"Beware of "Free War Games Downloads"!" Topic

I`d like to alert gamers and also other rules authors to some websites that are offering free war games rules.

There`s one offering Grand Manoeuvre as part of a package of free Napoleonic War Games download; the page is called "obsidianlegal" which will take you to another page for downloads:
download[dot]smile-files[dot]com via: s0ftpedia[dot]com which has been reported as being Lithuanian based, but most likely from the Russian Federation (scamadvisor.com) gives s0ftpedia[dot]com a "Low trust rating" and says that "This site may not be safe to use".

Apparently other sites; "beautybuddies" and "lourdescilleruelo" is also offering GM rules as a download and these lead to the same "Napoleonic War Games Downloader".

After attempting to download these files myself (damn my own curiosity!), I have had two days of virus and malware scans and program removal…
My desktop had all but two icons deleted, features on my windows "start" were removed and my start-up menu folders (where you can normally access accessories, etc) were emptied, also a pop-up for "smile-file" appeared centrally on my screen and it had also pinned it self to my task bar.
After clearing the pop-up from the screen it would open a window to some PC-repair/anti-malware site (which may have been fake).

By the way, perhaps not surprisingly, the downloads did not work!

I`m posting this to as many boards as I can… and at first look seems as though only Napoleonics are listed in this…
Grand Battery was also offered as part of a package of downloads – I imagine that many other rule sets are being listed and offered as "FREE" , so it`s maybe worth alerting people to this as much as possible, not to be tempted to acquire published rules for free !

I leave it to the Editor`s discretion to cross-post to others if they see fit.

Nothing in Life is free you could always support the author and buy a set

MCH, I feel your pain. There are a lot of offers as you say for free wargaming rules, and games. It isn't easy to choose which might be ok to use. I suffered from similar problems a year or so ago but couldn't identify which download was responsible as I was researching different armies. happens they say

Thanks for the warning.

Although a Mac/Linux user, I have found the following excellent for Windows machines invested with viruses, adware, spyware, etc, : Malwarebytes
malwarebytes.org
One might try the 14-day trial of the premium version, run a complete scan, delete the malware found and then delete the Malwarebytes program itself without subscribing.
Many Windows users really like this software, but of course YMMV

- Sasha

Having been infected one too many times, I took extreme measures:

1) I do 90% of my browsing and email on my ChromeBook.
2) I have an old laptop that I use for downloads and so on. If everything is on the up and up I download extract, scan then move to my real computer via flash drive.
3) I use Norton, AVG and MalwareBytes to keep it clean. But if it does get totally hosed, I just reinstall windows after a cleqn sweep of the hard drive.

Thanks Guys,

I`ve used it previously, but I will use Malwarebytes again – just to be sure.

Mike.

Avast and malware bytes are both free and great programs.

Thanks for heads up and the reminder to be ever vigilant.

Thanks for the heads-up. I also hope you're able to get your PC in good working order again soon.

My anti-virus and MalwareBytes have cleared things up again and although my start up menu folders are still empty, I`m still able to navigate and find all my files and programs well enough.

TBH if you download copies of books that are obviously not freeware you deserve whatever you get.

People who attempt to avoid paying for books or rules definitely deserve to have the Russians annex their computer.

Theft is theft. Karma comes in the form of a virus for those who deserve it!

Yes, screw downloading 'free' copies of rules. The easy access to pirated rules will kill small press publishing. How expensive are rules anyway? A couple of pints and a lunch and no more.

So, you basically deserve all you get, and don't play a victim card about it.

Guys, you are aware that Michael wrote the rules in question? You seem to think he is the bad guy here.

If I ever have to do something on a questionable site I fire up a copy of a fresh Windows VM on my Mac and let them destroy the VM. If it is legit, I can transfer whatever to my personal computer and delete the VM (even if I thought everything was okay).

But, the safest course of action is to avoid them altogether. I usually get enticed by out-of-print books.

Jeez, talk about self righteous. It seems the op is talking about finding his rules being offered on various sites and he is putting out a warning. But why investigate before we condemn, eh?

Looks like the Collins brothers are out to ride.

I had a general comment about theft – and certainly didn't point any fingers.

Lol. Oh please. Didn't know he wrote it, did ya?

Never heard of him.

Therefore … comment about internet download and theft, etc.

Here's the link to Grand Manoeuvre by Michael Collins Himself, if anyone is looking for a legitimate copy.

grandmanoeuvre.co.uk

Shop link:
link
Looks they are a pdf only set of rules for £10.00 GBP.

Turns out he has a blog:
grandmanoeuvre.blogspot.ca

I couldn't find any reviews offhand.

There. Now everyone knows who Michael Collins is, and what he's done!

This is the result of the death of MegaUpload and other such sites. Websites that had pirated materials and no viruses disappeared, and many scam/virus websites popped up in their places. The same for online movies, it used to be that a search for a movie title would lead to Youtube or a safe download, but now half are links to pay-only sites and the other half are viruses.

Hey, that's pretty funny. I just realized that I and the op shared a last name when Halifax49 mentioned it. No relation, just a little irritated by how quickly peopled wanted to throw stones without realizing the op was trying to do a good turn.

I get that Paul. (and enjoyed that you both had the Collins name! LOL )

As I said, and Tango23 verifies, very few people in this thread had any idea who the OP was. That definitely created some confusion. Now, without throwing rocks …

I still don't steal rules :)

Haha, yes!

My apologies for the confusion – I forgot to mention that they are my rules.
In my defence, I dashed the original post out just before going out for lunch on Sunday and I was being "informed" by my "social secretary" that I was behind schedule at the time !

