Author

Topic: Green hover color for bitcointalk.org links (Read 3894 times)

donator
Activity: 4760
Merit: 4323
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
December 18, 2020, 06:47:46 PM
#59
Yes, we see you brought this up back then - nice job!

Thanks!  It is a bit curious that this warning was left out of the system to seemingly focus on positivity, and then the next addition was trust flags that are purely negative.

I can see not wanting to label every outside link with a warning as that would seemingly be harmful to business here.  A better compromise to my previous idea would be to only make outside links red that are disguised using the url command.  That way users could post outside links without them being red so long as the link was displayed naturally.  If they try to disguise the link's true destination by using the url command, it would display as red, warning the user that the actual destination is not being displayed and needs to be checked.

Example:
Check out this cool new way to donate: Donate to Bitcointalk (link would be red)
Check out this cool new way to donate: https://bitcointalk.org/donate.html (link is green)
Check out this cool website that I like: https://www.wandera.com/signs-youve-been-phished/ (link is normal)
Vod
legendary
Activity: 3668
Merit: 3010
Licking my boob since 1970
December 18, 2020, 05:41:00 PM
#58
This topic seems to be back in discussion so I thought it should probably be done on the appropriate thread.  Smiley

This thread is four years old.  Yes, we see you brought this up back then - nice job!

The discussion thread is here:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/--5300919
donator
Activity: 4760
Merit: 4323
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
December 18, 2020, 05:07:46 AM
#57
The more I've started seeing this feature in use, the more I'm wondering if it is backwards...

This appears to be a warning system, correct?  I feel like it is warning you that the link you are clicking is good.  Maybe a better idea would be making the non bitcointalk.org links red?  This way when someone is heading off site they are warned, instead of it appearing normal.  It would also be a reminder to open a new tab, instead of leaving bitcointalk when I click a link.  Smiley

This topic seems to be back in discussion so I thought it should probably be done on the appropriate thread.  Smiley
copper member
Activity: 2926
Merit: 2348
Is there any way to update this so that this feature extends to reference links in users' trust profiles?
member
Activity: 98
Merit: 10
Nice! This should help fight against phishing attempts. Keepup the good work!
legendary
Activity: 1540
Merit: 1011
FUD Philanthropist™
Ya i think the Red + green idea is good..

IDEA: Spoetnik Approved™
donator
Activity: 4760
Merit: 4323
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Here's an example of a common scam attempt.  This one is from today.  A red hover would have made it much more obvious.



Yes Escrow is arranged apologies for the mix up., too many pm's and escrow requests Smiley

Please follow the steps below


Terms :
Seller : ample1
Buyer : cool21

Localbitcoins account ref:
https://localbitcoins.com/accounts/profile/celobacara/

Total price : 0.55 Bitcoin


Escrow steps:
  • cool21, please transfer 0.55BTC to the Escrow address detailed in the first post of my main Escrow thread on the forum linked below:

    www.bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=303281

    Never send to any other address!

    After transfer please pm ample1 the transaction I.D.

  • ample1, after you have confirmed transfer by the transaction I.D you are safe to send the localbitcoin account password and information to the buyer.
  • cool21, After you have verified and secured the account please pm me to allow release of the BTC to ample1.

Thanks,
OgNasty.
legendary
Activity: 1789
Merit: 2535
Goonies never say die.
Why not both red for offsite links and green for bitcointalk?  I realize this might upset some of the atheists - it may resemble Christmas too much... but it seems like it would draw attention to the fact that there are different types of links. Tooltip might be another option if its too colorful but just a thought... its a good implementation regardless.
legendary
Activity: 1540
Merit: 1011
FUD Philanthropist™
Ya i was like WTF was it always green recently ?
I thought maybe it was an update to my GreaseMonkey color script i use globally on Firefox.
Anyway, yeah i like it.
donator
Activity: 4760
Merit: 4323
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
The more I've started seeing this feature in use, the more I'm wondering if it is backwards...

This appears to be a warning system, correct?  I feel like it is warning you that the link you are clicking is good.  Maybe a better idea would be making the non bitcointalk.org links red?  This way when someone is heading off site they are warned, instead of it appearing normal.  It would also be a reminder to open a new tab, instead of leaving bitcointalk when I click a link.  Smiley

Since the purpose was to highlight when a link to bitcointalk.org s safe, instead of making all non-bitcointalk.org links red, they could even try to guess which links are attempting to phish bitcointalk.org....
For example, any link with bitcointalk in its text which does not direct to bitcointalk.org would have red hover text maybe.

