Search error on forum

[skiwi]

Error 403We're sorry, but we could not fulfill your request for /forums/smf/index.php?action=search2 on this server.
You do not have permission to access this server. Before trying again, close your browser, run anti-virus and anti-spyware software and remove any viruses and spyware from your computer.
Your technical support key is: caaf-8f8f-b40c-8ddc
You can use this key to fix this problem yourself.cy4sp4mm3r5
If you are unable to fix the problem yourself, please contactthe WEBMA5TERand be sure to provide the technical support key shown above.

I got this error intermittently today.

[Eve]

The problem isn't from sparxsystems.com.

Are you using http://www.ioerror.us to filter websites to view? (I see it refered to as a human-reviewed directory of the web) and the support link directs to them.

You're also linking to sales of handmade rugs. Have you got some malware running on your system?

[skiwi]

To my knowledge there is no filtering. However I will report to our IT service people. ta

[skiwi]

A suggestion though.

How about moving to use HTTPS for the Sparx website and forum.

[qwerty]

I asked for that years ago (realizing that passwords travel in non-secured communication). There was no reaction.

q.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

I get a similar error on the first post (not read) EVERY Monday morning!

I previously talked to Sparx support and got a similar response.  So my "beef" is not with them.  My query is why EVERY Monday morning?  Anyone got any idea what's going on?  I can now show that if I logout and login again (when I get the error), there is NO problem.  So maybe I should do that every Monday morning?

Paolo

[Eve]

Contrary to my previous post on this topic, I have since learned that this error is part of the automatic spam filtering being run on the forum.

I don't know what it's doing fully, but my understanding is that it's a combination of heuristics and an externally maintained database of known spammers. I would guess that something in your Monday morning routine trips the heuristics.

[Geert Bellekens]

I have the problem from time to time.
I learned that deleting the cookies of the last week from my Chrome Settings resolved the problem (rebooting also helped, but I don't like to reboot if I can find another way)
Must be some type of cookies that are being detected by the spam filter that cause the issue.
I haven't figured out yet where the problematic cookies are coming from.

Geert

[Paolo F Cantoni]

I have the problem from time to time.
I learned that deleting the cookies of the last week from my Chrome Settings resolved the problem (rebooting also helped, but I don't like to reboot if I can find another way)
Must be some type of cookies that are being detected by the spam filter that cause the issue.
I haven't figured out yet where the problematic cookies are coming from.

Geert

Yes, it's complaining about one or more cookies.  I was deleting them (as you are) but I think (and from an empirical sample of one  ) logging out and in again seems to reset the anomalous cookie.

Paolo

[qwerty]

(an old one...) The Pope and Bill Gates are driven in a car when the car starts making odd noises. The Chauffeur: "I should have a look at the motor". The Pope: "Oh, just let's pray. God will fix it." Finally Bill Gates: "Hey, we just should leave the car, close the doors and hen enter again. With Windows that always cleared everything!"

(as I said, an old one)

q.

[RoyC]

Waaaaay back when the International Space Station had just been put online they hauled in the Hubble Space Telescope for maintenance. It wasn't working properly. They rubbed it and tweaked it, tightened this screw, loosened that one, pulled gently on a couple of thousand wires, it still refused to work. A multi-million dollar hunk of junk. The engineer lost his temper with it and kicked it. It started working.

Hit the Enter key. Hard.