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Blogs Locked For Malware Distribution Are Removed

Recently, we've seen that Google, StopBadware.Org, and various other services, are stepping up the fight against malware distributed by Blogger blogs.

Not only blogs actively distributing malware, and blogs linking directly to web sites that distribute malware, are affected. In one identified case, a blog that linked to a "clean" web site, that linked to another web site where malware was distributed, was locked.

In other cases, blogs that use dodgy accessories are being targeted.
It seems now that many of the reported URLs have a 'BlogLinker.com' code snippet in them- *please* stay away from this widget in the future; it is completely nefarious.

It appears that here, Blogger is doing the right thing.

Blogs that help to distribute malware are being locked, and removed from the Internet.
When you check your blog with web-sniffer.net, it returns a 404 Not Found response.
http://web-sniffer.net/?url=earnovertheinternet.blogspot.com&submit=Submit&http=1.1&type=GET&uak=0
This is typical of the other blogs that have recently been flagged for malware.


This policy is in keeping with the fight against dynamic hacking / spam distribution. If Blogger is to have a chance to fight the hackers and sploggers who move their activities from blog to blog, on an hourly and daily basis, they have to freeze the contents of any suspected blogs, pending an in depth examination of the suspects.

Any blog that is a victim in this action has to be examined by Blogger Support, when requested in an entry made in the Malware Appeal Requests form.

If your blog is involved, you may wish to clean your blog, when given the chance, using a Safe Browsing diagnostic report as a reference. Generate the report now, and wait for Blogger to unlock your blog - and it will hopefully be made available from your dashboard. Another useful reference is the VirusTotal scan, which uses multiple scanning services, and generates a comprehensive report.

This strategy, though seemingly harsh, is likely the best possible choice, right now, for Blogger.

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