ago.

Also, NoScript FTW still.


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## thoron (Apr 1, 2010)

I probably sound like an idiot but, what's NoScript?


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## ArielMT (Apr 1, 2010)

http://noscript.net/ - NoScript is a Firefox extension that disables JavaScript and plug-ins on every single site you visit, except for scripts/plug-ins originating from a list of sites you approve.  Approving temporarily or permanently, as well as unapproving, is very quick and easy to do on the fly.


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## Gem145 (Apr 2, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



ArielMT said:


> Team Seeker.


 

t-t-team Jacob >~<




ArielMT said:


> That, I think, was the point. Much like they did with mudkips a year or two ago.
> 
> Also, NoScript FTW still


 
i hate twilight <.<

*cries* ToT


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## thoron (Apr 4, 2010)

ArielMT said:


> http://noscript.net/ - NoScript is a Firefox extension that disables JavaScript and plug-ins on every single site you visit, except for scripts/plug-ins originating from a list of sites you approve.  Approving temporarily or permanently, as well as unapproving, is very quick and easy to do on the fly.



That's good to know, DA has a few good writers there but I'm afraid to hang around for to long, considering my old computer was taken out by a virus/trojan that I picked up from an add there.


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## BatRat (Apr 4, 2010)

The virus is a fake.  I haven't run into anything there during the year I've been on.


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## BatRat (Apr 4, 2010)

*Re: Has anyone else been having trouble with DA?*



Gem145 said:


> t-t-team Jacob >~<
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Amen! Death to Stephanie Meyer.


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## Artificial Ginger (Apr 4, 2010)

*Why is this thread still alive? D=*

I wanted to be on Team GaGa. They wouldn't let me =(

Oh hey, by the way, I still browse dA frequently in Windows, with Firefox, without NoScript.

Still no viruses! =D



Slingblade_47 said:


> abusive ... towards ... BDSM fans


Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't being abused the _point_ of BDSM? =V


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## thoron (Apr 5, 2010)

BatRat said:


> The virus is a fake.  I haven't run into anything there during the year I've been on.



Then you've been lucky, it happened to me a few years back and its left me slightly paranoid of site since.


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## Beastcub (Apr 5, 2010)

i have norton...i wonder how well it;s working.

ANYWAY some times while browing DA the page will like shudder, and the thumbnails all do the little white box with an X, and then the whole page will sort of black out or as i scorll up/down the image duplicates/drags, then it spreads to the rest of my open web pages. i close internet explorer, start it back up, and its fine again.

is this a sign of a virus? it seems too nly happen when i am on DA


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## ArielMT (Apr 5, 2010)

It sounds more like an artefact of IE reacting poorly to DA's JavaScript; DA is rather JavaScript-heavy.  It seems to spread to other IE windows/tabs, I wager, because IE uses only one process by default.

The quickest and best workaround is to use another Web browser.  Despite the progress made by IE8, and despite Apple's embarrassingly lackluster security record on Windows, IE still brings up the rear in Web browser comparisons.


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## Beastcub (Apr 5, 2010)

ArielMT said:


> It sounds more like an artefact of IE reacting poorly to DA's JavaScript; DA is rather JavaScript-heavy.  It seems to spread to other IE windows/tabs, I wager, because IE uses only one process by default.
> 
> The quickest and best workaround is to use another Web browser.  Despite the progress made by IE8, and despite Apple's embarrassingly lackluster security record on Windows, IE still brings up the rear in Web browser comparisons.



so it's like an overload.
makes sense as that's what it seems like when it happens and SOMETIMES closing DA at the first sign will save the whole thing from crashing,


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## thoron (Apr 5, 2010)

Just now while on DA my IE browser closed and in its place a box came up stating that my computer was showing signs of virus activity. I didn't click on anything in box like the ok, cancel or even the x button in the top right corner, I just went to my task manager and shut it down manualy so I hope nothing got on.


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