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Click Here To Get Infected With A Virus!

Too Much Free Time

from the and-people-click dept

Tue, May 15th 2007 9:48am — Mike Masnick
Remember back in the early days of internet banner advertising, when the "rules" were that you had to include the phrase "click here!" somewhere in your banner ad to let clueless surfers know that they could actually click on the ad and dig deeper into your advertising goodness? Apparently, that old "click here" trick still works -- even when the ad is promising to infect your computer with a virus. A security researcher put up a Google text ad reading: "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!" Apparently, that was enough to convince 409 people to click on the ad over the course of about 6 months. As the Wired blog post notes, it's quite likely that some of those people figured it was a joke and were curious and another group probably only skimmed it quickly and naturally assumed it was for an anti-virus product. Still, it's an interesting bit of data -- made even more interesting by the guy saying that no one ever complained about the ad and Google never noticed it.
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81 Comments

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  • identicon
    RandomThoughts, 15 May 2007 @ 10:12am

    Maybe people wanted to check their virus protection programs.

    I once watched a guy push on the barrel of a .45 with the palm of his hand and then pulling the trigger to see if the safety feature would actually prevent it firing.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Andrew, 15 May 2007 @ 10:20am

    And another group...

    And another group of people were Linux users who wanted to laugh as the virus did nothing

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    chris, 15 May 2007 @ 10:47am

    aww man!

    why the hell didn't I get a virus?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Thomas Stiener, 8 Jan 2018 @ 7:41am

      Re: aww man!

      WOW i completly agrey if you want to find me to talk more about this my address is 3002 birch drive cedar park TX 78613 ;)

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    glitch, 15 May 2007 @ 11:16am

    i am a recent convert to Kubuntu

    and i never, ever want to be classified a typical linux user

    i find Linux users everybit as distastefule as Microsoft shills

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mr. Magoo, 15 May 2007 @ 11:20am

    Just like...

    Paris Hilton found the same thing out long ago. "Touch here and get a virus!"

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    RSSONEPR, 15 May 2007 @ 11:23am

    CLICK HERE!

    Funny enough, we all clicked to read the posting.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2007 @ 1:08pm

    You're all talking rubbish. It's impossible to get infected by any virus on a windows computer.

    Windows firewall is simply too advanced. Viruses bounce off it like peas off a tank.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Grandfather Time, 15 May 2007 @ 1:23pm

    Darn....

    I was hoping to get my free virus....

    I wanted to name him slappy......

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jay, 15 May 2007 @ 1:59pm

    giggity giggity goo

    and then the Linux users went to do an upgrade and had to rebuild their computer again...so the Linux user bought an Apple cuz that was much easier for the Linux user to use...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Kevin, 15 May 2007 @ 2:02pm

    virus...

    Hey I know lets all put on penguin tshirts and then you can come over to my house to play dungeons and dragons...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Former gunshop manager, 15 May 2007 @ 3:33pm

    #1

    Had a clerk shoot himself through his hand the way described in comment #1 above. Could not believe it. Lucky for him he was playing with his .25 auto. Unlucky for me the bullet still had enough energy to put a hole in the front display window!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Darryl, 15 May 2007 @ 5:21pm

    "my ad was displayed 259,723 times and clicked on 409 times"

    This is really newsworthy? With the percentage if the internet population tht are complete imbeciles, I'm simply surprised that the figure is so low.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    TechNoFear (profile), 15 May 2007 @ 9:19pm

    Limits to everything but stupidity.....

    I worked creating on-line share trading software for a while.

    We had a 'white label' product and resold it to different brokers, including two major banks.

    The online account creation form had been used for over a year without issue (or much change).

    For some reason 10% of the new bank's customers 'ticked' every box on the form, even the mutually exclusive choices.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    IronChef, 15 May 2007 @ 10:55pm

    Yep, I fell for it.

    I like admitting mistakes. But understand that the most influential person I've ever met in my professional life had this to say about mistakes "Only when sleeping do you make no mistakes. Mistakes are the privilege of the active person, who can start over and put things right."


    I remember seeing this ad and clicked on it thinking it was a link to a dry-humor joke site. I figured that Google had some quality control mechanism-- possibly limit credit cards for ads to business credit cards.

    When I clicked on it, it scared me because all it did was close my browser window. Spent a whole day virus-scanning, SpyBotting, and optimizing registry settings.

    In the end I'm happy that I did because my computer runs quite a bit faster now, but that certainly doesn't excuse Google's lax QC standards...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Brutus Beefcake, 16 May 2007 @ 11:17am

      Re: Yep, I fell for it.

      "When I clicked on it, it scared me because all it did was close my browser window. Spent a whole day virus-scanning, SpyBotting, and optimizing registry settings."


      You need a better OS.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ron Larson (profile), 16 May 2007 @ 11:03pm

    In high school I worked weekends at an equipment rental yard. One morning this guy rented a sand blaster. So I hooked it up to his hitch and then fired it up to demonstrate how to use it.

    He grabbed the hose from me and tells me he already know how to use it. He turns it on the air pressure, then the sand valve, but nothing comes out.

