Google Interstitial Removes Ignore Option
posted by Nick Wilsdon on September 7, 2008Google’s had their own interstitial warning page on malware results since 2006. If you clicked through to a URL which was on their Safe Browsing Malware or Phishing Blacklists you would be served the following warning page:
Old Google Malware Warning Page
Although Google stopped you on your way to the target page, you were still presented with an option to ignore the warning and continue to the URL. However, their current interstitial page seems to have gone one step further and removed this option. As you see below:
Current Google Malware Warning Page
As you see from the screenshot above, the destination URL is now not active. The user is not presented with any link to continue onto the page and would have to physically copy and paste the address into their browser to continue. Of course, this might set off the same protection mechanism in the browser.
So live becomes even harder for those infected with malware or phishing exploits. Traffic would now be brought to an absolute stand still.
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Jeff Eastmond says:
As far as I’m concerned, the current Google Malware Warning Page has made Google unusable as a search engine. Every search I have made today has had every search result entry labelled with ‘Warning - the site you are about to visit may harm your computer’. There is an option to continue to the webpage ‘at your own risk’. I’m sure that many of the legitimate companies whose websites I have attempted to access via a Google search today will be interested to learn that a previously reputable Internet name is now branding their websites as being capable of spreading malware to all their (prospective) users. Expect lots of legal activity and money jackpots for the lawywrs…
January 31, 2009, 11:01 amhannah says:
This stupid Warning page has caused me to change search engines, if they are going to install a malaware page then fine but don’t allow it to block EVERY site, even my GCSE revision sites. It’s terrible and dissapointing.
January 31, 2009, 11:07 amDave says:
I have the same problem as Jeff, every search result has the ‘Warning - the site you are about to visit may harm your computer’. Yesterday, I had no problems. Today I can’t visit any sites without doing a “copy/paste”.
January 31, 2009, 11:09 amJeff Eastmond says:
As far as I’m concerned, the new Google Malware Warning Page has made Google unusable as a search engine. Every search I have made today has had all results tagged with ‘Warning - visiting this web site may harm your computer!’ Click on the link and the interstitial page is displayed, with an option to continue to the website ‘at your own risk’. I already have AVG Internet Security installed, the AVG site advisor is adequate for the task of advising of dodgy sites, I don’t need another advisor (and this is one which obviously doesn’t work). I’m sure that the many companies whose websites I have attempted to access via a Google search today will be glad to hear that a previously reputable Internet name is now branding their websites as sources of Internet malware. Expect lots of legal activity and a financial bonanza for the lawyers in the near future.
January 31, 2009, 11:09 amBjorn says:
The Google Malware Warning Page has stopped my ability to browse the web. Using Yahoo works but not as well. What is the solution? At first I thought that this was some kind of virus, I just cannot believe that Google would intentionally puts itself out of existence overnight.
January 31, 2009, 11:10 amJeff Eastmond says:
Ooops - sorry for the double post. IE problems…
January 31, 2009, 11:11 amOneCrazyKid says:
Everyone is having the same problem. I wonder if someone has hacked Google to create this issue. I thought I had a virus or malware also, so I booted a few other PC’s and also had the same problem. The Site http://www.stopbadware.org appears to be down, which may be the root of the problem. Anyone, have any ideas.
January 31, 2009, 11:18 amOneCrazyKid says:
It appears they have fixed the issue all is working now.
January 31, 2009, 11:24 amFat Si says:
Turning of some add ons in IE seems to help
January 31, 2009, 11:25 amHarold says:
I have no idea what this is about, I think that it is on purpose by Google. Now that the economy is heading south the internet services like eBAy and Google it seems are getting down right spooky in their attempts to make a buck, trying to sell their users souls.
We will find out this is some sort of scare tactic by Google to get users to agree with a radical and evil change to their platform. It will be their attempt to get every user to instal a dash board, Google mal ware, and sign into Google every day all day long 24 7, 365 so they can record you every key stroke and sell it to the republican party.
January 31, 2009, 11:30 amJim from Canada says:
I too initially thought I was hit by some malware or browser hijacker. This is craziness. I have now switched to yahoo search. I will patronize them for awhile and i believe others should too. It is obvious we are all google search junkies. A change will do us good.
my two cents.
January 31, 2009, 6:03 pm