Singletrack site issues : redirecting to iOS app store

I know there was a thread about this recently with regard to android browsers.

I’m on a vanilla, non jail broken iPhone with standard safari browser.

Never had this type of issue previously.

First, clicked on the link to the article on the STW humour post on FB of about an hour ago and got redirected to the iOS App Store for ‘mobile monster legends’ or some similar pish.

Then within minutes I fired up the browser to come to stw to post this – and fleetingly saw the stw home page before being redirected to the App Store for another pointless crapware game.

I don’t install stuff at random or open unsolicited email. I’m a bit puzzled and assuming you’ve got bad adverts serving up the redirection.

Quick reset here we come…

I have the same issue recently. It happened before a while ago, and now it’s back 🙁

There’s a long thread on this already…..

.. been going on a while now.

*reported*

so someone gets to see it.

Nothing here

<Feels left out> 😐

I have another issue where my browser crashes because of the Singletrack adverts either side. Haven’t said a lot as would expect the response to be ‘Purchase a premier subscription’ 🙂

Pfft!

Next you’ll be suggesting that’s deliberate!

Haven’t said a lot as would expect the response to be ‘Purchase a premier subscription’

but you have a ‘P’ next to your name?

Hi Vincienup,

Are you saying you were first redirected to the App store after clicking a link on our Facebook page?

Cheers
Mark

I’ve had the same on the iPhone browser

open up the STW forum (bike, chat or for sale) and within a matter of seconds the App Store opens up (if you go back to the browser, the STW page has loaded)

doesnt just happen on STW either tho…same has happened on other internet pages. I think its embedded in an advert somewhere and the redirect doesnt always do it

Happened here on iPhone for first time today when browsing chat forum on phone. iPhone 4 on iOS7. Thought I’d escaped. 😐

If I highlight text in the posting box an release the mouse button it opens the app download link in a new window.

Hi All,
Firstly I want to make it clear that we are taking this matter very seriously. We really don’t want this happening to our users and are doing everything we can to work out ways of stopping it.

Short of our site being hacked there are two ways that malicious code can get displayed on our site.

[list]
[*]Ad networks distributing malicious code[/*]
[*]Users posting embedded content from sites that are hacked or deliberately distribute malicious code[/*]
[/list]

The user embedded content issue appears less common and is easier to deal with as Google sends us instant reports if it finds any embedded code of compromised sites. We remove the content asap.

The ad networks issue poses a more complex problem.
We are trying to deal with it by working with the ad networks to identify malicious ads and passing on your reports. However, the source of malicious code can be difficult to track and even when one source is identified it does not prevent the problem from cropping up from another source.

Regarding the assertion that this is a Singletrack only problem, I’d have to disagree. A quick google will show that the exact same issues are appearing on a multitude of sites. The common factor is that all these sites use ad networks. What users may be seeing is a symptom of the bidding system that underpins ad networks.

If a user comes to our site for the first time or having not visited in the last 24 hours the will initially be shown high paying ads and our contracted bike industry ads. The more pages a user views the less valuable they become to the ad networks and the lower the bid drops. Malware distributors are not likely to pay large amounts to show their ads and they are likely to have more success hacking the networks of smaller advertisers. Therefore the more pages you view on one site, the more likely you are to see malicious code. Unfortunately, this means that our regular users are most affected.

With all of the networks that we work with, we have set a minimum price below which we will not accept ads. The exception to this is the Google Adsense network which does not allow us to set a minimum price. It is difficult to know how successful this policy is as we do not know how many malicious ads we have not displayed (if you follow my meaning).

Regarding Premier users with ads turned off seeing malicious code, there are two potential causes. It could be user generated embed content as mentioned above or it could be that their login cookie has expired and they’ve been logged out. I’ve yet to see any screenshots from a user with ads turned off experiencing malicious code issues. If It happen to you please do send details to tech@singletrackworld.com

somouk: Can you send me details of your browser and device so I can test.

We’re continuing to research this problem and will implement anything we can to improve the situation. In the meantime I would recommend you install anti-virus software on your device to mitigate the problem.

cbike: What device are you using?

same here. Ipad with IOS7.04 with a safari browser, just scrolling through the overview page and it opened the App Store with a link to a crappy game. cant remember which one.

Just tried to get this problem on iPad 7.0.4 Safari, but I couldn’t.
Tried not logged in initially, then logged in.
Browsed a few pages of home and forum.

Safari set to block pop-ups and Block Cookies “From third parties and advertisers”

been browsing for about half an hour no issues and its just done it again.

link to a app called gametwist slots

Happens on both my iPad 1 under iOS 5 and iPhone under iOS 7 – it’s a pain in the bottom

Sounds like even the internet telling people they’re spending too long on here, once you’ve been on here too long, you get served malware lol

Yup I’ve had it on my iPhone and iPad (thought it was my sausage fingers at 1st).

iPhone 4 and iOS7 and had the redirect to the app store earlier for the first time, dunno what game it was going to offer as I closed it.

