Weird problem with URL's in messages sent from forums

[Clarity]

Hi,

 

So when I get an e-mail from the forum that someone responded to a post or liked a post I made, there's a URL to the post, this is normal.

 

Unfortunately, the last few e-mails I've received have a different URL encoded than the one hyperlink listed in the e-mail—it takes you to another web site entirely.

 

This seems rather suspect, see below:

 

 

http://thetaobums.com/topic/26025-energy-snobbery/page__view__findpost__p__388391

 

 

Thanks,

 

-Adam

[deci belle]

I want Sean to get to the bottom of this. I suspect it is the result of a hit-and-run bum who went by the name of allan. He has his own international taoist blog. Instead of just laying his content down, he was more interested in spraying about certain translators, traditions and his 600-odd spiritual compositions. He wasn't a hit.

 

What can you do about it, Sean?

[Leif]

Sendgrid is a mail sending service - I guess webmaster of thetaobums.com enabled it instead of standard mail hosted on own server. (In many cases it's beneficial to use third party mail sending service instead of your own server, for number of reasons.)

Url encoding is likely one of the extra features they offer. Thing like that is useful for business owners to track clicks etc.

It's just a redirect and leads to correct taobums page, if it doesn't work for you it might be due to your web browser config or some security software on your computer.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Leif

[Clarity]

Thing like that is useful for business owners to track clicks etc.

It's just a redirect and leads to correct taobums page, if it doesn't work for you it might be due to your web browser config or some security software on your computer.

 

 

It does the same thing with Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on my Macbook Pro. Does the same thing on my PC.

 

It does not lead to the correct page at all, it never makes it to the Taobums. It always winds up here:

 

http://url4short.info/560088a4

 

This is something new....it used to work fine....and it's consistent.

 

Seems like a board configuration problem to me.

[Clarity]

After a little digging, lo and behold it is Sophos that's the problem. Turning off the on-access scanner allowed the redirect to complete.

 

Not really an elegant solution though, since that opens up another can of worms.

[Clarity]

On another note, do folks, when receiving PMs via email, experience the text format to vary, and be wonky? Large at the end, and sometimes the word wrap doesn't incorporate in some plain text font. Weird.

 

Yes, I do.

[Clarity]

Update and solution:

 

Setting Sopho's on-access scanner to "Clean up threat" instead of initial "Deny threat" seems to fix the problem.

 

Edit: Evidently the scanner being on does always interfere with URL re-direction.

Edited December 31, 2012 by Clarity

[DreamBliss]

I have no virus scanner running or anything. I run Firefox and have AdBlocker on. The links in the emails take me to another site, not Tao Bums. Previously they worked. So something fishy is going on here.

- DreamBliss

[Leif]

I have no virus scanner running or anything. I run Firefox and have AdBlocker on. The links in the emails take me to another site, not Tao Bums.

You'll likely have to edit AdBlocker settings, so that it doesn't block or strip sendgrid.org and maybe also url4short.info (can't check, judging from above posts).

[Clarity]

I re-tested on my PC with Comodo Firewall, Avast, Firefox and Adblock Plus. It works in this configuration.

 

However, it does not work with Sophos running it's on-access scanner on a Mac (in any browser).

[sean]

what leif said is correct, i'm using sendgrid to handle ttb email. legit service. sophos must not like sendgrid url redirects for some reason.

 

rainbowvein, i've noticed wonky emails as well. i just tweaked some settings. hopefully they show up as usual again.

 

sean

[Clarity]

Ha! Well, whatever you did seemed to fix the problem with Sophos (it also updated this morning so that could be it too).

 

The formatting problems with the text seems better too.

 

Thanks Sean.

[sean]

sweeet.

[ॐDominicusॐ]

OK can somebody help me with this?

 

I can no longer access taobums without being redirected to some advertising URL sights where they want me to sign up for crap. the redirect goes to this site:

 

http://url4short.info/560088a4

 

I'm on Mozilla w/ Ad Block Plus, but also tried to get on through my smart phone using Opera Mini, and tried getting on using Internet Explorer and same redirect. I'm only on here now cause I used startpage which let's you access sites through proxies....

 

SO i'm posting through proxies....

 

How do I fix this? Considering I am not the most tech savy and have no idea what sophos is being referenced above, but can slowly with patience figure out certain things.

 

Did taobums get hijacked? I been coming here readin posts for the last 5 years, never a prob, and now that I'm a member ..I get the advertising redirect

Edited January 11, 2013 by ॐDominicusॐ

[sean]

hmmm ... and no other site redirects for you? only this forum?

 

sean