False positive for Goodreads.com

[poolfan]

I've been using Malwarebytes Browser Guard for a while and it never had any issues with the site. Then I accidentally removed the extension from Chrome and added it again. This time it asked for my email address. That's not a problem. But then I realized the site wasn't loading properly, only to later realize the Browser Guard has detected hundreds of malwares (all from the same site). Hundreds because I kept refreshing the browser. False positive? Or the updated Browser Guard has detected something an older version did not?

 

Imgur link to the screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/3KogZSG.jpg

[poolfan]

It's hard to imagine a site like Goodreads having malware. I certainly hope it's a case of false positives.

[gonzo]

We need to know exactly where it is occurring so that it can be reproduced/confirmed. I accessed the site and created an account without issue.

[poolfan]

Whatever the issue was, the problem seems to be gone for now. I've enabled full protection and no malware has been detected. The site properly loads for me now.  It was weird and a little scary. I remembered refreshing the site a few times and then I discovered hundreds of malware were detected. I disabled malware protection and site loaded normally. But then I wondered if I just invited malware into my system. Thanks for looking into the issue.

[poolfan]

Also, the Browser Guard has been blocking scams (is there a simple explanation for what exactly has been blocked?) from this popular ESPN website:  https://www.espn.com/soccer/
Took me a while to find out because of how Browser Guard works.

I don't know what to make of that.

 

[gonzo]

I went to the page you mentioned with Firefox and Chrome, and did not see any blocks there.  Chrome found 11 trackers (the sites shown in black that you provided in your first screenshot), while Firefox found 12.  No, I don't know why they don't agree.  Trackers are not scams or malware.  They are merely tracking exactly how they can try to sell you something most effectively, and are (for the most part) excess baggage on web pages.  Sometimes they are interwoven into the webpage design in a way that they cannot be blocked.  If it wasn't trackers that you are referring to, a screenshot would be needed.  That site looks fine to me.

[poolfan]

17 minutes ago, gonzo said:

I went to the page you mentioned with Firefox and Chrome, and did not see any blocks there.  Chrome found 11 trackers (the sites shown in black that you provided in your first screenshot), while Firefox found 12.  No, I don't know why they don't agree.  Trackers are not scams or malware.  They are merely tracking exactly how they can try to sell you something most effectively, and are (for the most part) excess baggage on web pages.  Sometimes they are interwoven into the webpage design in a way that they cannot be blocked.  If it wasn't trackers that you are referring to, a screenshot would be needed.  That site looks fine to me.

Ok, your reply officially creeped me out. I'm pretty confident that you are not lying to me, so what the hell is going on? 

Video proof: https://streamable.com/pvhc93

Browser Guard showed 10 scams blocked initially. I loaded the site and then there were 12. Loading the same site has given me the same results before. There are always 2-4 scams blocked every time I load the site.
 

[poolfan]

Loaded the site again. It's the only site I've been to since I recorded the video in my earlier post.

 

 

 

[gonzo]

None of those are scams.  The category says "Ad networks, trackers, malware, and scams."  Almost every commercial website includes ad networks and trackers. This site is no exception. They want to know what interests you, whether that is to sell you a product or to tailor content to you. That is how they do it.  Malware and/or scams would appear in red to get your attention (as shown in your first screenshot). Sometimes those are false positives too.  Better to be safe than sorry.  The ones you mentioned most recently are simply advertising and marketing, generally not needed to show you content, but without them you would very possibly be paying a fee to view that website.  That is the tradeoff with ad networks and trackers.  Links to advertising help pay for the websites you go to, and keep it free for you...just like ads on television and radio do.

If you turned off the Ads / Trackers slider, you would see advertising all over that page.  Every ad bumps the count of ads/trackers up by at least 1, and every advertising site that can't be connected to for whatever reason bumps the count too.  Ads are a major complaint of internet users, and that is but one of the reasons why Browser Guard exists.

[poolfan]

Thanks for the clarification. I get what ads are for. I'm just curious about what constitute "scams". So scams (at least those detected by browser guard as such) are just ads, unless they are shown in red? The 20 scams blocked by BG (2 posts up) are false positives and are actually just normal ads?

And what are the real scams anyway? Advertisement aimed at tricking someone to sign up or pay for something? Malware hiding behind ads that trick you into clicking on them?

[gonzo]

Scams, generically, are something with less-than-honorable motivation that is other than what is presented.  Scams are usually NOT ads.  Unfortunately, we are still in search of the right wording in Browser Guard, so the word is somewhat overused.  We cannot write a definition for a block that is 100% accurate on a site-by-site basis, but each release is adjusting the wording a bit, looking for a better balance to convey the meaning.  The sites shown in red are definitely issues, while the ones shown in black are merely related to advertising and tracking for sales/marketing purposes.

Ads aimed at getting someone to sign up or pay for something are called PHISHING and you will see that listed as the reason for the block.  Malware hiding in the shadows could be listed in many ways.

 

[poolfan]

I get it now. You've been really helpful. Thanks!!!

[gonzo]

You're welcome.