Ted Clayton

@Jordi Cabot explains the snafu:

… Google flagged us as malware. Full details here: http://wp-abtesting.com/worst-timing-google-flagged-our-site-as-malware-on-our-prelaunch-announcement/
(in case you still see the malware message, the short story is that yesterday Google blacklisted by mistake the theme shop where we bought our theme and flag as malware all sites that had a link somewhere to that web) – [emph. added]

My condolences to Mr. Cabot and the WP-ABTesting project … and to our host Jeffro and his WPTavern website. The unintended story that this has become, does appear to be mostly/largely/probably just ‘unfortunate’ … but with some meaningful caveats.

I read the “Full details” post on WP-ABTesting, and they do deserve credit for responding/reacting to the Google identification of a security issue. The response does fall short in 2 areas, though.

Secondly, it implies that Google is, ‘[Sigh], you know, such a mindless clod, negligently wreaking other kids projects’. That’s a tad rich. Google run tech/security-circles around everybody here.

Firstly, what actually is going on at/with Theme Forest, “the theme shop where we bought our theme“? And, the “Full details” post offers a link explicitly to this, quote “WordPress theme we bought“, end quote, which is in fact not a link to the theme they acquired, but simply dumps us at the Theme Forest front door …. where we see it loudly proclaimed that they sell, quote, “10,785 Site Templates and Themes from $3”, end quote.

It is obviously of interest, which specific theme (out of ten thousand offerings) was actually involved … whether some think that was important, or not. That information would be a key part of the “Full details” … and has been made, really, ‘conspicuous by its absence’.
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Is there something icky/dubious going on at Theme Forest? This is a well-known provider of themes & etc, for the wider WordPress community. Are those folks actually a slippery or fast-and-loose outfit (or too accompanying of such), and we should be saying so? Are Google really security-lamers, or is that a red herring to deflect attention from ‘back-alley’ behavior within the WordPress commercial sector?

I get no impression that WP-ABTesting were active ‘bad actors’ here, in terms of the reported security-issue … but they do seem to be giving this affair that ol’-time ‘Move along now – nothing to see here’, treatment.
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… (don’t be scared, we will hide all the math from you, just keep reading!) …

Unfortunately, my site is on my localhost, and I can’t test WP-ABTesting. If I was online, though, I would at least be checking out the terms of their offer closely. (I won’t ‘sign on’, under every & any set of terms that we see offered/required, even for things that are of interest – and WP-ABTesting is of interest.)

But as far as hiding the math (and other tech-details) … please, yes, do abuse me! ;)

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