I understand that.  However, is that any better than looking at the mouseover url at the bottom of your browser or looking for a secure logo in your browser when you click through?  If you know what to check for, the feature really isn't there to protect you.  Since this is a non-standard feature, most users will not be looking for green highlighted text when clicking a link.  However, a link lighting up red would let them know there's something suspicious going on, which now that external links aren't popping up in new windows, could be the only warning a user gets.
legendary
Activity: 1120
Merit: 1038
The more I've started seeing this feature in use, the more I'm wondering if it is backwards...

This appears to be a warning system, correct?  I feel like it is warning you that the link you are clicking is good.  Maybe a better idea would be making the non bitcointalk.org links red?  This way when someone is heading off site they are warned, instead of it appearing normal.  It would also be a reminder to open a new tab, instead of leaving bitcointalk when I click a link.  Smiley

Since the purpose was to highlight when a link to bitcointalk.org s safe, instead of making all non-bitcointalk.org links red, they could even try to guess which links are attempting to phish bitcointalk.org....
For example, any link with bitcointalk in its text which does not direct to bitcointalk.org would have red hover text maybe.
sr. member
Activity: 980
Merit: 257
yes instead of hover direct color would be better but i dont know if user can change direct color or not with codes
sr. member
Activity: 392
Merit: 250
The more I've started seeing this feature in use, the more I'm wondering if it is backwards...

This appears to be a warning system, correct?  I feel like it is warning you that the link you are clicking is good.  Maybe a better idea would be making the non bitcointalk.org links red?  This way when someone is heading off site they are warned, instead of it appearing normal.  It would also be a reminder to open a new tab, instead of leaving bitcointalk when I click a link.  Smiley
yes making all non bitcointalk external links red will make this feature more secure, normally this green hover text isn't noticed by many new users but making bitcointalk links green and all others red will easy to notice and help easily find phising links

if it is possible then make all external links red without hover
donator
Activity: 4760
Merit: 4323
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
The more I've started seeing this feature in use, the more I'm wondering if it is backwards...

This appears to be a warning system, correct?  I feel like it is warning you that the link you are clicking is good.  Maybe a better idea would be making the non bitcointalk.org links red?  This way when someone is heading off site they are warned, instead of it appearing normal.  It would also be a reminder to open a new tab, instead of leaving bitcointalk when I click a link.  Smiley
legendary
Activity: 2674
Merit: 2965
Terminated.
It doesn't work for the beta forum's link.
It is not supposed to work for the beta. Bitcointalk != bitcointalk beta.

Does this apply to PMs as well?
It would be normal to assume that it does. Just test it out.
hero member
Activity: 1162
Merit: 547
CryptoTalk.Org - Get Paid for every Post!
It doesn't work for the beta forum's link.

Link : https://beta.bitcointalk.org
hero member
Activity: 1162
Merit: 547
CryptoTalk.Org - Get Paid for every Post!
Huh, neat! Hopefully it will cut down on the fake sites a bit. Does this apply to PMs as well?
Yes, as the PMs are also in BB code so the green hover color works there too. I have verified it myself.

@theymos, nice feature you applied to attack phishing links.
legendary
Activity: 3458
Merit: 6948
Top Crypto Casino
Though there are a lot of other changes I'd like to see that are a bit more important, this is a good thing to see.  Good idea, good implementation.
legendary
Activity: 858
Merit: 1000
Huh, neat! Hopefully it will cut down on the fake sites a bit. Does this apply to PMs as well?
legendary
Activity: 2674
Merit: 2965
Terminated.
http://bitcointalk.org
www.bitcointalk.org

^this one doesn't seem to work. or did I miss something?
I think it's supposed to have https://
Well, if you enter either of those links they will redirect you to the https version (at least that is what happens on my end). So why wasn't this been applied to these links as well?
vip
Activity: 1428
Merit: 1145
Now when a link leads to bitcointalk.org, it has a green hover color. For example:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=24.0
Meta
"Legit bitcointalk.org link"

(If you don't see it, you probably have a cached version of the CSS -- manually refresh this page or wait a few hours.)

This should make it easier to identify phishing, especially once your eyes get used to seeing it.

Credit for this idea goes to Cyrus.

