Will SSL Certificate on a Web site cause propblems?

[TdkMate]

I am still getting Avast popup warning when trying to go to a particular site (I had a different thread on this and have discovered I get the warning only when trying to go there thru Google and no popup going there directly).   

Being in contact with them (http://www.pcmech.com/forum/) they said their SSL cert expired but don't know if that would cause a warning by Avast.

So, will Avast give a warning on this?

Note, however, that the "Object" in the popup (going thru Google) is not related to the site above, it's:

gatormonthly.org

[DavidR]

Avast won't be looking for SSL cert expired issues, it is only concerned with detecting infections/hacked sites/malicious sites, etc.

In mentioning SSL certs, that would only apply if you were connecting using https, if you were then the web shield wouldn't be monitoring that traffic as that is the point of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer - HTTPS, secure, encrypted traffic) to keep prying eyes out.

Trying to connect to gatormonthly.org causes firefox to alert it as a reported attack page, so the page isn't opened so avast doesn't alert. But if you are using a different browser then avast would most likely alert if it is a known attack page (infected/hacked).

If you can attach an image of the avast alert window.

Other security based analysis sites also find issue with it:
http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/results/www.gatormonthly.org
http://www.urlvoid.com/scan/gatormonthly.org/

[TdkMate]

Attached are the screenshots. 

What I've been doing is Googling "pcmech" and then picking the forum link from the results.  The time before this, it was not the same site that Avast warned about this time.  In testing, if I go to pcmech.com directly, I do not recall getting any popups, if that helps.

[DavidR]

There are cases of google search links not actually going to the site you think it will be going to. The google search URL is specially crafted to go to a different and often malicious site. Given the firefox alert, avast alert and the other security site analyses, I believe the detection is good.

I think that this is what has happened here as I first checked out pcmech forum first (not via google searches) and no alerts.

Personally if it is something that I was looking for on pcmech I would do a search from within their forum, rather than from outside it (using google).

I'm surprised that firefox didn't throw up the alert I got for you, unless you haven't got the Block reported attack sites enabled.

[TdkMate]

There are cases of google search links not actually going to the site you think it will be going to. The google search URL is specially crafted to go to a different and often malicious site. Given the firefox alert, avast alert and the other security site analyses, I believe the detection is good.

I think that this is what has happened here as I first checked out pcmech forum first (not via google searches) and no alerts.

Personally if it is something that I was looking for on pcmech I would do a search from within their forum, rather than from outside it (using google).

I'm surprised that firefox didn't throw up the alert I got for you, unless you haven't got the Block reported attack sites enabled.

Thanks for the info and screenshot, DavidR.  I opened up Options to double check, and I do have Block Reported Sites checked, as well as the other two items.  I'll go with your good advise and just go to PCMech directly. 

Thanks!!!

[DavidR]

You're welcome.