    Then to my shock he decides to check the sandblaster by pointing the nozzle at his hand to feel for air coming out. I was shocked! I grabbed the hose from him and yelled at him for being such an idiot. "What if some sand decided to come out just then?", I screamed at him. "You would have lost your hand!"

    The guy just looked at me stupidly. I showed him how to test for air pressure by sprinkling some loose grains of sand on the ground and pointing the nozzle at them.

    I just remember looking at this idiot wondering how on earth he had managed to live to the age he did and still have his limbs intact.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    asp, 1 Jun 2007 @ 12:54am

    Бараны

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Nick Yermolenko, 8 Jan 2018 @ 7:48am

      Re:

      I TOO SPEak rUSiAn my friend cyka blythg we can go to my hous and squat like slav, here is a quack tutorial on how to squat like a slav, firsty, only true slavs can do the slav squat, to do the sla squat, you have to have your heals oj t he ground, and this gives you prerfect balance, so you can drink beer and vodak while you are doing russian slav squat, hopefiulky, my comtrrads, you can now too, do the slav sqaut.Бараны
      come to my house ;)

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    MOO, 5 Aug 2008 @ 2:03pm

    gentlebob@hotmail.com

    gentlebob@hotmail.com
    I got a virus

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Kyle R, 5 Feb 2009 @ 8:21am

    Trying to get a virus

    I clicked this hoping it would download a virus on this school computer, it's hard drive is hooked up to the other 1000 computers in here...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      he who shall remain nameless, 1 Aug 2010 @ 1:48pm

      Re: Trying to get a virus

      then you wouldn't be able to use the computers at school. the teachers would have to keep you busy somehow, probably with more work.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    anony, 16 Nov 2014 @ 7:16pm

    @11 win firewall bounces it off like atomic bombs were thrown at a tank.
    @24 there are many viruses still out there (most are PUP though).
    @26 yeah you wouldn't be surprised how much viruses it let through for me.

    Posted from 3ds because computer only opens in safe mode without internet. If i try i just get a BSOD and it launches a restart

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dwee, 8 Dec 2015 @ 9:53am

    grgrg

    hrtokgrogrgrgrgr

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dwee, 8 Dec 2015 @ 9:53am

    grgrg

    hrtokgrogrgrgrgrrgrgrgrgrgr

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Dec 2015 @ 9:54am

    EOMFOEMFOEMFOEMFOEMFOMEO

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    TRUMPODONALD, 2 Feb 2016 @ 12:27pm

    yo mummy

    yo mummy

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dtfhy, 21 Apr 2016 @ 8:14am

    .l

    tfvtyubtybu

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Oct 2016 @ 4:05am

    GEEZ A FUCKIN VIRUS YA SPAZZZZZ

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Nov 2016 @ 9:00am

    no thanks im good

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 Jan 2017 @ 8:42am

    get meeeeeeeeeee a virus bitch

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    htytr yt, 31 Jan 2017 @ 6:20am

    gfhftgyuty

    ur all gay lesbos with no lifes

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 May 2017 @ 10:38am

    hi

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bob, 24 Oct 2017 @ 2:51am

    Wite mense is racist

    Yo wite mense, svae me a cookii asseblief. ek 'n baie poor person is an i is hngry. en al jou wite mense racist is

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Feb 2018 @ 11:20am

    So where’s my virus

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Feb 2018 @ 7:09am

    lo

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ass noger, 2 Mar 2018 @ 1:00pm

    the back slach

    hi my name is kunta kinte and i live in the ugangda village of oosakakan, uganada. i wold like ato say that this is the most populalr article in ugansdssA I HAT WHTIEW PEPO;ES

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    jhgfdasaeryxedyr, 17 May 2018 @ 12:51pm

    witchcraft,devil,porn

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ThatWhiteGuy, 22 Jul 2018 @ 11:54pm

    Virus

    Hello my name is thatwhiteguy and fuck all of you because im gonna cum toooo yor house and fuck all of you

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Aug 2018 @ 6:06pm

    yujdtbtv

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Aug 2018 @ 6:07pm

    staff,you website look of poor quality pls use better coding

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    SWAG, 25 Oct 2018 @ 6:37pm

    woolie

    give me a virus right now.......,......../......

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Jan 2019 @ 11:36am

    Can someone give me a virus

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2019 @ 3:33am

    maderfucker your viruses are shit

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Mar 2019 @ 8:37pm

    ckjxnckzn

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Apr 2019 @ 11:05am

    i wanna virus! :I
    :3

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Apr 2019 @ 12:31pm

    GIVE ME A VIRUS PLZZZZZ

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dickeds, 7 May 2019 @ 6:18am

    virus

    shit i wanted a virus but you didnt give me 1 i give 1 star

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 May 2019 @ 10:13am

    bad didnt give virus

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2019 @ 2:25am

    SEXY VIRUS

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 18 Oct 2019 @ 2:40pm

    fuck i wanted a virus

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Oct 2019 @ 8:19am

    nice

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Nov 2019 @ 4:30am

    SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i just clicked on a post 12 years ago and you are saying remember the good old days?????? WTF

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Nov 2019 @ 12:59pm

    dis some bullshit

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    thissiteisrubbish, 14 Dec 2019 @ 3:35am

    this site is trash! give me a virus!!!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Feb 2020 @ 3:49pm

    your bad kids

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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