warning about prompt online translation

[boaterguy]

Posted this in reply to translators but thought it might deserve its own topic.

Thought I would give everyone a heads up about Prompt's free online translation. If you use it several times I believe this happens.

I am 99% certain my computer was hijacked using prompt. I had up to date norton antivirus and a firewall. When it happened my computer screen flashed or blinked while on prompt. After that all my searches by google,etc would redirect. It also disabled system restore.

Probably should have left it alone. Norton wanted $100 to fix it...said it got into my registry...WTF I'm paying you $70 a year to prevent this. In hindsight I should have paid them. Downloaded a registry repair program from PC tools and my computer was history. Had to wipe it clean and start all over.

[Stirlitz]

I have not had an antivirus for nine years (as long as I have my own PC). Now I understand why I don’t need it. Because I never use Prompt! LOL

[Phil dAmore]

I don't use prompt that frequently but have never had any computer-related problems because of it.

Now, that horrible machine translation... that's something else.

[ScottinCrimea]

I use promt regularly and have never had any problems.

[Ooooops]

I've used Prompt few times (when I'm too lazy to get that HUGE hard-copy dictionary from my library  ) and never had any problems associated with that use.    You better check what other sites were open at that time and what possible pop-up windows were there.... 

[Al_C]

I used prompt many times and never had a problem.

As a network administrator, I deal with issues like the one you reported.  Many things can cause it, the least of which is the website you are on when it first shows symptoms.

Norton is not the best anti-virus.  In fact it is one of the worst.  It has a big name and lots of flashy displays on your screen for what can best be described as security theater.

On my networks, I use NOD from Eset, or I use Kaspersky.  Kaspersky is a little more thorough than NOD, but it costs more and slows the system down a little more.  So NOD is usually the winner, especially with the corporate bean counters who have to write out the check.

The computer I am typing on now is my own, and I am using Kaspersky.

Look here:  www.eset.com and www.kaspersky.com.

[Shadow]

Did you send a message to Promt and asked if there has been a problem ? sometimes big sites do get 'injected' through either hackers or malicious ads.

If you are 99% sure, by reporting to them the time and date it happened you will help out others more as by warning people not to use the site.

As far as registry repair, most of such things can be done manually without any tools.
It just takes some minimal knowledge of what you are doing.

[Shadow]

I have not had an antivirus for nine years (as long as I have my own PC). Now I understand why I don’t need it. Because I never use Prompt! LOL

The last guy I met who said this got 750 malware and virus warnings when he tried a scan.  :evil:

[Stirlitz]

Yeah, when I tried to run a check once out of curiosity I also got many alerts. Yet most of them are false if looked into closely. And, even if some of them are true, what does it matter if I have no problem at all? For many years at that. I don’t care if I do have a virus in my system that does nothing So I just shrugged and removed the software from my PC.

[Shadow]

Yeah, when I tried to run a check once out of curiosity I also got many alerts. Yet most of them are false if looked into closely. And, even if some of them are true, what does it matter if I have no problem at all? For many years at that. I don’t care if I do have a virus in my system that does nothing So I just shrugged and removed the software from my PC.

Have you ever heard of a botnet ? It uses infected PC's to launch DDOS attacks. If you feel your data traffic is expensive, you might lose a lot of it by removing the malware...

[Sculpto]

Stirlitz..

Virii and malware are not even the worst thing that can happen on an infected PC.  If someone has a remote access trojan on your machine you have no idea what they might be doing in your name.  Not having good protection and ignoring warnings from an AV scan is simply foolish.  The best trojans will elude scans from norton and other commercial AV products. 

[Andrew]

I've been using prompt for 4 years now and no problems. In fact today I just dl'd version 8 of prompt and still no problems.
FWIW I use Avast antivirus, it works very well.

[ScottinCrimea]

I've been using Promt for much longer than 4 years and also have never had a problem.  Could it be that you downloaded it from a site other than the official one and that was the source of the problem?

[Tamara]

It is certainly unfortunate your machine got hijacked, but it is unlikely it is from prompt. Many students of mine use it on every day basis and never have a problem like the one you described.

[ConnerVT]

The original poster spoke about the Promt online translation website.  Not their application program that runs on your computer.

Many times, the questionable item is pushed to your system not by the web site's content itself, but by one of the many advertisers that are linked from the web site that you visited.  This is why one person may get a rash of warnings from his AV software, yet another person visiting moments later has nothing.  They just got different ad content.

[boaterguy]

The original poster spoke about the Promt online translation website.  Not their application program that runs on your computer.

Many times, the questionable item is pushed to your system not by the web site's content itself, but by one of the many advertisers that are linked from the web site that you visited.  This is why one person may get a rash of warnings from his AV software, yet another person visiting moments later has nothing.  They just got different ad content.

I have to agree with this. I had used prompt many times before. Like I said...I am 99.9% certain this is where it happened. I know exactly when it happened as well....screen froze for a second and then flashed. It was probably the 3rd or 4th visit that morning and makes alot of sense it was probably an add.

[Chillidog]

The original poster spoke about the Promt online translation website.  Not their application program that runs on your computer.

Many times, the questionable item is pushed to your system not by the web site's content itself, but by one of the many advertisers that are linked from the web site that you visited.  This is why one person may get a rash of warnings from his AV software, yet another person visiting moments later has nothing.  They just got different ad content.

ON-Line Prompt Translation site "hosts" NO advertising and "hosts" NO links. So I do not think this was possibilty thru the "OFFICAL" On-line Prompt free translation site. Have used this site for 4 years never had any difficulties

[ConnerVT]

Guess it depends which site you go to.  First two sites utilizing Promt for online translation have, at a minimum, Google Ads.

[Chillidog]

this is the Prompt site I use

http://www.imtranslator.com/

(Admin if link not allowed, feel free to remove it)

[Admin]

this is the Prompt site I use

http://www.imtranslator.com/

(Admin if link not allowed, feel free to remove it)

No problem at all.

- Dan

[tfcrew]

 http://www.online-translator.com/
Actually, do we notice?
 It's PROMT there ..not Prompt with two P's.

[Stirlitz]

Shadow and Sculpto. I am not that naive. Sometimes I use GPRS which is terribly expensive (about $1 per megabyte). If there was more traffic I would be bankrupt! I just use some better ways than antiviruses. But I control what is going on in my machine. You must be a real good hacker to get to me.