this place is dead

[harry 48]

i agree somewhat with truenorth  , there seems to be only one person now helping out there and that is dave sometimes you would get jay and chris , i to have noticed people having to wait a long time and then dave would come in and answer a lot of new and old posts

all i do now is send people to the " do this first topic " in the hope that they get the help

i could do a little more very basic fixing as i have done and have learnt from that , but i/we are not allowed and i understand that and its to stop new posters giving bad advice

[Broni]

So it discourages me and removes my credibility as an advisor to learn that i am sending people there and what i promised would be the result is not assured.

Very same here. I still direct people there, but I keep thinking, if I even should (no offense to couple of guys there, who really do what they can).

that as on all the other forums ANYONE can contribute their advise (good/bad /or indifferent)

Which is point blank wrong and dangerous.

Um... you just described CBMatt.

Again, nothing personal and no offense, but when was the last time, when he actually did something in malware forum. He's been practically absent, as well. Again, talking about "honorary" staff members.

Or, we could do something really crazy, like a custom title, like, say- just thinking- "malware specialist" maybe... oh what? that's already what it is

It's not. It's about people, who shouldn't be posting there.
As I said before, I'm not aware of any other forum, when non-malware people are allowed to post. It's like giving a baby a grenade to play with.

At the end, these are just my thoughts. I don't make rules around here.

[Allan]

As I said before, I'm not aware of any other forum, when non-malware people are allowed to post. It's like giving a baby a grenade to play with.

+1

[Fed]

To my knowledge there's no restriction on posting in the Malware Forum and just like every other CH forum posters should expect dangerous advice to be edited or removed.

[Broni]

By whom exactly?
Is anyone monitoring that forum 24/7?

[Fed]

If any CH Member sees a potentially dangerous post they should click on the
"Report to Moderator" link, this will send an email to every Moderator and I can tell you, I respond to every email as do many others.
Often when I respond the problem has already been fixed by someone else.

I don't think we'll ever see 24/7 dedicated monitoring but the CH Membership does a pretty good job IMO.

[Broni]

That rule may be good enough "safety valve" on any general forum, because there are plenty computer savvy people around here almost at any time of day, or night, but it's not in malware forum, because there are only very few people, who have any clue about malware issues, so how an average computer user can know, if some advice is good, or it'll make some computer not bootable very next minute.

There is a reason, why all malware forums on all other boards are strictly restricted.

[JJ 3000]

I'm confused. What exactly are you suggesting Broni? More malware removal experts?

[jason2074]

all i do now is send people to the " do this first topic " in the hope that they get the help

People come and go. Either for the people mention in the previous post or for the person or user who seeks for advice or help. I think its both the responsibility of the helper and the one being help in some or maybe most threads whether its in malware, software, hardware section. There should also be a preliminary thread for malware issues(usually HJT) to be look upon by old members/mods or people who are experienced,wants to learn or wants to step-up to this issue. Then only it will be submitted or referred to the malware specialist/s to avoid certain waiting as stated. And it should also be a limited steps, taken out from the guidelines of malware section.

[Allan]

There should also be a preliminary thread for malware issues(usually HJT) to be look upon by old members/mods or people who are experienced,wants to learn or wants to step-up to this issue. Then only it will be submitted or referred to the malware specialist/s to avoid certain waiting as stated. And it should also be a limited steps, taken out from the guidelines of malware section.

Are you suggesting that pretty much anyone could evaluate hjt logs and post suggestions? I've seen systems rendered inoperable because of inappropriate actions with hjt. As it stands now, anyone can post on our Malware forums but only designated Malware Experts can offer advice. Whether or not this is the most efficient method (for those waiting to be helped), it's certainly the safest. Receiving no advice is a whole lot better than receiving bad advice.

[truenorth]

To my mind Allan and Broni are expressing precisely the point i have been endeavoring to make. I strongly subscribe to this comment from Allan " Receiving no advice is a whole lot better than receiving bad advice." There was a reference earlier to the comparison of a "baby" and a "grenade" . I would suggest it is more aptly compared to the absence of a neurosurgeon in a hospital  and at best a heart specialist tries to do it  or in a completely unregulated environment the janitor does it.
 In my view if we do NOT have the expertise or the number of experts we need to govern our dispersement of the council we give to others with that as the dominate criteria we should curtail or cease offering the service until and if we can.
  Those that come to the malware forum (directed by other members or by their own initiative) are generally desperate and vulnerable to advice from anyone they feel can help them. They are also very often lacking in computer skills and knowledge and are hardly in a position to personally judge  the competency or lack thereof of the advisor (well intentioned or not). Ideally, if the technology were capable, once the problem were stated  by the O/P NO ONE other than an accredited malware specialist should be able to contribute to the thread .
 Of course there are some that will argue well shouldn't that be the case on ALL the forums of the CH. I say no. Because there are many factors that are different . Primarily a generally understanding that many members with widely varying levels of experience/knowledge/ability/fluency/and other factors will come forth with advise. Sufficient numbers of CH members exist that bad advise is usually quickly caught and negated. I for one would NOT be able to determine if the advice on the malware form was good or not. There are some forms i would NEVER consider myself  credible to give advice on and other than to occasionally go there to perhaps learn something i totally refrain from input. Certainly the malware forum is one of them. However my observation is that not all members apply such personal constraints. I think the malware forum CAN be improved and encourage efforts toward that end. truenorth

[patio]

How it's worded in the guidelines:

Under no circumstances should you attempt to fix things by following another log and doing it yourself.  This can only lead to more problems and possibly an un-bootable system.  Every machine and every infection is unique and this method will only cause more problems.

If this is a machine at your place of Business, we need to be informed beforehand.  This is also not negotiable and we will not be responsible should you fail to do so.

We also request patience.  The Experts here are Volunteers and are not here 24/7.  This is not a live session either.  If it takes a few hours or overnight for them to get back to you, trust me it is worth the wait.  See here why not to not bump your thread.  And once you have been given the all-clear, be sure to stick around until your Helper clearly concludes the issue, as they may have some additional steps and advice for you to follow.  Just because you have been cleaned of an infection, that doesn't always mean the work is over.

If you receive advice from someone other than the approved Malware Removal Specialists, you do so at your own risk. We are not responsible if you take potentially inaccurate/harmful advice from someone who is not a designated helper. Anyone interested in joining the crew must have a good amount of experience and submit references to CBMatt (Chris) or Evil Fantasy in a PM. References will be checked. Others posting advice without approval are subject to have their posts removed immediately as the wrong advice is too risky. We welcome new helpers so if you are interested see this post: Would you like to learn to fight malware?

[Broni]

If you receive advice from someone other than the approved Malware Removal Specialists, you do so at your own risk.

If so, then what is the point for allowing non-malware specialists to reply in malware forum?
Keep in mind, that the reality is, that 75% people don't read manuals, rules, etc., or they barely read them.
"Too bad" answer won't do, because it's not about a glass of water, we're dealing here with, but a serious people's property.

[JJ 3000]

If so, then what is the point for allowing non-malware specialists to reply in malware forum?

I still don't understand this. If the malware specialists are the only people allowed to post in the forum, then how will the people with the infected computers reply to them?

[Broni]

On all other boards only original topic starter (malware victim) AND malware specialists are able to post AND reply.