Atari I/O Malware "Security Warning" Issue - UPDATE

[Atari 5200 Guy 4,169]

So far I'm not getting those errors with Edge.  Only with Chrome on PC and Android.  If anyone here has a Linux system they might want to try Chromium (Chrome's Linux sibling).

[Justin 7,929]

 

Hi Everyone,

 

Update

The Malware issue has been identified and will be resolved for Summer, and was limited to the side of the site that’s built on WordPress. The Forums are built on a different, more secure and more expensive platform which has continuously proven to be safe and never infected. Moving forward I would like to make better use of the Forums Platform and move away from WordPress.

 

Here's What To Expect Next

The Malware issue will be resolved soon, and we will have a fun summer with events and giveaways. I’m excited for what’s to come and I hope you are too! I don’t expect any downtime for the Forums during the maintenance to resolve the site issue.

WordPress has not proven to be a very secure platform. In fact Malware has been a growing issue with WordPress and we don’t want to face a security issue like this ever again. You can expect that I’ll be looking at ways to phase out the WordPress side of the site and rebuilding those pages within the Forums platform.

I’m also building some big new areas in the Forums that we’ve wanted to do for quite a long time. I’m always looking at new ways to make Atari I/O a more vibrant community and a useful place to visit and spend your time. 

 

New Changes

There are some other new changes to the Forums I’d like to announce today! Some of the changes I’m holding back on announcing until they’re ready to roll out. It was a bad idea for Atari to announce amazing new vaporware that never saw the light of day, and likewise its best that I build these things first and then show them to you.

Some changes we’ve made in the past week include:

 

Simplified Forums
Cleaned up the Forums. Made forum descriptions more clear to make it easier to understand what to post and where. Redundant forums were merged and given new titles and descriptions. Let’s keep the Forums clean and simple.

 

Member Blogs
We’re placing added emphasis and increased visibility on the Blogs. Members will have additional abilities for blog creation which will be announced soon.

 

Updated Member Ranking System
Updated Pac-Man “Fruit” levels achieved at 2600, 5200, and 7800 posts respectively. 

 

Updated Revised Badges for Admin and Moderator Roles
We've updated our Role Badges to match the fresh new look of the upgraded Forums.

 

Updated Moderator Roles - Introducing a new member group called “Senior Fellow”
Our Legacy Moderators who are not active daily in the Forums will be graduating from their roles as Moderators and moving into new, less active roles as Atari I/O Senior Fellows. This includes The Professor, DeLorean, Zontar and Museum Matt, who will all continue to have a hand in the Forums without creating an expectation that they will be active daily in the Forums.

 

New Atari I/O Moderator Gianna
We’re welcoming a new Moderator to the Atari I/O family, @Gianna who will be joining us in the Forums to help me out. She will be active in High Score Squad and will be joining us for Wednesday Night Atari Chat occasionally, and you can expect to see her posting throughout the Forums on a consistent basis. She’s a very nice person and I’m sure everybody will like her.

 

BTB and MaximumRD Are Helping Out Too
@btbfilms76 and @MaximumRD will also be more active throughout the summer in helping with the site. MaximumRD has created a new Member Blog, which you can see here, and BTB will be more active in the Forums with posting, helping out, and of course creating new episodes of Jag Bar, Lynx Lounge and 7800 Avenue.

 

Atari I/O Moderator Team 2020-2021
Your Atari I/O Moderator team for the 2020-2021 season will be @Justin @btbfilms76 @Gianna and @MaximumRD

 

The most important thing that could help me though is YOU. All of you, being here, making friends, having fun, posting and playing games. You guys are what make this adventure worth it!

 

Best Wishes and stay safe everyone,

[RickR 14,146]

I'm looking forward to the changes.  As usual, let me know how I can help. 

[Justin 7,929]

14 minutes ago, RickR said:

I'm looking forward to the changes.  As usual, let me know how I can help. 

Thank you Rick! Your role as Constable in the chatroom will become very important, and I think we'll start sending out emails this year if that's still something you're interested in helping with.

[RickR 14,146]

Absolutely!  Just say the word. 

[Justin 7,929]

5 minutes ago, RickR said:

Absolutely!  Just say the word. 

Thank you kind sir! When everything is 100% resolved with the site we're going to start having a lot of fun getting the word out.

[TrekMD 2,216]

Glad to see the malware issue will be solved, finally!  Looking forward to the new changes to the forum! 

[Justin 7,929]

6 minutes ago, TrekMD said:

Glad to see the malware issue will be solved, finally!

💰💰

[Dan Iacovelli 429]

good to hear walware issue will be fixed I know I haven't been active here but will try to be more this year

[Justin 7,929]

10 minutes ago, Dan Iacovelli said:

good to hear walware issue will be fixed I know I haven't been active here but will try to be more this year

Great to hear that Dan!

[RickR 14,146]

Knocking on wood...but I think it's fixed.  I no longer get the warning. 

Thanks Justin!  Well done. 

[greenween 2,382]

I just realized the same thing! Nice.

[Justin 7,929]

37 minutes ago, RickR said:

Knocking on wood...but I think it's fixed.  I no longer get the warning. 

Thanks Justin!  Well done. 

 

2 minutes ago, greenween said:

I just realized the same thing! Nice.

 

Thanks gents, still wrapping things up. Standby for announcements... 

[TrekMD 2,216]

Sorry to say but I'm still getting the malware notice when I use my Chromebook.  😠

[Justin 7,929]

5 minutes ago, TrekMD said:

Sorry to say but I'm still getting the malware notice when I use my Chromebook.  😠

The site is still being worked on. I will provide an update when we're ready to move forward. Until then hang in there with us 

[TrekMD 2,216]

That's cool. Since I'm not traveling much now, I'm not using the Chromebook as much but I did use it the other day and ran into the issue.  Thought it best to report it.  🙂

[Justin 7,929]

13 minutes ago, TrekMD said:

That's cool. Since I'm not traveling much now, I'm not using the Chromebook as much but I did use it the other day and ran into the issue.  Thought it best to report it.  🙂

Thanks @TrekMD appreciate the support! You may need to clear your cache and reload the site at some point.

[Arenafoot 2,336]

no malware notice on my desktop PC using Chrome! Finally!!!!

[TrekMD 2,216]

3 hours ago, Justin said:

Thanks @TrekMD appreciate the support! You may need to clear your cache and reload the site at some point.

I"ll have to remember to do that next time I use the Chromebook.  🙂  Thanks!

[dauber 823]

It was so nice to not see the big red screen of death finally. 🙂

[TrekMD 2,216]

Just tested it on my Chromebook!  The red is gone!  🙂

[CrossBow 550]

Yeap I also noticed that the forums come up clean now in Chrome on all my PCs so that is good to see gone and not have to go through the extra steps to access the forums! Thanks!!!

 

[Justin 7,929]

 

We've received a clean bill of health from Google.
It's over.

 

 

Here's What To Expect Next

So where do we go from here? We move forward keeping you guys involved in the process. The world has changed and it may be a while before we can enjoy classic gaming expos in person again. But that doesn't mean we can't share in that experience virtually, every night, from the comfort of our own homes. I discuss the future of the site, and what to expect next in this important post:

 

 

 

 

Best Wishes everyone,

[TrekMD 2,216]

That is awesome! 

[MaximumRD 3,217]