I attempted the download because I was horrified to think that my stuff was being either given away (I thought my prices were reasonable enough anyhow!) or used for something dodgy and needed to know what the thing was about.

I`m still a little unsure what their motivation is; I`m guessing that the pop up and linking to PC maintenance/malware progs may be a way to get sensitive information about you – or really trying to sell you these programs once the damage is done to your machines?

That's horrible and it always mystifies me why people go to these lengths to mess up somebody elses computer. I hope you get it sorted out .

TBH as somebody has already said be careful of freebies.

Messing up your computer is not the problem (at least you are now aware), it is them gaining access to everything stored on it (and remember that you will transfer data with something like a memory stick or EHD to other assets in your home, which these folk can then access via Internet).

Things for free are generally too good to be true. There are noble exceptions such as Mt St Jean, Waterloo Campaign.nl, or this one!

Intellectual property rights must be respected and folk allowed to earn some reward for their work in a "free market" (of supply and demand, not a "free" market!) Mind you, it was great when you could download all those Osprey pages from that Russian site……..

Wouldn't risk it now!

Halifax49, I get what you're saying and I agree 100 percent. Looking back at the original post I guess I just figured the poster was the author when he said …"other rules authors." Looking back, that was a stretch on my part, even if it turned out to be the case.

Also recommend Ccleaner for your PC.

Even cleans out those hard to get rid of stubborn PDF cookies!

Malwarebytes heads harmful stuff off instead of cleaning it out once it is inside your computer. I pay for the version I have so maybe it is different. I have Reg Cure Pro and it cleans junk files, privacy issues, system issues, and malware. Also use Microsoft's Security Essentials. I update all of them daily. I run them daily. One thing about Security Essentials is the Quik Scan does not always catch bad stuff. The Full Scan takes over an hour but it will ferret out some nasties like Trojans. All this is overkill but I got hurt BAD by the Ruskies and learned my lesson well.

The price of live on the great game of Liars poker called the internet.

I have three computers in my house. One for my wargames stuff on which I do all my writing graphics, rules design etc. This is NOT hooked up to the internet.

I have a second computer for finances and bills and so forth. This is my wife's It is not hooked up to the internet.

I have a third computer for e-mail, which I am working on now. This is the only computer hooked up to the net and there is absolutely no data on this, nothing is saved, and nothing is every downloaded to is. It has a very good anti-virus and malware security, but each year it is taken to my computer service where the disk is wiped out completely and re-installed. NOTHING IS EVER DOWNLOADED TO EVEN THIS COMPUTER.

Also I don't open any e-mails unless I know who it's from and what it's about. Everything else is simply discarded and never opened. Works great.

Fifteen years ago my computer got a virus which wrecked 10 years of graphics, writings, and records.

Never again.

If I have to download anything it's usually an image or a picture and I do that at work which has an even more potent security system than I do. It then goes on a disk or a zip drive which goes through a security system that gives it the third degree.

Oh yeah, I publish lots of rules and scenarios and a newsletter. But you can't get copies of ANY of them electronically. You have to write me and I send you a copy through snail-mail. That usually stops anyone who wants to do mischief dead in their tracks. I also largely give them away for free. But you have to tell me who you are. The post office is good that way. They will return phony address to me of people who don't live where they say they do.

In my foolishness I would type in a word like "Tarakan" looking for anything on that particular island. Tons of sites come up with the word "Tarakan". I am thrilled until I start finding out 99% of this is just to get some fool to click on a site. You get everything imaginable and a lot that is unimaginable. You also get viruses. I had "nada" by way of security then and like Ottoathome lost everything.

The price of live on the great game of Liars poker called the internet.

I have three computers in my house. One for my wargames stuff on which I do all my writing graphics, rules design etc. This is NOT hooked up to the internet.

I have a second computer for finances and bills and so forth. This is my wife's It is not hooked up to the internet.

I have a third computer for e-mail, which I am working on now. This is the only computer hooked up to the net and there is absolutely no data on this, nothing is saved, and nothing is every downloaded to is. It has a very good anti-virus and malware security, but each year it is taken to my computer service where the disk is wiped out completely and re-installed. NOTHING IS EVER DOWNLOADED TO EVEN THIS COMPUTER.

Also I don't open any e-mails unless I know who it's from and what it's about. Everything else is simply discarded and never opened. Works great.

Holy cow…

I've got one computer on which I do my banking, download movies, email, watch movies, mix video, email, create graphics, fix my parents' computer virus infected computers, run multiple websites, create graphics. I have no virus program running because it's not windows. It works great and I only ever have to go one place for everything. I've never gotten a virus on it, I use dropbox and google docs so much of my game related stuff is available from anywhere, it shares a lot of info with my ipad so when I don't have my computer, I can still get to most of the info.

For people with Windows, you can still function without having to use three different computers. I have four backups of my homebrew rules: the most recent in my gmail inbox; old edits on an external harddrive; older edits on my old bricked laptop with the melted motherboard (but oddly enough I can still get to the recovery screen and pull files from it that way); and oldest edits on a Geocities mirror. I think I have one or two files in my phone's pdf reader app as well. Just get a good antivirus program and adblocker, don't go to shady porn sites and don't click on ads and you'll be good. And remember to go to a restaurant with free Wifi every so often so you can manually download Windows updates.

Even running a Windows machine you should have no problem with viruses and malware as long as you use a good AdBlocker and an anti-virus problem. Just don't click on obviously shady links and you should be a-okay.