I promise not ask how much that innovation cost in this post.  Tongue Tongue Tongue
sr. member
Activity: 373
Merit: 252
Making it optional and default for newbies wouldn't be too bad.
That would be a reasonable compromise, but if something like that was to be implemented I think I'd also like a setting in my profile to turn the setting off, and only go with the green link highlighting on hover.
legendary
Activity: 3654
Merit: 8909
https://bpip.org
I would disagree with twister's idea. Have you guys ever used a website that does that? It is extremely frustrating to try and open external links on websites like that if there's always a notice popping up in your face letting you know that you're leaving the website. I think the green link highlighting in place right now is a good warning method for people, plus it makes it much easier to open multiple links at a time compared to having a warning page. You'd have to manually click on each new link page to acknowledge you're leaving the site.

Making it optional and default for newbies wouldn't be too bad.
sr. member
Activity: 373
Merit: 252
This is great .. security update. Might save some people from falling for phishing scams. How about having the page which says:

⚠ You're leaving the bitcointalk forum
OR
⚠ You Are Being Redirected to An External Site

that'll warn people right away??

I was wondering why all my links were turning green all of a sudden. I thought it was some extremely late April fools joke. Heh.

Although I do agree with Twister. There should be a warning page that is much more obvious than a green font color change.

I would disagree with twister's idea. Have you guys ever used a website that does that? It is extremely frustrating to try and open external links on websites like that if there's always a notice popping up in your face letting you know that you're leaving the website. I think the green link highlighting in place right now is a good warning method for people, plus it makes it much easier to open multiple links at a time compared to having a warning page. You'd have to manually click on each new link page to acknowledge you're leaving the site.
legendary
Activity: 1232
Merit: 1030
give me your cryptos
I was wondering why all my links were turning green all of a sudden. I thought it was some extremely late April fools joke. Heh.

Although I do agree with Twister. There should be a warning page that is much more obvious than a green font color change.
hero member
Activity: 672
Merit: 502
This is great .. security update. Might save some people from falling for phishing scams. How about having the page which says:

⚠ You're leaving the bitcointalk forum
OR
⚠ You Are Being Redirected to An External Site

that'll warn people right away??
full member
Activity: 182
Merit: 100
When we begin solving captcha?  Grin
legendary
Activity: 2170
Merit: 1427
Good job Cyrus and theymos.

You should send 1 pm for each user in case they will not read this post

It isn't needed because there are 800k+ users registered, i think users will notice it gradually.

Noobs don't notice things even when you put it infront of their nose. For example, there is a sticky thread in the meta section explaining how activity works and how many activity points you need to reach a certain memeber level. But still people create plenty of threads asking when they will reach full member, or how many activity they can gain, etc. That's why it is indeed a good idea to send out PM's to all users to let them know about this new change.
A newbie clicking on a phishing link is not going to be all that much of a problem and newbies are generally not the target of phishing links. The reason for both of these is the fact that very limited damage can be done with a hacked newbie account because of their low implied trust status and the ability of more moderators to moderate what newbies post.

My concern isn't that their account get hacked since their accounts are indeed worthless at that stage. It's more that anything can be hidden within a masked link. If some one with bad intentions spread out these links and promise people fake stuff, then noobs are more likely to click on them without thinking, and then a virus can get installed on their machine as soon as they click on that link. And you know what happens after that.
legendary
Activity: 1302
Merit: 1025
http://bitcointalk.org
www.bitcointalk.org

^this one doesn't seem to work. or did I miss something?
I think it's supposed to have the https://

I don't think it'll ever work on mobile devices, since you can't really "hover over" a link on a mobile device as you can a normal computer. I guess theymos could always create a mobile stylesheet for the website, and make all Bitcointalk.org links appear green even if they haven't been highlighted, but considering that there isn't even a mobile version of the site I wouldn't expect that to happen.
It does work on mobile device. I'm only using mobile. Yes you can't hover but if you click the link it will turn green.
copper member
Activity: 2926
Merit: 2348
Good job Cyrus and theymos.

You should send 1 pm for each user in case they will not read this post

It isn't needed because there are 800k+ users registered, i think users will notice it gradually.

Noobs don't notice things even when you put it infront of their nose. For example, there is a sticky thread in the meta section explaining how activity works and how many activity points you need to reach a certain memeber level. But still people create plenty of threads asking when they will reach full member, or how many activity they can gain, etc. That's why it is indeed a good idea to send out PM's to all users to let them know about this new change.
A newbie clicking on a phishing link is not going to be all that much of a problem and newbies are generally not the target of phishing links. The reason for both of these is the fact that very limited damage can be done with a hacked newbie account because of their low implied trust status and the ability of more moderators to moderate what newbies post.
sr. member
Activity: 373
Merit: 252
So far this don't work on Safari IPhone browser think I am not the only iPhone user who visits this forum. Although I like the idea and wish you the best making it work for all people.
I don't think it'll ever work on mobile devices, since you can't really "hover over" a link on a mobile device as you can a normal computer. I guess theymos could always create a mobile stylesheet for the website, and make all Bitcointalk.org links appear green even if they haven't been highlighted, but considering that there isn't even a mobile version of the site I wouldn't expect that to happen.
legendary
Activity: 2170
Merit: 1427
Good job Cyrus and theymos.

