🎉 Share Your Success & Win Big! 🎁 Enter Now for a Shot at Exciting Prizes!

Antivirus Secuirty Warnings about CC Links

evolveWorld
Campaign Contributor
0 Votes

Some of our contacts are telling me that, when they click on a link in our emails, their antivirus software tells them that they are clicking a risky link. In one instance, it happened to a member of our team. It said that uBlock Origin had found the following: rs.net -- which was deemed unsafe by Peter Lowe's Ad and Tracking server list. Recently, a woman using Norton Antivirus was warned. I have no idea how many people are getting these warnings. But this is a serious problem. The emails are being received but the recipients are being told that the links are contaminated. This is also a big problem for CC. Our numbers of clicks and registrations is way down. I wonder if this is why. Anyone else with this issue?

 

Here's the message from uBlock:

evolveWorld_0-1673473815831.png

 

Top Answer
William_A
Administrator

Hello @evolveWorld ,

 

Any webpage links you insert into your emails are rewritten to the r20.rs6 for the sake of click reporting. As this is a Compliance element, it's not something that can be affected from within the account or email builder. The only way for your contacts to open the links would be to either click on them in a webpage version of the email (either via the View as Webpage link you insert or via the email's shareable URL), or to safelist our domains in the extensions, blockers, and security programs they're running.


3 REPLIES 3
William_A
Administrator
0 Votes

Hello @evolveWorld ,

 

Any webpage links you insert into your emails are rewritten to the r20.rs6 for the sake of click reporting. As this is a Compliance element, it's not something that can be affected from within the account or email builder. The only way for your contacts to open the links would be to either click on them in a webpage version of the email (either via the View as Webpage link you insert or via the email's shareable URL), or to safelist our domains in the extensions, blockers, and security programs they're running.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William A
Community & Social Media Support
evolveWorld
Campaign Contributor
0 Votes

Hi WIlliam,

Thanks for responding. So, to do what you say, for every link in my emails, I would have to include the unique URL or say "Please view this email as a webpage...click here" or something else. Basically to address this problem, because I don't know who all is getting this response by which antivirus program, I would have to say in every email that the receiver should do x, y, or z if they get a warning message about the links. I know that the "rs.net" code is in every link by CC. This is the problem! If this bit of code has been flagged and people are getting warnings, then shouldn't CC be exploring how to change the code? You say it's for click reporting, which of course we all want to see how our emails are working. But if that now counts as "tracking cookies" by security software, it's counterproductive. Do you see what I mean?

 

Let me say it again: I don't know who gets this warning message or not. I only hear from loyal contacts when they are surprised to get a message that our email links are dangerous. The danger may really be nothing, but they don't know that. It destroys our reputation and seems to lessen the number of clicks that we are getting. This is a significant problem--for us and for CC. Can it be fixed by CC?

William_A
Administrator
0 Votes

The fix is to safelist the tracking link. If you're concerned about other contacts encountering this issue, then I'd advise including the view as webpage link in your email (which is a best practice default anyway).


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William A
Community & Social Media Support
  • Avatar

    Featured Article

    Use Sections to Build Email Campaigns Faster and Improve Engagement Rates

    Using Sections while designing your marketing email not only increases your own efficiency but helps you to deliver a more friendly, organized message. Check out some of the key benefits of using sections in email.

    See Article
  • Avatar

    Featured Thread

    Casual Conversations: What's your go-to playlist?

    If you listen to music while you work, share your playlist below so we can be inspired and maybe find some new music!

    View thread
  • Avatar

    Featured Thread

    Share Your Success Sweepstakes

    Share a success story from the last year and be entered for a chance to win great prizes!

    Enter now!
Updates
Just Getting Started?

We’re here to help you grow. With how-to tutorials, courses, getting-started guides, videos and step-by-step instructions to start and succeed with Constant Contact.

Start Here

73% of SMBs express doubt that their marketing strategy is effective. Does this sound familiar? Read our Small Business Now Report to learn how you can tweak your strategy to see better results.

Go read our article
Upcoming Webinars
DEC 12
Ask Us Anything: Your Digital Marketing Questions Answered
2PM - 3PM EST