Workaround for Webroot / Norton etc

spy removal programs not allowing affiliate links

[sdani]

I had read on forums many times that some spy removal softwares and firewalls like Norton usually stop the affiliate URLs, but I never experienced myself because I do not use those firewall softwares.

Got a new laptop from work, and it has WebRoot spyware installed. I have tried all my CJ & Linkshare links, and none of those work on this machine. I get a 401 error.

So, what is the workaround for that? Is is possible to detect that this type of software is installed on the end user's machine, and at least send them to merchant's page directly without using the CJ / Linkshare link, so the end user's experience is good?

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
sdani

[sdani]

an update on this 401 error. I was getting 401 error because all these links are pointing to my own machine (127.0.0.1) through hosts file and I had IIS server running.
So, basically if I am an end user, (not running IIS), I will just see page not found error. There are more than 100 ad serving servers which are added to my hosts file by this webroot sweeper and they are all pointing to my localhost.

sdani

[Catalyst]

sdani,

VERY discouraging news for affiliates. I was the one that wrote most of the articles and info about Norton blocking affiliate links and also blog routinely about various other problems like Adware and Spyware software that eats cookies or deletes links. I had not read much about webroot yet. I may need to do some research about what all it blocks and blog about it. Depending on how popular the software is.

Well a quick Google search shows me 3 million+ pages and the homepage for the software show that it's won lots of recognition as top syware softare so I guess that means the user base is pretty broad.

Guess this goes my blog list for next week. Could you please PM me a list of everything it blocks in your hosts file?

FYI ALL -

I just blogged yesterday about Firefox extensions that hurt and literally ROB affiliates and webmasters of revenue. One is just like Norton and blocks all common ad servers including Commission Junction (CJ) links like qksrv.net and Linkshare affiliate links, as well as all common banner sizes.

There is even one that REPLACES Amazon links with your own. The description blatantly reads: "Exchanges Amazon affiliate ID’s with your own (claim the Amazon links on websites.)

I wish I knew some good solutions for these problems that affiliates face. I want affiliates to get paid for every click. Word of warning! Some affiliates turn to link cloaking or iframes to protect their links from parasites and/or ad blockers. Sometimes these solutions cause your links to not even track at all and with many affiliate programs using frames is against the TOS - so be really careful.

Linda

[sdani]

Linda,

I did read your posts about Norton here at WebMasterworld and at your blog and at about.com before posting my post. They were helpful, but did not touch this host file replacement issue.

I should be sending you the list in sticky pretty soon.

Just FYI, the corporation which is using this WebRoot Spyware on all machines is big. That is going to affect all employee's machine.

If other companies are also using WebRoot, that means we are loosing money and a "page not found" is a very bad user experience.

sdani

[Catalyst]

You can't post all the CJ domains in public so don't answer this specifically here - just in general so others know.

The CJ domain used to be qksrv.net so it was easy to block. When they were unsuccessful getting Norton and other to delist that domain they went to numerous random domains to try to make blocking more difficult. So I'm curious is it just blocking qksrv.net or are there a bunch of others listed.

Q #2 - If the only CJ domain that's block is qksrv.net then please check some of your links for me. Are links that are using other CJ domains still blocked by WR? I ask because when the whole Norton thing really heated up and CJ changed domains some affiliates thought the way they did it would still cause the new links to be blocked.

Reminder to affs if you have qksrv.net links still on your site - you need to update them and are guilty of not updating your site for a LONG time. I know there are still tons of qksrv.net links out there. I see them all the time.
If you check and your merchant still has qksrv.net links - shame on them. Tell them they were supposed to be changed long ago and report them to CJ if need be.

Some apps still have ways of blocking CJ and LS links and deleting or blocking cookies - but with CJ if you are not using qksrv links you will not lose quite as much money.

Linda

[sdani]

Instead of posted my hosts file here or to send you via sticky, I am posting a link, where someone else has posted this host file. Mine is very similar.

[pcpitstop.invisionzone.com...] (search for the word SpySweeperCASS to see the first line of host file in this long post).

I hope this link is okay. If this link is not okay, and if it is removed, then do a search for the following in google:

spysweeperCASS linksynergy

This search will show you some hosts files where linksynergy is blocked, as this spysweeper as "spysweeperCASS" after each line in order to remove them during uninstall process.

Not all the cj hosts are listed here, but I tested 7-8 different combinations. Some are listed here and some other are REDIRECTED to qksrv by CJ. A very bad way to implement it on CJ's part. So, although the domain is obfuscated by CJ, it is redirected and then blocked (sent to 127.0.0.1). So, it is not useful.

double click, B&N, ads.msn.com, add.yaho.com etc - all are listed here, including cj domains and linksynergy.

If this info is not useful, and you still need my hosts file, sticky me your email address and I will send it to you. Its quite large to post in your sticky mail.

Thanks
sdani

[Catalyst]

Thanks sdani, that's what I needed!

[Suzigeek]

Kazaa lite also does the same thing to the host file rendering cj and linkshare links useless. I ran into this issue last year visiting my brother who had Kazaa lite on his computer.

I went through and manually edited the host file and deleted the entries for the domains I thought belonged to the networks.