Hey guys so first of all most of us hate the website The Sims Resource understandably. However, as someone who frequently uses the internet and deals with the incredible amount of ads I can tell that with a website like the TSR things go from annoying to harmful quickly. Anyway, today I was looking up some blinds for ts3 and was "forced" to download a set from the sims resource, no big deal but I left the page up that has pictures of the object and takes 10 years to load because of the massive amount of ads and intrusive videos. I was distracted for about 3 minutes, (I know it was just about 3 minutes because of a timed game I was playing on a console) and without clicking anything I got one of the browser hijackers (decoys, hijackers are kind of different) the one where you get some pop up in a new tab and it has some warning about you calling a number or downloading something to save your computer, basically the one that doesn't let you leave the page so you have to pull up task manager to get out of there

tldr;
I never really trusted the TSR but this is a low I would have never expected from the site BUT where there's ads there's always room for malware
Idk if ad block blocks those pop ups since they just open a new tab or do a redirect specifically to get around ad block
the most important point is I dont recall clicking anything, I was playing a video game on a console and tsr was the only tab present before I got the malware decoy meaning just sitting on the site could be dangerous?
If you move page to page not letting all the ads load entirely i guess youre likely to be safer.
p.s. Still looking for blinds ; u ;


I get these all the time from almost any site that gives into ads for money but I wanted to mention this to people who don't come across these as often or may panic a little when they see one

More details:
This pop up was different from the common BIOS blue screen or the outdated javascript ones that are more popular
This one was designed to look like an official microsoft page and it was pretty well done almost like they copied the html and css style from an actual microsoft page
It of course came with an error pop up I couldn't leave unless I accepted the virus download and the page was titled Microsoft Official support
The actual url in the address bar was giveupperiod.com, strange right? I figure the decoy was hiding behind an ad and hijacked that web page but Idk

All in all stay safe these kind of aggressive "you can't leave the page" pop ups are super common and I'm sure they'll frighten some people with a little less knowledge
Sorry for this massive post.

edit: I think you can report ads... I'm not sure but if you HAVE NO IDEA WHICH OF THE 50 ADS IS THE SUPER BAD ONE AND THEYRE ALL SCREAMING AT YOU UR KINDA S.O.L.

also please post if you have experience of what I'm talking about. Maybe I did click on an ad but still idk how these ads and the sites allowing them work but a misclick shouldn't lead to a potential virus specifically with a high traffic site (maybe an unkempt shifty site).

/Someone else's experience with this/ > http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/dis...s-resource-site


a quote: "I never click ads either, but I was viewing several pages and suddenly my browser was redirected to a page that said I was viewing *********** and my browser was being locked (it didn't, as I'm on a MAC) I did notify TSR and they said it was one of their ads, but didn't know which one."

I've been a frequent flyer at TSR for many years and do not "hate" their website. I've downloaded and installed tons of custom content from them and have never had any problems. Granted the adds are a pain in the ass but their creators put out some awesome stuff for our games and it's free.

Yes I totally understand, their service and what it takes to upkeep it is super understandable. I don't hate the creators or even the people who run the site. I just hate THE SITE. The way it looks the years it takes to go to the next page. I really think its just poorly laid out even with the fifty ads. I'm no graphic designer but I just think there's improvement that could be made.

Honestly the real hatred comes from that fact that some of that stuff is ONLY PUBLICLY AVAILABLE on that site, I can't just bypass the site like any other site. I HAVE to go to it for some cc. So really it's no one's fault but I hate the site purely for that reason.

I've had a bad scare from that kind of 'Ransomware' before, when was still quite a noobie on the web, though I've never encountered it whilst using TSR. The first occasion it didn't just freeze my browser but hijacked my whole computer, so that everytime I booted up it went straight to that phoney page. The only way I got rid of it was to use a recovery disc to start up in 'safe mode' and then run an anti-malware program. I've had one or two similar attacks since, it is sometimes the FBI sometimes Scotland Yard and on one occasion Interpol - all phoney of course. Fortunately my computer is better protected now, but, sh*t was I scared the first time! Actually It was a police officer who told me that the real police forces wouldn't be allowed to do that. And it is illegal.

And yes, I have been finding TSR annoying lately: the way the screen keeps jumping about and changing; the way I have to keep clicking that green 'cookies' notification every time I go to a new page; and the way I have to be careful where I move my cursor in case I bring up some ad window (I don't click them, but they start up anyway). It is time TSR cleaned up its act, especially if actual criminals are now hijacking the ads.

That's definitely happened to me before on that site. I usually just close down my browser using task manager (and it will still fight you every step to get out of that screen).

That said, I do sometimes download from there because there is some nice stuff there. I just really don't appreciate their ad system. I used an ad blocker for awhile but then they 'lecture' you and make you wait a really long time, which is super annoying because sometimes the download process won't work and you have to do it again. So I lifted my ad blocker but then you expose yourself to these malware ads.

