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» Why is Google Running Ads for Known Malware Sites? |
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16 Nov, 2008 - 11:03 PM - by maxdamage
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While researching an antivirus article here at Maximum PC, we noticed something very curious: a Google AdWords link called “Antivirus xp 2008,” which led to the url “antivirus-world-2009.com.” (Don't go there)
Anyone who’s been paying attention during the last year or so know that "Antivirus xp 2008" is the name of one of the most widespread and obnoxious bits of malware floating around the internet. It hides itself in your system and launches a bogus antivirus program at intervals to warn you that you’ve got spyware and trojans and the sky is falling. Then, it recommends that you buy the pro version of the program, which presumably also does nothing except rip you off. The virus is frequently updated to evade malware removal tools, and is just generally a pain.
And there’s reason to believe that Google knows the site hosts malware. We know that Google purges so-called “attack sites” from its index, and when we searched for “site: antivirus-world-2009.com,” which ought to turn up all pages at that domain indexed by Google, we got zero results. This isn’t conclusive, of course; there are other reasons that a site might not be indexed by Google, but it is suspicious. Malware-hosting sites are generally designed to try to climb to the top of the Google results page, and it’s probably safe to assume that a site that advertises with Google would be search-savvy enough to get its page indexed, if it weren’t blacklisted.
So what’s the deal? Are cases like this simply oversights, or is it Google policy not to subject its advertisers to the same scrutiny that the rest of the web undergoes? A Google spokesman responded to this question in typical form, saying "Google is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our users and our advertisers. As soon as we are aware of any violations of our policy, we work quickly to investigate and remove sites that serve malware in both our ad network and in our search results. As such, we've removed this site from our ad network."
Us? We're not totally convinced. It seems like there's more Google could be doing more to insure that its advertisers aren't trying to hurt its users, and that it ought to be performing those checks before it hosts the ads
[Source]
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0 Replies | 14 Views
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» Epic’s Capps: Make game endings DLC! |
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10 Nov, 2008 - 10:20 PM - by maxdamage
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Any excuse to dust this picture off…
Quote:
The secondary market is a huge issue in the United States. Our primary retailer makes the majority of its money off of secondary sales, and so you’re starting to see games taking proactive steps toward that by… if you buy the retail version you get the unlock code.
I’ve talked to some developers who are saying ‘If you want to fight the final boss you go online and pay USD 20, but if you bought the retail version you got it for free’. We don’t make any money when someone rents it, and we don’t make any money when someone buys it used - way more than twice as many people played Gears than bought it.
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…if this happens I will shut this site down and never buy another game again. Seriously, this is akin to renting Star Wars: Episode III and being told you need to input a purchase code to view the Mustafar lightsaber fight. It’s absolute bullshit and, frankly, unfair to the consumer. With this idea you’re asking people to pay $60 for what is, in essence, a broken game.
Oh, and then there is the possibility that somebody (I’m looking at EA) decided to milk the consumer out of a few more dollars and make them pay another $5-10 to basically fix their game.
…and then there are those who don’t have internet…
[Source]
Additional sources:Second-hand game sales are a huge issue - Epic & full interview with Michael Capps
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8 Replies | 69 Views
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» EA tells users to "try guessing" missing security key |
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04 Nov, 2008 - 9:14 PM - by maxdamage
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Electronic Arts has misprinted CD keys on the manuals for Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, leaving some consumers unable to play the game.
The CD keys should be 20 characters long, but due to a misprint, some manuals feature only 19 characters. However, the company's customer support service has suggested a simple solution – try guessing the missing digits.
"There is currently a work-around that may allow you to bypass this issue. Since you have the first 19 characters of the code already, you can basically try guessing the last character," explains the customer support site.
"To do this, simply enter your existing code, and then for the last character, try the letters A-Z, and then the numbers 0-9. You should eventually get the right combination, and be able to play the game."
The game was released in the UK on Friday and entered the charts at number 15.
"We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused," said EA of the misprint. Alternatively, users can call a customer support phone line.
[Source]
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2 Replies | 50 Views
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» Tomb Raider:Underworld |
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04 Nov, 2008 - 1:04 AM - by maxdamage
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Xbox 360 AND PC DEMO NOW AVAILABLE!
Head over to Xbox Live Marketplace to download the Xbox 360 playable demo or click the link above to download the PC version. Experience a new level of challenge and choice in this all-new Tomb Raider adventure. Based in Thailand, the demo provides a first look at the incredible new Tomb Raider: Underworld™ game play, with breath taking and treacherous environments that only the truly athletic and fearless would ever dare to take on.
PRE-ORDER NOW!
Haven’t ordered your copy yet? Tomb Raider: Underworld™ is now available for pre-order through major retailers and Digital Download for PC directly from the Tomb Raider: Underworld™ store.
Click on the ‘Pre-Order Now’ button for more information.
[Source]
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0 Replies | 23 Views
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The Gaming Union
