Spyware 503 Error Redirection to searchportal.information.com

[inciarco]

Hello vBulletin Team and Forumers.

I?d like to Ask if any of you have Experienced Problems regarding an 503 Error Redirection to a Spyware Web Site called searchportal.information.com and if perhaps this Error Could be Caused by a Modification and in that Case How can I Detect it and Stop it from acting.

I have two vBulletin Boards, one with 3.6.7 PL1 (the one that has the Problem), and other with 3.6.8 PL2, with the same Mods Installed in them, so I?m confused why is one of them Experiencing that Error; both of them are Hosted in different Servers.

Could this Spyware Error be Caused by a Spyware Virus Problem on the Web Hosting Server??

I don?t think that is the ISP because some of my Forumers have Reported that this Happens to them also when they have viewed some Pages and after a Click to Navigate to other Page then the 503 Error Triggers and the Redirection to that Spyware Web Site Occurs.

This 503 Error and Redirection to that Web Site only Happens on one of my Forums and don?t happen to me when I navigate in other Forums, yet, so I exclude this way that could be a Virus on my Computer, and also because of that is happening to other Forumers of my Community.

I Appreciate Your Help and Guide to Solve this Problem.

My Best Regards.

:)

[SEOvB]

Its not spyware, and its not your forums.

The 503 Error means your server is probably getting over loaded, or it could also be a variety of other issues as well with your server.

Then after that, My guest is that, you've got your default search engine in your browser set to "searchportal.information.com" either you could have set this, or some software you've downloaded (knowingly or unknowingly) has modified your default search page.

If you click the link below, do you get taken to the searchportal.information.com:
http://rh8234i90tj490thisisntarealsite.com

If so, you'll need to adjust the settings in your browser, if not.

Well if not then i dont have a clue.

[inciarco]

Its not spyware, and its not your forums.

The 503 Error means your server is probably getting over loaded, or it could also be a variety of other issues as well with your server.

Then after that, My guest is that, you've got your default search engine in your browser set to "searchportal.information.com" either you could have set this, or some software you've downloaded (knowingly or unknowingly) has modified your default search page.

If you click the link below, do you get taken to the searchportal.information.com:
http://rh8234i90tj490thisisntarealsite.com

If so, you'll need to adjust the settings in your browser, if not.

Well if not then i dont have a clue.

Thank You for Your Guide and Help, FRDS. :up:

I'm beginning to Think that is a Problem with the Hosting Server Service, because this Redirection is Triggering it self also when I Try to Access an ".htaccess" secured Folder and I Fail to Introduce the login and password (After 3 Tries) or simply Cancelling the Process, it Redirects Always to searchportal.information.com

I guess this should be a Spyware Virus or Hijack Intrusion on the Hosting Server, am I right?? :confused:

If so, I guess only the Admins of the Hosting Service would solve that, right?? :confused:

I Clicked on http://rh8234i90tj490thisisntarealsite.com and I didn't Got Redirected to searchportal.information.com, just to a Error Page, what do this means?? :confused:

I Appreciate Your Special Help, I decided to Document this Error Here, (create this Thread), because perhaps someone else could be Experiencing this Error and Don't Know what to do.

My Best Regards.

:)

[SEOvB]

Thank You for Your Guide and Help, FRDS. :up:

I'm beginning to Think that is a Problem with the Hosting Server Service, because this Redirection is Triggering it self also when I Try to Access an ".htaccess" secured Folder and I Fail to Introduce the login and password (After 3 Tries) or simply Cancelling the Process, it Redirects Always to searchportal.information.com

I guess this should be a Spyware Virus or Hijack Intrusion on the Hosting Server, am I right?? :confused:

If so, I guess only the Admins of the Hosting Service would solve that, right?? :confused:

I Clicked on http://rh8234i90tj490thisisntarealsite.com and I didn't Got Redirected to searchportal.information.com, just to a Error Page, what do this means?? :confused:

I Appreciate Your Special Help, I decided to Document this Error Here, (create this Thread), because perhaps someone else could be Experiencing this Error and Don't Know what to do.

My Best Regards.

:)

Clicking the link above was to check if by some odd chance it would take you to the search.information.com page, then it would be narrowed down to your PC.

Since it didn't, its unlikely your PC like you suggested, Are you on windows hosting? Do you have a link where we can see this problem in action.

[cheat-master30]

My guess is that it's a modification requiring a file from a remote server, and said site it's get the file from has had the domain expire and hence it's redirected to said portal. That might happen, similar to how using a .htaccess password on a directory on one server and using images from said server directory will redirect to said server after displaying a login box. Got a demo page we could see?

[inciarco]

Clicking the link above was to check if by some odd chance it would take you to the search.information.com page, then it would be narrowed down to your PC.

Since it didn't, its unlikely your PC like you suggested, Are you on windows hosting? Do you have a link where we can see this problem in action.

My guess is that it's a modification requiring a file from a remote server, and said site it's get the file from has had the domain expire and hence it's redirected to said portal. That might happen, similar to how using a .htaccess password on a directory on one server and using images from said server directory will redirect to said server after displaying a login box. Got a demo page we could see?

