I often read Mashable.com and visit it frequently. The other day after leaving Mashable.com and going to Twitter.com using direct navigation, I was a bit shocked at what happened when I logged into my Twitter.com account.
Upon logging into my Twitter.com account, the browser instantly redirected me directly to the Mashable.com site? At the time I didn’t think much of it. Today, I visited Mashable.com again and did some of my daily reading of the site. I then visited a couple more sites and later Twitter.com. Upon logging into my Twitter.com account, boom! Redirected to Mashable.com again. WTF!
So I made a little screen capture video of me going from Google.com to Mashable.com and then to Twitter.com all using direct navigation in the web browser. Once I enter my login details on Twitter.com and hit enter, you will notice the redirect to the Mashable.com site instead of going into my Twitter.com account. When I use the back arrow in the browser after the redirect, I end up logged into my Twitter account and back away from Mashable.com.
Now clearly if this is happening to others that visit Mashable.com and at some point visit Twitter.com and login, Mashable.com is getting a fair amount of unattended traffic from people trying to log into their Twitter account. Yes, I visited Mashable.com and do visit the site, but at the time I was at Twitter.com and not intending to be at Mashable.com while logging in at Twitter.com.
I am using FireFox for a browser 3.6.3 version.
I am not sure if Mashable did anything on purpose or it just so happens that this redirect takes place from Twitter.com TO Mashable.com by mistake but it is happening. Is Mashable phishing my login details? Is a hacker phishing using Mashable? It is just a problem with Firefox? It could be a lot of things really but something is up.
This was the URL it sent me to after logging into my Twitter account:
https://oauth.twitter.com/2/authorize?oauth_callback_url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F&oauth_mode=flow_web_client&headless=true&_=1273151675135&oauth_client_identifier=99DCYStyZcZvFB4r00ebg
Mauro Correia
Happened to me today for the first time!
I even thought i had click a shortcut by mistake!
fakhrime
i think it’s just about twitter cookies on your computer.(last twitter profile that ‘ve you visit)
as @anywhere platform (also it’s a twitter profile) can integrate with wp(mashable)(example:onAnywhereLoad(twitter))
so, twitter think that you’ve just the @anywhere itself
then after logged in twitter send you back to when @anywhere has planted.
->my analytics
correct me if i’m wrong
Jamie Zoch
I thought it was just me yesterday as well, until it happened again today. Then I knew something was up.
fakhrime
correction :
‘so, twitter think that you’ve just the @anywhere itself’
to
‘so, twitter think that you’ve just visit the @anywhere itself’
type too fast here.
Jamie Zoch
@Fakhrime,
I didn’t visit Mashable’s Twitter account. If it were a twitter cookie, it should redirect me to the Mashable twitter page, not Mashable.com. So I do not thing that is what is happening.
Pete Cashmore
Hey Jamie,
First I’ve heard of this. We’re not doing anything to create a redirect, so guessing it’s an issue with Twitter.
Thanks for the heads up!
fakhrime
@jamie
if you want try the ‘features’ check the page
http://fakhri.me/2010/05/06/answer-to-mashable-com-hijacking-twitter-com-traffic-dotweekly.aspx
Jamie Zoch
@Pete,
I have let Twitter know as well but we all know how speedy they are to reply if at all.
ack154
This has been happening to me too. About 3 or 4 times in the last few days.
Alex Rolwes
This is happening to me on a daily basis every single time I sign in. I googled the issue and this popped up. One way or another…something is going on.
Richard Blythe
Yep has happened to me a few times now
Matt
Happening to me too.. kept thinking it was something I’d done, like clicking on the wrong link or something. This needs to get sorted out!!
Paul Schubring
This has been happening to me for the past week or two. I am using Google Chrome (ver 3.0.195.33). Mashable.com is one of 7 tabs that I open every day automatically. I don’t have to click on the Mashable.com tab at all. When i login to Twitter I am immediately redirected to Mashable.com. If I hit the back arrow I am then at my twitter page. This is very annoying.