You should send 1 pm for each user in case they will not read this post

It isn't needed because there are 800k+ users registered, i think users will notice it gradually.

Noobs don't notice things even when you put it infront of their nose. For example, there is a sticky thread in the meta section explaining how activity works and how many activity points you need to reach a certain memeber level. But still people create plenty of threads asking when they will reach full member, or how many activity they can gain, etc. That's why it is indeed a good idea to send out PM's to all users to let them know about this new change.
hero member
Activity: 1036
Merit: 501
So far this don't work on Safari IPhone browser think I am not the only iPhone user who visits this forum. Although I like the idea and wish you the best making it work for all people.
copper member
Activity: 924
Merit: 1007
hee-ho.
http://bitcointalk.org
www.bitcointalk.org

^this one doesn't seem to work. or did I miss something?
administrator
Activity: 3906
Merit: 3123
Now when a link leads to bitcointalk.org, it has a green hover color. For example:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=24.0
Meta
"Legit bitcointalk.org link"

(If you don't see it, you probably have a cached version of the CSS -- manually refresh this page or wait a few hours.)

This should make it easier to identify phishing, especially once your eyes get used to seeing it.

Credit for this idea goes to Cyrus.
Thanks for implementing this theymos.

You haven't been promising too much the other day.
We've been talking about it for some time and am glad to see he found the time and the right aproach to implement it.
legendary
Activity: 1582
Merit: 1064
It's annoying and time consuming for me when people report PMs as phishing links and you have to quote the message and look closely to check so this feature is useful. It might even be worth adding a holding page that gives you a warning after you click on a link asking you to double check the url and be careful with what info you enter. In the past others have tried phishing with fake blockchain.info links. Newbs likely wont realise what the green means as well.

A holding page for an external link sounds good, but it could get tiresome, especially if somebody is looking at the Press section.
If this indeed is implemented, there should be a way to disable it.
legendary
Activity: 1526
Merit: 1001
Good job Cyrus and theymos.

You should send 1 pm for each user in case they will not read this post

It isn't needed because there are 800k+ users registered, i think users will notice it gradually.
sr. member
Activity: 284
Merit: 250
You should send 1 pm for each user in case they will not read this post
hero member
Activity: 658
Merit: 500
Good job guys!
global moderator
Activity: 3934
Merit: 2676
Join the world-leading crypto sportsbook NOW!
Quickseller, what colour is your signature? That's showing up as all green for me. Not sure if it was always that way.
It is green with white letters that say "MoneyPot.com - Your trusted Bitcoin Gambling Wallet"

It looks like there is a black dark blue (#476C8E) underline when I hover over my signature.

Ok. Just couldn't recall it being that colour before and looked a bit garish.

is this the reason of our signature campaign problem? I heard from some one telling signature not pay us because of this change?
is it true?
I can't believe your main concern here is your signature campaign.  Undecided
The signatures were affected as they are bbcode. Nothing was changed in them besides the line you can see if your signature contains a link.

The bots for bitmixer and yobit don't seem to be working right so maybe this had something to do with it.

It's a more than welcome change for certain people since they tend to click on anything without looking closely at the actual masked link by hovering their mouse over the link. With this change the difference is clearly visible, even for the worst noobs.

It's annoying and time consuming for me when people report PMs as phishing links and you have to quote the message and look closely to check so this feature is useful. It might even be worth adding a holding page that gives you a warning after you click on a link asking you to double check the url and be careful with what info you enter. In the past others have tried phishing with fake blockchain.info links. Newbs likely wont realise what the green means as well.
legendary
Activity: 2170
Merit: 1427
It's a more than welcome change for certain people since they tend to click on anything without looking closely at the actual masked link by hovering their mouse over the link. With this change the difference is clearly visible, even for the worst noobs.
legendary
Activity: 1302
Merit: 1025
is this the reason of our signature campaign problem? I heard from some one telling signature not pay us because of this change?
is it true?
I can't believe your main concern here is your signature campaign.  Undecided
The signatures were affected as they are bbcode. Nothing was changed in them besides the line you can see if your signature contains a link.


