Author Topic: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?  (Read 20986 times)

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Offline lakrsrool

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Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« on: April 02, 2015, 08:17:24 AM »
Who here on this board uses the Excite.com site browser startpage portal?
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Offline Asyn

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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2015, 04:24:46 PM »
??? :o

-> http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/results/excite.com
-> http://zulu.zscaler.com/submission/show/ab5e620cd5e6c30c8b0cec80d15e512d-1427957992

Thanks for the reply.   

I've been using the Excite.com startpage personal portal since 1995 without incident.  There is nothing that compares to the flexible options to build (design) a startpage available to users anywhere on the web.  I've got literally many hundreds of links formatted by category along with many other conveniences that I find indispensable using the web.  For what it's worth, in the past year or so I happen to be blocking the "risky" scripts (use the NoScript FF add-on).  But that is relatively recent and had not prior to around a year ago.  I had used Excite.com startpage for around 19 years without NoScript and still have never at any time had any issues and none of my security software has detected or had to block anything produced by the Excite.com portal.  I've seen a lot of these kinds of security "warnings" for well over a decade but again I can say without reservation that I've had absolutely no problems using this startpage portal and have everything I could think of at my fingertips thanks to the startpage portal.

The reason I was asking is that it appears their server is down and while waiting on a support ticket I was wondering if anyone else has the same issue.
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Offline bob3160

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2015, 04:38:26 PM »
@lakrsrool,
You seem to forget that yesterdays safe site can be today's infected site.
Maybe it's a good thing that the site is down at the moment.
I'd be more interested to know why it's down looking at the links
posted by Asyn.

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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2015, 04:57:43 PM »
I would add that I've always been amazed that so many people are not aware of the excite.com portal and use it.  I can only surmise it is because some security sites issue warnings presumably of which there is probably not much really to it.

The SCAMadviser.com has Excite.com as 100% safe.   

Excite.com is currently SAFE on ALL of these sites: AVG ThreatlabsTrend Micro Site safety center, Norton Safe Web, ranked 8 on URL void which is a relatively very good rating that combines 30 safety scans, wot has a "good" rating for Excite.com and I could go on and on with many more sites that rate this site SAFE.  I know many people who have used it for more that 10 years and like and swear by it.  I do not allow any third-part cookies on any site and take precautions no matter what I use, but I see no real issue as far as any real security threat using the Excite portal (like all things on the web, just take precautions).
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 05:04:44 PM by lakrsrool »
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Offline bob3160

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2015, 05:25:05 PM »
Your computer your choice. We all make our own choices and have our own favorites.
I happen to like this one even though it's not my home page:
https://www.hubbley.com/app/
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 05:26:59 PM by bob3160 »
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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2015, 05:34:34 PM »
As I've said I find the portal indispensable as far as using the web.  It saves many hours in the day every day I use it as far as navigating where I want to go on the web on a daily basis.  The options available to the user to build the startpage are incomparable to any other startpage currently available, you can format it anyway you like and add virtually any amount of personal links you like.  I would totally recommend it to anyone who is interested in making their life easier when navigating the web.  Once the portal is built it offers the user a myriad of information and choices like non-other.

As far as being down, the last time was back in 2000 after a merger.

As to now regarding the current issue I've received a reply back from support:

Quote from: Excite Support:
Due to a server issue, the Excite website is unavailable for a small number of our members. We are working with our technical team to get this resolved as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.

So just as I figured, it's a "server issue".  I was just wondering if anyone else might be able to offer input as to the situation with the Excite.com portal.

This only other time the site was down back in 2000 in didn't impact me, this is the first problem I've had with the Excite.com portal in the 20 years I've been using it going back to around 1995.

Thanks for the concern however.  :)
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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2015, 05:59:48 PM »
Your computer your choice. We all make our own choices and have our own favorites.
I happen to like this one even though it's not my home page:
https://www.hubbley.com/app/

Thanks for that info Bob, Hubbley does looks pretty good, I appreciate the "heads up".  I like the email feature, but not sure if it would work for me as I have over 25 email accounts I use for various reasons so I use POP Peeper to keep track of all of them in one spot.  There's no question that the Excite.com portal has been around for forever and this does look like a decent alternative if I decided to change, but for now I'm still happy with my startpage as it is.

So why don't you happen to use Hubbley for your startpage?

What do you use?
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Offline polonus

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2015, 06:07:04 PM »
Howdy, laksrool,

It is not a server issue, there is external links to a sneaky browser hijacker
(a pop-up ads virus downloader), see the Zulu Zscaler scan report:
 -ak.imgfarm.com pop-up ads
Read also: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/6_GYsCwgeUg
This malicious link is there: htxp://ak.imgfarm.com/images/anx/anemone-1.2.7.js
with the follwing malware downloader: Worm:Win32/Vobfus.AJ
http://www.threatexpert.com/report.aspx?md5=27acb6d6188860e595103d288ddf319e
Your startpage portal has some cleansing to do.  :D

polonus (volunteer website security analyst and website error-hunter)

« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 06:26:51 PM by polonus »
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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2015, 06:26:08 PM »
Howdy, laksrool,

It is not a server issue, there is external links to a sneaky browser hijacker
(a pop-up ads virus downloader), see the Zulu Zscaler scan report:
 -ak.imgfarm.com pop-up ads
Read also: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/6_GYsCwgeUg
This malicious link is there: htxp://ak.imgfarm.com/images/anx/anemone-1.2.7.js
with the follwing malware downloader: Worm:Win32/Vobfus.AJ
http://www.threatexpert.com/report.aspx?md5=27acb6d6188860e595103d288ddf319e
Your startpage portal has some cleansing to do.  :D

polonus (volunteer website security analyst and website error-hunter)

Thanks for the input.  The removal tool download says it's for Chrome, I don't normally use Chrome.  So would this impact all browsers including FF?