I realize the ads are how they're getting money, but making the whole process of downloading free stuff such a miserable experience does NOT make me inclined to subscribe and give them any of my money. Instead it makes me mostly avoid the site unless I can't find a similar item elsewhere. YMMV

I use AdBlocker and you (Yeah, you!) should, too. And TSR's Malware is probably better than half the trash custom content on that site, mirite my dudes? (Don't answer I don't actually care.)

If it's any consolation, while the timer only runs if the tab is the one you're viewing (it stops if you switch tabs), it's not affected if you switch windows altogether. So open the TSR tab in a new window, ignore it and continue checking email/browsing/etc in the main window until the timer is done.

TSR without AbBlock is unthinkable!

I'm also someone that uses Adblock. I'd rather deal with the longer wait to download than risk anything unwanted infecting my computer.

The only annoying thing with adblock is that each download on TSR takes almost a minute (stupid TSR), and that Adf.ly levelled up their annoyware for having adblock installed (stupid waiting - I wish the horrible site could just go and die a painful, terrible death for the completely unnecessary annoyances it frequently causes).

Other than that, Adblock is awesome. Helps keeping bugs off my screen, and not just at TSR. It helps with the recent levelled up Mediafire ads, too And a bunch of other annoying ad-infested sites.

I hate browsing that site. It randomly keeps me from downloading cc. It didn't prevent me before, but then it decided to make me wait an entire minute instead of the usual 5-10 seconds to tell me that ads help the site and I should white list them. Minute passes and it STILL wouldn't let me download because I was blocking ads.
I had to disable Adblock and crash the Flashplayer via the Task Manager repeatedly just to keep their ads down and be able to download stuff. Ridiculous.

They have some really talented creators but I can't go to the site without Adblock up and running because last time I did, half of their ads blinked. One blinking ad is fine, but multiple blinking ads are way too much for me.

I understand that bandwith for a site that size is a major expense but with the majority of people using ad blockers, ads are a loosing proposition these days. Paid site features and donations is probably going to be the way most sites that can't directly sell site content (donor's gifts are a gray area, I think) have to move to.

Would a download blocker help against TSR's malware ad servers? I've been using Spywareblaster for years in addition to Adblock Plus and NoScript in Firefox. I haven't tried to visit TSR in years because of their reputation, so I don't know how well it would deal with their problem ads. I just thought I'd mention Spywareblaster because it says it's able to block browser hijackers and I thought somebody might find it helpful.

Agreed, I've had times where the timer is frozen so really i have no idea how much time is actually going by
I've had times where I've had to wait "1 minute" when I don't even have ad block and then that one minute actually ends up being 10 minutes before I reload
then I have the times where I'm never able to download the item at all

So when people give me the whole "youre lucky the site is around" speech it's aggravating because even with what the site offers it is still poorly run and managed.

p.s. Not everyone has amazing internet! I can't imagine what people who have slow internet must have to deal with. Leaving the page up for hours trying to download a set and then returning just to see the page has timed out?

I've just blacklisted TSR from my mind. I don't go there anymore and I have no reason to. I don't download stuff that requires CC, so I don't ever have to have anything from TSR. The best CC comes from MTS and Simblr, most of TSR's stuff is either low quality or doesn't fit with the games' art styles.

I actually saw your post and was like "good 'ol Nitromon and his classic sometimes confusing remarks" but thanks I'll look at this now
IT WAS DISCRETE!!! and I was too focused in making sure I had a legit topic and people were having the same experiences

edit:
I havent tested it myself but the TSR mightve broken it and it hasn't been updated yet

*cough* thank you *cough*

Don't think it's been mentioned yet - if you click download and switch tabs immediately after, the countdown will still work and you can least do something else on your browser while waiting on those minute timers.

TSR, typically a kind the type of website, being the reason addblock and more of these programs exist at all. I use both Adblock and Ublock Origin, because, according to some IT guy I know, Adblock doesn''t necessarily block the links (only visibility), something what U-Block is for. I even have an adblock browser on my android for certain websites.

I don't mind ads and banners, not even gif like banners with moving images and a complete background filled with an ad, but I do hate automatic starting movies and sound clips, banners hijacking your screen making it impossible to click anything (with and without moving your mouse clicker over it) and auto redirecting your tab towards some completely different website. Not to mention the long loading times of these website due to all ads. Only normal ads and these blockes probably wouldn't have been invented at all or at least much later.

That's the thing, it's not a virus but rather a decoy. Its a virus POPUP that supposed to scare people into actually downloading the virus. I run a Malwarebytes scan after a certain number of cc files anyway. The site is basically hosting potential harmful viruses.