Thank You For Your Special Help, FRDS and cheat-master30.

I Finally Got an Answer from the Hosting Service.

They are Using the searchportal.information.com as a Target Page in the Cases when therea are Some Errors like "Error 503: Service Unavailable" and "Error 401: Unauthorized", and all the times those Error Occur the Users received that Anoying Page.

I managed to Receive some Advice from them on How to Custom Change those Settings to Redirect the Users to the URL of my Choice and I received the Following Instructions:

Is needed to Add some Lines on the ".htaccess" File of the Web Site, in order to Override the Default Settings they've Specified on the Server:

ErrorDocument 401 /XXX.html
ErrorDocument 503 http:// XXXXXX.com

ErrorDocument 301 http:// XXXXXX.com
ErrorDocument 403 http:// XXXXXX.com
ErrorDocument 404 http:// XXXXXX.com
ErrorDocument 405 http:// XXXXXX.com
ErrorDocument 408 http:// XXXXXX.com
ErrorDocument 500 http:// XXXXXX.com
ErrorDocument 501 http:// XXXXXX.com

Notice that on ErrorDocument 401 the URL is set as Relative to the Root of the Web Site as /XXX.html, where XXX.html is the Root and html File in the Same Web Site where the Users will be Redirected, and for the other Errors a Complete External URL can be Specified, like the http:// XXXXXX.com I wrote.

So, when you get redirected to that searchportal.information.com, in some cases if is not caused by Spyware on your Computer it can be caused by those Default Settings set by Web Hosting Services to Redirect Users when the Traffic Limites have been Reached for certain moments, (some seconds where too many users are using a Web Site).

In most cases Web Site Owners are forced to Use some Conditions called "Throttle Policy" that Limit the number of Users that can Access the Web Site in certain Period of Time (in seconds), and when those Limits are Reached an "Error 503: Service Unavailable" Triggers; the case of the "Error 401: Unauthorized" happens when you are trying to access a Protected Folder or File and you don't introduce right the prompted login an password.

I Hope this Can Help Other Users and Web Masters Experiencing this Problem.

My Best Regards To All.

:)

[cheat-master30]

So just having custom error pages fixes the problem? Makes sense, but you have a right stingy host if they're trying to make cash off default error pages...

[inciarco]

So just having custom error pages fixes the problem? Makes sense, but you have a right stingy host if they're trying to make cash off default error pages...

Yes cheat-master30, it Fixed the Problem, and I'm Keeping Now the Visitors Inside My Network of Web Sites, like it should be. :)

The Web Hosting Service has been Good so far, but I didn't Liked that the Traffic of my Web Sited were Used thru the Error Pages to Benefit a Third Party. Right Now with the Error Pages Solution via Code Lines Added in the".htaccess" File, the Traffic is where it Should be, in my Web Sites Network. I guess they Compensate the Low Prices on the Hosting Service with this other Profits.

I Hope this Helps Web Masters to Detect this kind of Anomalies, as well as to the Persons that sometimes are Getting those Not Nice Search Pages Redirections, to know that sometimes is due to the Hosting Services System when Limits of Traffic are Reached in a Moment (a matter of Seconds), and sometimes is just a matter of Clicking the "Back" Button and Click Again the Link to Access it, and if necessary to Click the "Refresh" Button; of course, it Helps a lot and is Necessary to Have a Good Anti-Spyware Software such as "Spyware Terminator" and "Spybot Search and Destroy", as well as a Anti-Advertisement like "As-Aware SE", and of Course a Good Anti-Virus like "Avast", to keep those Abusive Programs out of your Computers.

My Best Regards To All.

:)

[cheat-master30]

Out of curiosity, what host were you using?

[inciarco]

Out of curiosity, what host were you using?

I can't say the name of the Hosting, but I can say I noticed this when they forced me to Activate the "Throttle Policy" that is a Limit of Traffic per Time (X Maximun Persons during Y Seconds), and when than Limit is Reached (perhaps for a 1 Second Period), every Visitor that was Caught on that Small Period received the 503 Error and was Redirected to that Spyware Reported Page, (a Search Page), instead of receiving a Server Busy Message.

Is somehow a way to Make Money, that information.com Server is Very Well Positioned in Alexa Ranking and other more, and Now We Know Why.

Other Thing I Disliked a Lot of that was that a Considerable Part of the Traffic of my Web Sites was Lost and Providing Benefits yo that Third Part information.com which has No Relation with my Portal, and they somehow make it look as Part of it, but with the ErrorDocument Code Lines in the ".htaccess" File on the Root of the Web Site, is possible to Manage Traffic and Redirect it on those Situations to a More Friendly and 100% Related Web Site.

My Best Regards.

:)

[SEOvB]

That my friend, is pretty shady business practicing.

Personally, even if that was the best host in the world, I'd be seeking a new one and telling them exactly why. especially if they advised the "Throttle Policy" from the sounds of it, they may go belly up, or even sell your information if they get desperate enough.

But glad you got everything sorted out.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Error pages are there to inform you about the error so you can troubleshoot the issue. Redirecting to a search page defeats the purpose of the error page.