Thread 106282591

When I tried visiting The Vitamin Shoppe's site, I encountered this:
>We detected unusual activity from your device or network
>Reasons may include
>Rapid taps or clicks
>JavaScript disabled or not working
>Automated (bot) activity on your network
>Use of developer or inspection tools
I can't recall if I've ever seen a site with bot detection before. My guess is it might've come from a pirated commercial eroge I downloaded. Another potential clue was a sticky, gummy bear like lag I'd experience when doing certain things (maybe in browser). Before I wiped the drive, I visited the site again, but didn't get the [Access blocked] page. It loaded normally. After maybe one to two HDD wipes (nwipe 0.38 via SystemRescue; XORoshiro-256, fill with zeros, no verification, 1 round, no final blanking pass), things are back to normal. No more lag and the site loaded normally. So for those of you (not the more experienced ones) who download warez, you may wanna consider extracting archives in a virtual machine (VM). Same for installing and/or running warez. Unless you don't mind wiping your OS drive every time you come across malware-containing warez. But you might wanna consider using a smaller sized drive. For reference, I'm using an SATA III HDD (320GB I believe) that's on an SATA II connection. It takes a little over 44 minutes (maybe 44:10) to do a wipe with the above settings (I chose the ones I thought would give the most basic wipe). Another thing to consider, have a USB drive (256GB had the lowest USD per GB when I last checked) with your software stack on it. Make sure to scan everything on VirusTotal (650MB size limit I believe). That way you don't have to re-download and re-scan everything every time. My latest drive wipe and Windows install session seemed to go a lot faster after having done this.

>>106282647
Your post helped me realize I could've worded that differently. What I meant, is that I don't think I've ever seen a site that informs the user that their machine might be infected with malware. And I don't mean a general example, like an online malware scanner that scans uploaded files or the user's drive. I mean a more specific, obscure one. Like a site that blocks a user's access and informs them of strange activity coming from their machine. But I guess it's possible I've seen a site like this before, and I just can't recall because it's been many years. Basically, I'm under the impression that sites like these are rare. I've been using the Internet since maybe 1995 and have probably been downloading and installing warez on bare metal since then up until a few years ago (or whenever) when I started using VMs for warez. And that might be the only time an official, legitimate (non-scam) site told me my machine might have malware.

>>106282591 (OP)
Idea:
Make a pihole that instead of blocking sites on my end (and can thus be disabled locally), just spams ddos on the sites so that they block me and I can't disable it to watch /gif/ ladyboy porn.

>>106282591 (OP)
>>106282920
you have schizophrenia. and not the smart kind, youre retarded

>>106283040
>you have schizophrenia
>you're retarded
Might you be able to elaborate?

>>106283148
could YOU eleborate? your text doesnt make any sense, you just ramble about things that dont have anything to do with each other

>>106283245
>your text doesn't make any sense
Which part?
>you just ramble about things that don't have anything to do with each other
Can you share an example? Since it's a PSA thread, it's padded with extra info for context and informing warez novices. To summarize, I've been to The Vitamin Shoppe's site before, and that might be the first time it blocked access.

>>106282591 (OP)
this has nothing to do with malware. It happens sometimes if you have an unusual user-agent, like using an uncommon browser or an old version (or as it says, messing with javascript)

>>106283345
>Which part?
all of it
>Can you share an example?
what does your hard drive have to do with some random sites ddos protection?

>>106283345
Are you retarded or over the age of 40? There is no other option. Don't dodge the question.

>>106283375
>this has nothing to do with malware
I can't help but think it might be malware related due to the warez I downloaded and either unpacked the archives or went a step further and installed them. All on bare metal too. No VMs. Plus there was that strange lag that I don't experience when my Windows install is healthier (like right now).
>an unusual user-agent, like using an uncommon browser or an old version
I was probably running mainstream Firefox (maybe 141.0.3) with these extensions: Dark Reader, HTTPZ, IDM Integration Module, Imagus, NoSquint Plus, ReFont, and uBlock Origin.
>messing with JavaScript
That should also have been in its default state since I don't customize it.
>>106283398
>what does your hard drive have to do with some random site's DDoS protection?
It was for reference purposes. For warez novices who may not know about proper drive wiping for eliminating malware.
>>106283400
>Are you retarded
If you consider autism a form of retardation, yes. While I haven't been officially diagnosed, I might've taken an online test.
>over the age of 40?
Yes. I'm 42. You're asking because it's a generational thing?
>There is no other option
Why and/or how did those 2 options come to mind?

>>106283632
>It was for reference purposes. For warez novices who may not know about proper drive wiping for eliminating malware.
wtf is a "warez"
you are pretending its some sophisticated shit, but if you can get malware from it that easily its retarded

>>106283632
Nah, when it says "bot activity on your network" what it means is the site thinks YOU are a bot, as in you're an automated program impersonating a human to scrape them so they block you. It doesn't have anything to do with botnets or malware on your machine.
Anti-bot protection got very aggressive in recent years because companies have been trawling the internet like crazy for LLM training data. Online marketplaces are also wary of bots to avoid their price data getting scraped or bots abusing the storefront

I think it's like browser fingerprinting.. if you're using Firefox with a bunch of configuration flags changed then you get flagged as a bot. I get it all the time.

>>10628371
>wtf is a warez
Get off the internet summer child

>>106283711
>wtf is "warez"
It's an older term. I believe it refers to software that's been unlocked (usage and/or features) or can be unlocked with a tool or tools it comes with. So it's like getting the full experience without paying. Sometimes though, it's unnecessary to do any unlocking due to the software being DRM-free.
>you are pretending it's some sophisticated [...]
What did I say that made it come off that way? I could've used the term pirated software, but warez seems more efficient.
>but if you can get malware from it that easily
I guess it would depend on the uploader (original or subsequent).
>it's retarded
Some warez is probably clean, and can be hash verified with a legitimate copy.
>>106283720
>Anti-bot protection got very aggressive in recent years
That might be why this is, assumingly, my first time encountering this.
>>106283943
>if you're using Firefox with a bunch of configuration flags changed, then you get flagged as a bot
I've been using Firefox exclusively for a number of years. And I started using extensions a few or more years ago. This was likely the first time something like that ever happened to me. Where a site (not devoted to malware, cybersecurity, or computing in general) took the initiative in informing me my machine might have malware.
>I get it all the time
I guess it seemed sudden and mildly shocking to me. Couple that with the warez I downloaded, unpacked, and/or installed, I must've had a lightbulb moment where I assumed the computer was doing something it wasn't supposed to be doing.

>>106282591 (OP)
if you do anything but run vanilla chrome every site on earth especially stores start crying bots bots bots

>>106284111
ok i get it now

>>106282591 (OP)
>>Use of developer or inspection tools
Scummy.