Is this a serious problem?

[davidjearly]

I'm browsing some websites, and every so often I will see part of a PayPal sign in page display instead of the ads that should be seen.

Attached are some examples of what I am seeing (this was whilst browsing DPReview, but it happens elsewhere to).

What is most worrying is that my PayPal username is prefilled when displayed on these pages (I have removed this for security reasons).

I'm using Safari on 10.5.2.

David

 

[seeker777]

Is this not a function of Autofill preferences?

Safari Perferences>Autofill

I have these unchecked, and have not had the issue you experience.

 

[todd2000]

Autofill is not going to make a PayPal log-in box appear as an advertisement on web sites. That is kinda strange, obviously DON'T enter your password in the box.

 

[steveza]

This is why some banks recently advised their customers not to use Safari for online banking. Try installing Firefox and using that instead.

 

[kuwisdelu]

That does sound quite suspicious. I'd be worried. Have you tried clearing your history and emptying the cache? Beyond that, have you tried resetting Safari?

 

[davidjearly]

Yeah, I don't think this has anything to do with autofill, as I am not actually loading PayPal in a browser window.

It doesn't seem to be happening anymore, and my PayPal account seems to be fine, but this is very concerning - any expert help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the replies.

David

 

[steveza]

Yeah, I don't think this has anything to do with autofill, as I am not actually loading PayPal in a browser window.

It doesn't seem to be happening anymore, and my PayPal account seems to be fine, but this is very concerning - any expert help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the replies.

David

I already offered some expert advice

Safari doesn't offer any protection against phishing sites. Firefox an IE do offer some protection but ultimately just make sure you are sure that the site you are using is genuine.

 

[davidjearly]

I already offered some expert advice

Safari doesn't offer any protection against phishing sites. Firefox an IE do offer some protection but ultimately just make sure you are sure that the site you are using is genuine.

I know all about anti-phishing and Safari's lack of support for it. I hate Firefox with a passion though. Provided I don't enter my details using those ads (which obviously I won't), I don't believe I will be affected by phishing.

The expert advice I am looking for is exactly that: more expert than what I already know. I would like to know how this occurred in the first place.

David

 

[Mr9758]

This is simply a phishing tactic deployed in an attempt to get people to type their passwords and click sign in. As previously mentioned, Safari's lack of anti-phishing tools is the reason these boxes are being 'auto-filled' with your information. There is no need to switch browsers, just be sure you never sign in through any of these and check the web address before entering your password into anything.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

This is simply a phishing tactic deployed in an attempt to get people to type their passwords and click sign in. As previously mentioned, Safari's lack of anti-phishing tools is the reason these boxes are being 'auto-filled' with your information. There is no need to switch browsers, just be sure you never sign in through any of these and check the web address before entering your password into anything.

I doubt it. This is something else - theres no way that someone is running phishing ads through reputable websites. Its just not happening. You must have some wires crossed somewhere that are calling up PayPal's cache instead of displaying the ad.

 

[Mr9758]

I doubt it. This is something else - theres no way that someone is running phishing ads through reputable websites. Its just not happening. You must have some wires crossed somewhere that are calling up PayPal's cache instead of displaying the ad.

Wow. Never heard of anything like that before in Safari. I still find it hard to believe that the box would appear only in ads (correct?) if it were a result of "crossed wires."

Edit: if this continues, you could always open a PayPal account with fake info and try logging into one of these... it would be interesting to see where it takes you.