Also I block "ak.imgfarm.com" but then that's with FF however using the NoScript FF add-on.   On occasion I do have to use Chrome when financial sites do not work with FF or IE and so I guess the question is would this issue impact ALL of my browsers if because I used Chrome this has become an issue (because I do not have NoScript on Chrome of course)?

I have no other problems with any of my browsers (FF, IE, Chrome) as I can navigate fine other than the startpage fails to load.  Excite.com support states that there is a "server issue" that is impacting a small number of users.

What I read regarding the Chrome removal tool is that besides the fact it is a "beta" application quote: "Google provides few details of what the Chrome Software Removal Tool actually does".

Have you used this tool?

Oh btw, I ran a FULL Avast scan a few hours ago and found nothing.

Addendum: Also this is impacting (startpage failure) all of our four household computers and 2 of those does not even have Chrome on them.  The fact that ALL FOUR of our computers has the same issue and 3 of those we use very little would suggest that it is a "server issue" it would seem to me.

What do you think?
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 06:30:31 PM by lakrsrool »
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Offline bob3160

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2015, 06:33:33 PM »
Why would you remove chrome when a website you use has a security risk ???
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Offline polonus

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2015, 06:38:20 PM »
Blocking these issues in Google Chrome can best be achieved through toggling the marvellous HTTP Switchboard extension, one of the best extensions that recently came to the Google Chrome browser next to ScriptSafe, that blocks this.
Actually Google should have blocked this Adsense abuse from cyber criminals by following their Adsense policy, read: http://stayaway2.blogspot.nl/2014/04/malicious-google-ads-wwwmapsgalaxycom.html
But Google's preaching and Google's everyday's lenient practices are two different sides of the coin, often marketeers and the old god mammon win and flip the coin(s) up their side....  ;D

polonus


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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2015, 06:45:25 PM »
Howdy, laksrool,

It is not a server issue, there is external links to a sneaky browser hijacker
(a pop-up ads virus downloader), see the Zulu Zscaler scan report:
 -ak.imgfarm.com pop-up ads
Read also: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/6_GYsCwgeUg
This malicious link is there: htxp://ak.imgfarm.com/images/anx/anemone-1.2.7.js
with the follwing malware downloader: Worm:Win32/Vobfus.AJ
http://www.threatexpert.com/report.aspx?md5=27acb6d6188860e595103d288ddf319e
Your startpage portal has some cleansing to do.  :D

polonus (volunteer website security analyst and website error-hunter)

OK, I ran the removal tool and the results are that I'm "clean".  If I had any "suspicious program" according to the "removal tool" they would have been listed and I would have been given the option to "remove them".  So nothing at all was found.

Still looks like a "server issue" to me.

You would agree that if we have 4 computers with the same problem (3 of which do not even have Chrome) it would be more likely a "server issue".  That said, I'm still waiting on Excite Support to get back to me on any resolution.

So I sure do appreciate any help just in case the issue is due to something else than what it would appear to be.
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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2015, 06:49:50 PM »
Blocking these issues in Google Chrome can best be achieved through toggling the marvellous HTTP Switchboard extension, one of the best extensions that recently came to the Google Chrome browser next to ScriptSafe, that blocks this.
Actually Google should have blocked this Adsense abuse from cyber criminals by following their Adsense policy, read: http://stayaway2.blogspot.nl/2014/04/malicious-google-ads-wwwmapsgalaxycom.html
But Google's preaching and Google's everyday's lenient practices are two different sides of the coin, often marketeers and the old god mammon win and flip the coin(s) up their side....  ;D

polonus

So then the "HTTP Switchboard" and "ScriptSafe" are Chrome extensions?  I could use something like the FF "NoScript" for Chrome (when I end up having to use Chrome that is, since it seems like a lot of websites cater to Chrome at the expense of FF or IE).

How do they work?

ADDENDUM: Oh, btw - shouldn't Avast have found the issue (if there was one) using a FULL scan that I had run last night after this problem was present?
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 06:52:00 PM by lakrsrool »
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Offline lakrsrool

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Re: Does anyone use the Excite.com startpage portal?
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2015, 06:56:37 PM »
OK polonus, I've found "safescript" and "http switchboard" in the Chrome web store.  I also found "umatrix" and "script blocker" in these categories as well.

I'll continue to look into them.

Any you recommend over the others?

Checking out the details and reviews.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 07:01:07 PM by lakrsrool »
Processor: i3 2.53 GHz 4 GIG RAM, OS: WIN 7, Connection: High Speed, Virus/Malware Protection: Avast-2015, SpywareBlaster, Windows Firewall & Defender. Email: Outlook 2010 w/ POP Peeper Email Notifiers.