[Tux4kids-tuxtype-dev] Virus in download [Tux Typing]

[Bill Kendrick]

On Wed, Mar 04, 2015 at 11:16:43AM -0600, David Bruce wrote:
> Hi Emma,
> 
> I'm nominally the maintainer for Tux Typing although development has been
> dormant for quite a while.
> 
> Please tell us the download site just to be sure we are talking about the
> same thing, but I am almost certain that this is about the self-signed SSL
> certificates on the Alioth site. This has been known for years and is not
> under the control of anyone from tux4kids. Basically this is a completely
> volunteer project and no one wants to pay for commercially signed
> certificates out of their own pocket. As a result,  browsers generate scary
> - sounding warnings and ordinary users think this has something to do with
> a virus. Every year or so we get emails saying "tuxtype/tuxmath has a
> virus" and this is always the issue.

Emma had written back to me:

---
Thanks for responding -
This is the link   http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/tuxtype/download.php
---

> So you have a couple of options:
> 1. Take my word for it and go ahead and download our software despite the
> browser warnings.
> 2. Instead you can go to sourceforge.net and download the exact same files.
> Unlike Alioth, SourceForge is a commercial site that has a budget for
> things like commercial SSL certificates, so your kids and their parents
> won't get any alarming warnings.
> 
> If the situation you are seeing is something other than what I described
> above, please let me know. That is, tell me exactly what the popups say and
> what malware has supposedly been detected. But I have been through this
> cycle about ten times in the last few years, and always it has been a
> matter of users seeing a warning that the site isn't trusted, and
> immediately they think that means the software has a virus.

Thanks David!  I wonder if a big FAQ link is in order?

-bill!


> Regards - David Bruce
> On Mar 3, 2015 3:55 PM, "Bill Kendrick" <nbs at sonic.net> wrote:
> 
> >
> > Hi Emma, I'm not a developer on Tux Typing, but I'm
> > Cc'ing my reply to their development discussion list.
> >
> > What URL were you linking to? (Just to make sure it
> > was, in fact, the official site. :) )
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > -bill!
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Mar 03, 2015 at 04:38:55PM +0000, Emma Dugan wrote:
> > >
> > > Mr. Kendrick
> > >
> > > I am a teacher that uses your wonderful products -
> > >
> > > I hope you can solve a problem or pass it along to someone who can.
> > >
> > > Recently parents and also a teacher at my school have downloaded Tux
> > typing from the official site and ended up with a virus of some sort.
> > >
> > > Basically - tons of pops ups start appearing.    I have removed the link
> > from my website - hopefully temporarily while it gets fixed.
> > >
> > > Thanks for your attention to this.
> > >
> > > Emma Dugan
> > > Teacher - Markham Elementary
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > -bill!
> > Sent from my computer
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Tux4kids-tuxtype-dev mailing list
> > Tux4kids-tuxtype-dev at lists.alioth.debian.org
> >
> > http://lists.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tux4kids-tuxtype-dev
> >

-- 
-bill!
Sent from my computer