It all began about 4 or 5 days ago when I was engrossed in an article here on DKOS. Suddenly, my web page was hijacked and redirected to a suspicious McAfee Security Scan lookalike page, with a URL leading to a site called system-security-scan.net. Intrigued, I attached a screenshot of this at the top of the article. This peculiar occurrence has repeated itself about a dozen times in the days that followed. Strangely, it only happens while I’m on Daily Kos and never on any other site, leading me to believe that there must be something on this site triggering it. Upon performing a Google search on the web site name, system-security-scan.net, it became evident that it’s a scam aimed at duping users into believing their computer is infected with malware, tempting them to click a button to take action. As a computer support engineer, I exercise caution and refrain from clicking on the button – simply closing the browser and starting over. I’ve conducted my own scans, confirming that my computer is devoid of any known malware as per my security software.
Interestingly, I’ve observed that revisiting the same article where the redirect occurred often leads to a repeat incident in a short span of time. However, choosing a different article upon restarting my browser seems to delay the occurrence for a while, perhaps after reading several more articles.
Given that I’m not a paid member and encounter ads along with occasional page refreshes, it appears that the redirect coincides with these ad changes and page refreshes.
Has anyone else encountered this issue? Should I reach out to the Help Desk for assistance?
I may not be available all day to engage with comments as I have errands to run, including grocery shopping. Nevertheless, I will check back intermittently throughout the day.
Update: I want to express my gratitude to Mister E for suggesting in the comments to switch to connecting only to Secure Sites. Utilizing the “HTTPS-Only Mode” in Firefox has proven to be effective, as when the redirect attempt occurs, I’m greeted with a Firefox Security Warning Page indicating that the site I’m being directed to is insecure. I then have the option to “Go Back,” and upon clicking on it, I return to the article I was reading.