For the safari browser crashing I get that now and again – it seems to be when I’m scrolling down a thread and an embedded youtube vid comes into view. I just assumed it was a hidden filter on the phone saving me from particular threads.

I’m fortunate enough so far not to have been effected by this but…. as a suggestion. The malicious code is coming from one place – the Ad Networks and pointing to another place – the marketplace – for a bit of crap software. Is it a worthwhile idea to report this both to the mighty guardians of STW towers, so they can pursue the errant ad-servers, and also to the market place (app store or whatever) where the code is sending us and point out to them whats going on. If they remove that product from the shelf theres no point in having code sending us there to try persuading us to buy it. Much as the mighty guardians seek to keep the SToWer clean and pure I expect the App Store would like to take steps to keep the integrity of their sites as well and won’t be to happy about it being used as a landing page for scams and spam.

I use my iPad pretty much exclusively for web browsing, and very occasionally my iPhones, usually the iP4 because it’s got unlimited data, (although the local 3 network is shonky as hell), and I haven’t seen any of these App Store re-directs at all. Both devices are on iOS 7.
I have had Safari crash while scrolling down, which seems to coincide with embedded video, as bazookajoe suggests, though.

Chrome on an intel Mac, OS 10.6.8

It’s not consistent, just tried it there and no effect. Its a minor issue for me but I thought I’d highlight when I saw other folk mentioning similar. About an hour ago I could repeat it everytime.

It takes me to here – http://singletrackworld.com/singletrack-on-your-tablet-or-phone/

Mark – Resident Grumpy
Hi Vincienup,
Are you saying you were first redirected to the App store after clicking a link on our Facebook page?
Cheers
Mark

Yep… I think.

The FB app on iOS is still a slightly is presentation at times, and I was scrolling down my newsfeed, spotted STW’s mid week ‘hump day’ piece and clicked on it. Browser slid out to right and began loading the stw page – briefly – then dropped me in the App Store in front of whatever crappy game it was.

What really spooked me was that I went straight to Safari and came here off a clean tab to report and the same thing happened again just to a different game. At that point I was more concerned getting my phone shutdown and reset than capturing details although I guess they’d have been helpful… I just get concerned when browsers start doing stuff by themselves – this is why I habitually disable Flash, Silverlight, Java etc whenever I can.

No issues here with iOS 7.04 and Safari on iPhone 5

I’ll try to test on an iPad mini iPad 2 if i can get a chance.

Happened to me for the first time today… I lost my ‘P’ a few days ago.

iPhone 4S, 7.0.2, Safari – Redirected to the App Store for ‘Monster Legends Mobile’.

My ad issues are on Chrome on Windows 8.1, the P was from the free premier subscriptions for a month, not sure if that was meant to turn off the ads as well but it hasn’t.

I suspect the issues are more so flash related than the ads themselves.

You have to select “reduced ads” in your profile to make some of them go away. It’s not automatic.

not sure if that was meant to turn off the ads as well but it hasn’t.

It’s not automatic. You have to select Reduce Ads in your Premier Account settings.

Same here, new 4s on the latest OS, when I click on a page/post i get redirected to the App Store and when I go back to the browser it’s still on the STW page but I get a pop up thingy asking if I want to go to the App Store,
It’s some shitty game on the App Store that it’s going to
This is the address of the post
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/this-mornings-near-death-experience

I was just redirected to the App Store (Monster Legends) from the chat forum front page. iOS 7 on iPhone 5

Am I to understand that this will continue to happen unless I’m Premier?

After saying it hasn’t happened to me, it just did, on my iP4, on 3’s network, scrolling down the ‘Someone grabbed my handlebar…’ thread. It took me to a William Hill gambling app, then, just after, I got a dialogue box asking if I wanted to go to the App Store.

Had similar problems running chrome on android OS, since switching to Firefox with ABP the issue has gone away.

Not just a problem on here, had this earlier today while reading an article on Bikerumour linked through facebook (on iPad in FB app), first time i figured that I had accidentaly touched the add while scrolling, second time the add was already off the page. Funnily enough I got monster legends and William hill apps as above.

I get this happening with my iPhone 5s using Chrome. It is the only site that I use that this happens on.

Saying that, it hasn’t happened for a few weeks, but I have probably had a dozen or so experiences.

I also use Chrome on my MacBook but I have AdBlock installed so it will (I assume) mitigate the issue.

Just had my first. I was starting to feel a bit left out. Now I can join the club.

iphone 4 / ios7 redirected from the circular saws thread

Landed on the Mobile Monster thingy in the App Store. Flagged it with Apple too and pointed them at this thread (wave everyone) and queried amongst other things whether they can track incoming traffic to the App Store. Presumably theres a kick back from the App publisher to whoever is serving the code, for referrals/traffic so they must be identifiable in some way

Just happened again. This time for ‘Papa Pear Saga’.

It’s been happening to me today as well. iPhone 4 on latest iOS. Thought my fat fingers were to blame 🙂

Me again too, just had App Store open at Papa Pear, which at the time was the big ad at the top on the right of the thread.

Not just on here then Linky