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Members being blocked from Forum!
I have strong reason to believe that a recent update to the Pokemon Game Editor created by member Gamer2020 has purposely created a simple hosts file within the Windows\System32\Drivers\Ect\ folder that blocks all access to the PokeCommunity website. Moving or deleting this file will allow access again, but if you've been blocked, you obviously can't read this post. =/ So I request that a moderator please send out a email message detailing this problem in case someone else has downloaded this game that can be found through this forum.
I've sent a report to the moderators and a pm to one, but haven't gotten any replies yet, so I'm posting this here in case someone else wants to get a hold of them and let them know, or has friends who are currently blocked because of this. And I urge all members to refrain from downloading anything from Gamer2020. This time it wasn't dangerous, just annoying (and difficult for members if they don't get help from someone), but next time it might be worse. EDIT: I just confirmed that installing Gamer2020's Pokemon Game Editor program will create this file. On his forum he has posted the following in response to my statements: "Oh wow LOL I haven't even been programing lately. PGE does no such thing... I can still access PC so idk what the problem could be =/ I know I didn't write anything like that into my program. It just edits ROMs." So either he's lying and he did put it in there, or one of the programs within his collection created it, but given his known hatred for the way this place is moderated, I'm more likely to believe he put it in there purposely. |
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And this is a semi-rational concern, really. Although now the problem would be that the application is technically a virus, since it edits system files without user permission. |
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Anyway, shouldn't something like this require a UAC prompt to be permitted on Windows Vista or 7? People should be wary of a program such as this requesting that kind of unnecessary permission. |
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And yes the UAC prompt does appear when installing the program, and I'm an idiot for allowing it.. >_< I'm just glad that's the only malicious thing the program seems to do right now. After a complete scan with Microsoft Security Essentials, I was notified that my computer is free of any viruses. And this problem is an easy fix, as long as you're able to find the info on how to fix it. |
Are you running a 64-bit version of Windows, Team Fail? The attempt may not work on a 64-bit OS as Windows doesn't allow programs running in 32-bit (Which it may be) to access things like the hosts file.
e: wait you might wanna close and reopen your browser before declaring your hosts file unchanged |
I STRONGLY suggest you not download / install this program at all.
We can not go emailing every user to inform a few that got burned by it, sorry. If you are, or know someone who is having access issues, the best way to solve them is to email the webmaster, IM me at ppnsteve on aim or gtalk (on gtalk 24/7), by tweeting us at @pokecommunity or use our contact form by going to http://174.133.255.180/sendmessage.php provide an nslookup (dig) and tracert (traceroute) to pokecommunity.com in your message. pass this on.. |
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After now having some knowledge of Gamer2020, witnessing his cheap attempts at denial, deleting posts of anything against him, and changing the names of users to "I_Have_a_Small_P****" (without the *'s), I've come to realize he is a child. Well, I've done my best at alerting everyone of this attack. |
Don't misread my email statement as we don't care, in fact we take great strides to ensure PC is a safe environment. Its just not very practical to send out 120,000 emails to cover a few people.
there are ways to find access to PC.. we have other domains that point here.. Google search can get our others and IP to connect on, etc. |
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It also opens your browser to some hilarious tl;dr's about Pokémon (At least I presume they're hilarious - my eyes tend to glaze over long rants about Pokémon websites). |
I was in fact only notified of this yesterday and did not know anything about this. Someone just linked me to this thread a couple of minutes ago.
People should have asked me if there was something wrong with my program instead of just starting rumors. In any case I apologize for any inconvenience and I will get to the bottom of this. I actually did release my source code yesterday to prove that I had nothing to do with this. Feel free to look through it. {link removed} Rules to using the source. 1 - It is for learning purposes only. 2 - I am not responsible for what is done with it. 3 - Do not try to re-release these programs as your own. Quote:
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Gamer, it doesn't really make ANY sense how this could happen on accident. Somewhere along the lines you did something, and now you're trying to cover it up. Very smoothy I must add.
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Also I'm pretty sure there are better ways to "block" PC if I wanted to. |
lets give him a chance to find the issue..
also since the source is released, feel free to look through his code yourself. |
TRWTF is VB.net. The file is hosted on a server and everything is open to public :O. No index or htaccess at all.
And saying that somehow a file hosted on their own server magically changed to malicious code. |
Well I'm actually now thinking that one of my friends may have done it as a joke. I'm not the only one with FTP access FYI.
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A joke? If that's a joke that's a pretty bad one. And if it changes your host files that's considered a virus. That's not a joke.
Nice job trying to cover it up. |
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Yeah I'm also with Team Fail here. Sorry guys. I havent downloaded yet, because I dont hack much. I was going to, and now I will. :D
antivirus's doing their job, what. |
Virus, trojan whatever either way it's specifically designed to be malicious and disrupt people's usage according to someone else's' instructions.
It's malware. Quote:
Especially because a small, unknown application like this isn't going to trigger any scanning software if it doesn't contain any publicly known malware code or particularly blatant attempts to damage the system (above the scope of writing a new hosts file to the system) (Heuristics doesn't really work that way anyway when we're only talking a small line of code embedded in a program to write one file) |
Dude I saw it replace my hosts file with another one.
It's coded in Visual Basic so naturally it's so badly done that it doesn't even work half the time. |
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I had (well, still have...) this problem. However, if it was in fact a purposeful virus, it obviously wasn't programmed to block subdomains of the website. I currently have this problem, and am writing this from the 'mail' subdomain of PC (mail.pokecommunity.com). The domain pokecommunity.mobi also works.
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Yeah the story so far makes me raise a few questions (???????????????????????)
a) If Gamer2020 is innocent, why troll the people who accused him on his forum? b) Why is he acting so suspiciously? Okay the last question was kind of generic, and I'm not going to give examples. Those who got what I'm saying should understand. Duh. But.. we don't really have proof he did something, although he has a pretty good motive to block off people from PC (His own forum, he "doesn't like how people are treated here", etc. ). |
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