If its possible making it bold green will work good and easy to noticeable.
I agreed to shields suggestion that it should be bolded. I for one with a bit of eye problem, honestly I didn't boticed the difference until I leaned towards the screen and focus in the link and I saw that it was green. It would be best if it would be more noticeable as i'm sure it is not only me that has problems with eye problems.
legendary
Activity: 1484
Merit: 1001
Personal Text Space Not For Sale
Looks good.

I always check if I am logged in whenever I click a link to "Bitcointalk.org". If I am not, it is a phishing site. With this addition help, it will be easier to detect phishing sites.
hero member
Activity: 1498
Merit: 502
👉bit.ly/3QXp3oh | 🔥 Ultimate Launc
is this the reason of our signature campaign problem? I heard from some one telling signature not pay us because of this change?
is it true?
sr. member
Activity: 333
Merit: 250
great idea theymos
it will help users to identify fake links hidden behind text pretending to bitcointalk link

If its possible making it bold green will work good and easy to noticeable.
donator
Activity: 4760
Merit: 4323
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Great idea.
legendary
Activity: 3654
Merit: 8909
https://bpip.org
Test link 1
Test link 2
Test link 3
Test link 4

Edit: doesn't like port number (test link 3). Not that anyone should use it anyway.
legendary
Activity: 1988
Merit: 1317
Get your game girl
Why would the update needs to work for the links in the signature ? I think theymos specifically said it will show green only for links that have "bitcointalk" keyword in it or all the legit url's that link to this forum.

Great Idea Cyrus!
legendary
Activity: 1120
Merit: 1000
Quickseller, what colour is your signature? That's showing up as all green for me. Not sure if it was always that way.
It is green with white letters that say "MoneyPot.com - Your trusted Bitcoin Gambling Wallet"

It looks like there is a black underline when I hover over my signature.

underline color: #476C8E; for the moneypot sig, so it hasn't changed.
copper member
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1874
Goodbye, Z.
It looks like there is a black underline when I hover over my signature.
Dark blue, isn't it?



Without hovering:
With hover:

Example from the forum-intern (colored) link in my signature:



(notice the green underline)
copper member
Activity: 2926
Merit: 2348
Quickseller, what colour is your signature? That's showing up as all green for me. Not sure if it was always that way.
It is green with white letters that say "MoneyPot.com - Your trusted Bitcoin Gambling Wallet"

It looks like there is a black dark blue (#476C8E) underline when I hover over my signature.
global moderator
Activity: 3934
Merit: 2676
Join the world-leading crypto sportsbook NOW!
Doesn't seem to work on my mobile. Edit you have to hover for it to change?

Quickseller, what colour is your signature? That's showing up as all green for me. Not sure if it was always that way.
copper member
Activity: 2926
Merit: 2348
Does this only apply to links in PMs/posts?

Right, just bbcode.
Would you consider expanding this to other bitcointalk.org links that are not a part of BBcode as well? I would think the majority of the bitcointalk.org links that the average user will click on will not be a part of bbcode and would be used to the link not changing color.

Or maybe any link that is not a bitcointalk.org link could change to red or some other color.
copper member
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1874
Goodbye, Z.
Does this only apply to links in PMs/posts?
Right, just bbcode.
Don't forget about signatures, as those are in bbc aswell.
administrator
Activity: 5222
Merit: 13032
Does this only apply to links in PMs/posts?

Right, just bbcode.
copper member
Activity: 2926
Merit: 2348
Does this only apply to links in PMs/posts? When I hover on thread titles and other bitcointalk.org links that are not part of a post/PM, it will show as it has in the past. For example, when I am about to click on my watch list, or click on the "reply" button in a thread.
legendary
Activity: 1358
Merit: 1003
Designer - Developer
Good work on this. Glad to see some progress on the forums. Smiley
copper member
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1874
Goodbye, Z.
Finally something being done about this, thank you theymos!

Credit for this idea goes to Cyrus.
Nice idea, Cyrus.
You haven't been promising too much the other day.
administrator
Activity: 5222
Merit: 13032
Now when a link leads to bitcointalk.org, it has a green hover color. For example:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=24.0
Meta
"Legit bitcointalk.org link"

(If you don't see it, you probably have a cached version of the CSS -- manually refresh this page or wait a few hours.)

This should make it easier to identify phishing, especially once your eyes get used to seeing it.

Credit for this idea goes to Cyrus.
Jump to: