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TCA Eastern Div Website - Corrupted?

C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member
Message on their front page says, essentially, the site is having technical issues and suggests you not click on pop up Windows that may appear while at their site.

I left site and a few minutes later got notice to update my Adobe flash software.  Ok, get them frequently from Adobe.  I should have been on guard.  My mistake.

Many hours AND $125 later, still not wiped off my machine.  I ain't no internet security rookie.  Yes, I could have thought more before clicking on popup.  However, the exposure to anyone and explicit acknowledgement of the existence of phishing issues on the TCA Eastern Div web site would dictate an immediate security fix, or shut down of the site by TCA ED until fixed.

Please be careful.

Not attacking TCA ED via this posting.  I will have a conversation with them in person at York about this significant breach to all and the abdication of governance responsibilities by TCA ED.
Last edited by cooperthebeagle
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cbojanowercbojanowerOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBERMEMORIAL SUPPORTER
Originally Posted by cooperthebeagle:
I left site and a few minutes later got notice to update my Adobe flash software.  Ok, get them frequently from Adobe.

Many hours AND $125 later, still not wiped off my machine.  I ain't no internet security rookie.  Yes, I could have thought more before clicking on popup.  However, the exposure to anyone and explicit acknowledgement of the existence of phishing issues on the TCA Eastern Div web site would dictate an immediate security fix, or shut down of the site by TAX ED until fixed.

The type of Flash hack is pretty common. If you ever get a notice from a site offering to upgrade your Flash player , do not do it. If you think yours is out of date go directly to Adobe and download it from them

Last edited by cbojanower
C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member
Thanks.

I had current version of Adobe.  The point is that TCA ED appears to know of the issue - based on their statement on their front page, yet they are letting folks access the site - and who know what others are experiencing.

I know what I am doing and still made the mistake.  What about others that don't?
Until someone posts here otherwise, I can only presume the issue remains.

I will seek out EL Presidente of the TCA ED and discuss in person.  I am afraid to go to their web site to find out who that person is that I will seek out, lest I get zapped again!
Last edited by cooperthebeagle
CW C W BurfleOGR Forum Member

Is it the TCA or the Eastern Division of the TCA?

I believe they have two different web sites.

I also agree that it is very irresponsible to leave a web site up that has a virus or malware infection.

Come to think of it, the other day I think I did get an alert from my computer's antivirus/antimalware software for one of those sites.

 

Sorry to read of your problem. The last infection that I had to address left the computer so screwed up that I ended up wiping the O/S and reloading.

Last edited by C W Burfle
Chris LordChris LordOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER
Originally Posted by cbojanower:
.

The type of Flash hack is pretty common. If you ever get a notice from a site offering to upgrade your Flash player , do not do it. If you think yours is out of date go directly to Adobe and download it from them

General rules of thumb regarding web links.  NEVER click on a link in a popup or an email unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure of its genuineness.  Always go to the vendor's site in another browser tab (or window).  Never assume the webmaster knows what the state of his/her website is.  Always assume a site is compromised. 

DG Debbie GeiserOGR Forum Member

Hi Guys:

 

I have taken down the Eastern Division website due to technical difficulties and apologize for any inconvenience.  We working vigorously to solve the technical issues.

 

In place of the homepage I have uploaded a meet announcement and basic information sheet.  

 

http://www.easterntca.org

 

Thank you for your patience and I will look forward to seeing you at the show.

 

Sincerely, Debbie Geiser

York Meet Registrar

Eastern Division Webmaster

C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member
CW Burfle:  They have known since at least Mon, Oct 6 (the date this issue arose for me.)  At that time there was a note at the top of their web site that said something along the line of: do not click on any pop up ads, we are having some technical difficulties.  OK, so I left the web site.  Clicked on nothing, looked for nothing.  Just left.
 
My computer became infected with malware well after I was OFF their web site when a pop up came up asking me to update my Adobe Flash player (which is not unusual).  I clicked.  Deadly mistake.  Computer was trashed.  Lesson learned: go to web sites of Adobe or other trusted organizations to verify that they are legit when software update notices arrive.
 
My whole point of posting this was not to gripe about what happened to me.  It was to alert EVERYONE else to the problem.
 
Since the TCS ED's web mater, Debbie Geiser, was brave enough to post the notice in the posting immediately above, I will jokingly say to her: you might want to hide from me next week.  
 
I am a bit peeved at TCA ED.  
 
Its governance over this matter and the demonstration of a lack of respect towards membership by allowing this to continue, even though it was clearly known to TCA ED, is beyond comprehension. 

 

Last edited by cooperthebeagle
C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member
Pete:
 
Good point.  To be specific, I left the internet completely.  I was actually doing something in MS Excel, I then clicked back onto my home page about 5 minutes after I had closed the browser (which was last on TCA ED site).  My homepage is set to Google News - and voila.  Was asked if I wanted to update Adobe.  Sure, I always do.  That was the Ooops on my part.  My problem, not TCA ED's.  I made the decision to accept the new software (which was malware).  It could have been a pop up for anything; typically, the malware sends in a cookie and then asks for you to update somethign that is on your computer.
 
Was this problem preventable?  Who else has been zonked?  Would it have been prudent to do what they did today (take down site) but do so many days ago?
 
My original post was 1 day after it happened.  I wanted to gather the facts and needed to focus on a solution to the problem.  In the solution process we identified the issue and source.  At the end of the day I want to be accurate in what I communicated here. 
 
I am merely conveying what happened to me as an example to highlight that you gotta be careful (I think that goes without saying).   I plan to speak to the TCA ED folks at York.  Presently, I am of the opinion they let members down by leaving this vulnerability open to anyone.  Aggressive and proactive actions are appropriate; and if what I think happened did happen, that is somewhat unbelievable this day in age.  Folks will agree or disagree with my views; I can not control that. 
 
