Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I clicked on the top of the speedtest.net page on something that seemed to be part of speedtest and it brought up the MacKeeper site. I did not click on anything there and as far as I know did not download anything. Hope not. Do not see MacKeeper in Applications. If I search for zeobit using Find Any File it only finds it in History. This is all a bit naughty. Shows how dangerous it is to click on anything.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Windows 7 on BootCamp
Just one thing: make sure you uncheck the default of "Allow some non-intrusive advertising." This wonderful option just appeared recently causing an enormous uproar, as you can imagine. It's "hiding" in Options>Filter Subscriptions.
Firefox, because of the flexibility and safety it affords with all the available extensions, particularly NoScript, which I wouldn't go on the Internet without, is a far superior browser.
Thanks for the useful tip, found it after some time, it sure is hiding quite cleverly. As usual it's all about making money, I can see why they need to do it, fair enough.
> uncheck the default of "Allow some non-intrusive advertising." <
I'm still using Safari most of the time, am used to it. The embedded ad space in speedtest.net has mostly Google "Get Chrome" at the moment, there are sort of rotating ads in there. Reckon the main thing is to train oneself to not click on anything where there's the slightest doubt. I will check from time to time that I've got no Mackeeper cookie.
I found the following advice among Thomas Reed's excellent stuff:
"Try selecting Safari Extensions from the Safari menu, then finding, downloading and installing AdBlock. I also recommend the WOT (Web Of Trust) extension."
I had Adblock but it wasn't enough to get rid of MacKeeper (using Safari). I added the WOT (Web Of Trust) thingy yesterday and since then have not seen MacKeeper. Have only seen pingtest.net in that space - so far. Let's see how it goes.
WOT is excellent, but it only rates sites and very occasionally, if necessary, give alerts before letting you visit sites that it knows have been hacked or which blatantly distribute malware. It wouldn't be responsible for the disappearance (temporary?) of MK.
I don't use Safari, but I've heard good things abut GlimmerBlocker.
Another way of blocking adds is Glimmerblocker, uses a proxy with filters, keeps away almost everything Zeobit/Mackeeper. Although Zeobit is VERY clever in adding their traps to the webpages....
WOT is only a 'user to user' site rating advisement and link checker. It's useful for flagging bad links in Google searches for instance.
If you want known bad sites to be blocked, then you need to change the DNS server on your router to OpenDNS. You also can create a account with OpenDNS, then make even further content restrictions, although it's not perfect because new content/sites appear all the time.
MacKeeper has not come back - yet. Have done lots of tests at different times, only seen pingtest.net
On Speedtest.net website:
with nothing: Mackeeper ad and Google Chrome ad.
with Glimmerblocker (proxy method, all browsers): Google Chrome ad, no Mackeeper ad.
with Adblock (not adblocker !) Safari Plugin: No Google Chrome ad, no Mackeeper ad.
MacKeeper ad disappeared completely for 12 days (pingtest.net only in that space). Now MacKeeper BACK AGAIN suddenly a few times, then pingtest . . . !
Get a wooden stake!
Good idea, workin' on it. Gotta hand it to 'em, dem guys is real smart, sneakin' in everywhere. OK I bin to de pub.
Or, last few words of last message, in real London cockney rhyming slang - Took a ball o' chalk up the frog to the rub-a-dub. No it's not rude, although some of them are, very, cleverly indirectly - and they are in common usage too.
MacKeeper back here again after nearly two months. The trouble is it doesn't say what it is, you have to recognise the Michelin Tyre ad type of figure. Easy to be caught out by this.
MacKeeper hiding on speedtest.net site