Thanks.
 
 
Originally Posted by Norton:

John, Since you state the problem arose well after you left the TCA website how do you know it originated there. The pop up I saw had nothing to do with Adobe and appeared as soon as I went to their registration page.

 

Pete

 

Last edited by cooperthebeagle
R RailRideOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER

I seem to remember that one also when I signed up for the York Meet. Looking at the message, I thought back--Adobe updates usually occur automatically in the background, and then you get a notice on your system tray (the row of icons down next to the clock).

 

I don't recall ever seeing one specifically for Flash, just Acrobat...

...So I closed the tab, opened a new one and went back to the EDTCA site. Didn't see the pop-up again.

 

---PCJ

Rich MelvinRich MelvinOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER
Originally Posted by RJR:

Adobe updates are automatic only if you so elect.  Depends on what you have clicked in the menu.  I don't know if malware can trigger the "automatic" approval and load the malware.

I don't let my computer automatically update ANYTHING! I want to KNOW what updates are being installed and why. I do not install every update that comes down the pike.

 

I stopped doing Windoze so-called "updates" a long time ago. My computers have never run so smoothly or for so long without problems.

 

To let those updates run automatically in the background is just asking for trouble.

C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member

Wow, the web site is still not working. 

 

Am still awaiting a response to my question as to why the web site was allowed to operate fro at least 3.5 days given its unsafe status.  The silence is deafening. 

 

The weirdness continues: page 30 of the Nov 2014 TCA National HQ News refers member to the TCA Easter Div web site for detailed information about the April 2015 meet.  The reality check: the web site is non functioning.  See the attachment below for a screen shot of the web site.....

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Last edited by cooperthebeagle
C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member

I posted a screen shot of the TCA web site from 11/11/14 in my 11/15/14 posting.  Farmer Bill and Eddie G (and his dog!) looked at TCA ED web site today, 8 days after that screen shot. 

 

Sometime in the last few days TCA ED has put up minimum info about the April 2015 meet.   

 

Back to the point of the thread:  TCA ED has not yet addressed to TCA membership why they left the old website up and running for at least 3+ days, even though they acknowledged on that website that it was prone to distributing malware.   That is like saying "I have the flu, but I am still going to go to work; I hope no one else at the office gets infected by me".

 

C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member

The point of the post changed after Ms. Geiser was kind enough to inform everyone on 10/9/14 that the site was off line.  (The original point of the thread was, as you state - infected web site.)     

 

Perhaps I can better explain what members might what to know and why.  Hope the following is a better explanation.

 

TCA ED is accountable to the people that pay membership fees to TCA (since TCA ED receives some portion of the dues we pay to TCA).  The event with TCA ED demonstrates a disconnect among what occurred, the communication to membership, and the actions taken to permanently resolve the matter from happening again. Effective governance of an organization demonstrates strong interrelationship among product, process and people.  The product is the web site fix, the process is how they fixed it and made it better and safer, and the people part is the communication of it to the membership.  I am guessing TCA ED is taking actions or considering actions that will - in the end - address some portion of or all of the components I mention.  But thus far they have said nothing.

 

How do we know that they (TCA ED) are doing what they can to ensure it does not happen again - or that something potentially worse is mitigated by actions they have, are, or will be taking?  That is really what every should want to know.  And only TCA ED Division can answer that.  And they have not.

 

The good news is that they seem to be coming back (on line) with the April 2015 info being available.  But since that is the only thing now on their web site (as of last night), they appear to be taking a measured approach in their return to the cyber world. 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by C W Burfle:

 

I thought the point of the thread was to alert people that the TCA web site was infected.  They made a mistake. What would you like them to say?

R RALOGR Forum Member

I think it is a fair point, the above.  It's now a week before Thanksgiving, the meet was in mid to late October, the computer issue was before that time and we still have not received any word as to what happened or what is being done to correct the situation.  A member organization should be accountable to the members, and part of that is communicating to the members what the gameplan is in a situation such as this.  An email to the membership would have sufficed. 

 

PP Prewar PappyOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by C W Burfle:

I thought the point of the thread was to alert people that the TCA web site was infected.

They made a mistake. What would you like them to say?

CW,

I agree with you 100%. It would seem that if it upsets, "the beagle" so much why not give TCA a telephone call. This is another one of those times NOT to depend on the internet. Just my three cents.

 

God Bless,

"Pappy"

C cooperthebeagleOGR Forum Member
The beagle did.  When it first occurred.  And through subsequent follow up on my part (with help from the beagle, of course).  Without getting into details of whom I contacted, what I asked, etc, suffice it to say I contacted individuals that hold positions of responsibility in TCA ED and TCA.  No responses to the questions that I asked.
 
Originally Posted by Happy Pappy:
Originally Posted by C W Burfle:

I thought the point of the thread was to alert people that the TCA web site was infected.

They made a mistake. What would you like them to say?

CW,

I agree with you 100%. It would seem that if it upsets, "the beagle" so much why not give TCA a telephone call. This is another one of those times NOT to depend on the internet. Just my three cents.

 

God Bless,

"Pappy"

 

Last edited by cooperthebeagle
CW C W BurfleOGR Forum Member



quote:
TCA's role is they chartered the TCA ED and provide some level of funding from annual dues paid to TCA by members. 




 

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the money Eastern Division donates to National far exceeds any funds they receive from National. None the less, I expect that the Eastern Division does have some sort of accountability to National.

There are a number of professional web type folks participating on this board. I wonder how many of their companies would disclose the type of information you seek.

I am a retired IT guy, the outfit I worked for wouldn't.

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