Problem with UK website screwfix.com hanging on the second page of search results

[Midge]

I have a very specific problem with the website of the UK company screwfix.com which seems to be being caused by KIS or KIS is seeing something about the website it doesn’t like.  When I use my desktop machine and search for anything on the site, the first page of results comes up OK - but when I go to the next page of search results, it hangs completely in the state shown below with the message “please wait whilst we update your selection”. 

I have three browsers on my desktop machine - and it happens on both Chrome and Firefox, but is actually OK with Edge (which at least gives me a workaround). 

I’m running KIS 21.2.16.590(b) as of the 2nd January which is the current version I believe.  If I uninstall KIS, the problem disappears immediately, and returns on re-install.   I can’t be 100% certain but I think the problem may have started when this version was installed as I’ve been using the screwfix website for years without any problem. 

I’ve tried just pausing the KIS protection but it doesn’t seem to be enough - the problem only went when I uninstalled it. 

screwfix.com is such a popular site that this isn’t likely to be a website or browser problem.  We have two other machines in the house:

My laptop which is just running Windows Defender, and that works fine on the Screwfix site whatever browser I use.  

My wife’s machine which is running a much older version of KIS, and that also works fine on the Screwfix site regardless of browser. 

 

Any ideas? If not, I’d appreciate someone at least testing to see if they see the same fault on the same version as me. Thanks!

 

 

 

[Flood and Flood's wife]

Hello @Midge, 

Welcome!

Yes, based on accepting only necessary cookies for the site, we were able to replicate the issue:

• 3 The issue was slightly improved by adding an Encrypted connections scan exclusion for the domain. 
• 1 Changing Private browsing to Allowed made no difference.
• 2 Changing Anti-Banner to Allowed mode no difference. 
• 4 Unchecking Inject script into web traffic to interact with web pages  made no difference.

 

• You may wish to log a request with Kaspersky Technical Support → fill in Application malfunction, Other template - image 2 above; Support will require Traces, logs & other data → they will guide you
• After submitting the case, you’ll receive an automated email with an INC+12digits reference number, then, normally, within 5 business days, a Kaspersky Technical Support human will be in touch, also by email, you may continue to engage with the Kaspersky Technical Team via email or by updating the INC in your MyKaspersky account.

Please share the outcome with the Community when it’s available? 

Thank you🙏

Flood🐳+🐋

[Midge]

Thanks for testing for me.  I’ll raise a case. 

[Guest]

Same for me.   I disabled Kaspersky and it did not help either.  I assumed it was their site that was broken but I tried it on a Virtual machine with no Kaspersky installed (but using the same DNS settings etc. and the site is working fine.   

 

I also conclude that it is Kaspersky causing the problem .

[Midge]

@smipx - thanks for the feedback. I opened a support case earlier this morning and will post up the outcome. 

[Midge]

@Flood and Flood's wife 

@smipx 

 

Unticking this option gets rid of the problem.  Tested on both Chrome and Firefox.  Have fed it back on the support case too. 

 

 

[Flood and Flood's wife]

Hello @Midge, 

Thank you for the update👌

Interesting, because, as we advised above: “unchecking Inject script into web traffic to interact with web pages  made no difference.”

Please note, even tho it’s worked, it’s always done as a test, it’s not a recommended solution. 

If the site is accessible on other devices without any issues, (ioo), Kaspersky need to analyse why it’s happening🤔  

Please keep us posted with any feedback you receive from the Technical Team? 

Thank you🙏

Flood🐳+🐋

[Midge]

@Flood and Flood's wife 

Yeah - I noticed that, and I can’t explain it. All I can say is toggling it consistently resolves/re-introduces the issue for me.  I did note some odd things when testing though.   For example, I did a search with the box unticked, and went onto the second page of results OK. Then I ticked it and saved it - and I was able to continue going through the subsequent search result pages when I wasn’t expecting to be able to.  But when I closed and reopened my browser and repeated the search, the problem was definitely back.  

Anyway, whether it works for everyone or not, I agree it’s just a workaround when on the site and not a fix as the setting clearly has a purpose across several KIS modules.  So we’ll see what tech support say…….

Thanks. 

 

[Guest]

@Flood and Flood's wife

@smipx

 

Unticking this option gets rid of the problem.  Tested on both Chrome and Firefox.  Have fed it back on the support case too. 

 

 

Hi,  That setting does not fix it for me (although my occurrences are a little different).  For me it happens when I brose a category (e.g. Drills | Power Tools | Screwfix.com) and then I use the pull-down to change the sort order to “Lowest Price” (or something other than the default).  That’s when I get the spinning circle that never goes.  

[Midge]

@smipx 

I’ve just done the same sort of re-sort as you describe, and I get that problem too (with the option ticked) but it’s fine for me with it unticked - have just retested to make sure it’s still behaving consistently for me and it is. 

So there is obviously another dimension to the fault and/or a difference between yours and my machines.   

What version of KIS are you running? 

Are you running the Kaspersky extension for Chrome? (I’m not)

 

Bit of a puzzler……..

 

[Guest]

Hi.  I’m running the Free Security Cloud version.  Not installed the Chrome extensions but I am using Edge anyway and it doesn’t work for me in Edge or Chrome. 

 

I think we have the same problem and the fix (I hope) will be a patch from Kaspersky but some settings combinations seem to make it not work at all, partly work or fully work. It’s all a bit random :-)

 

I can’t log problems with support because of free version so lets see what they make of it on your setup.  I fell confident whatever fix they propose for you will work for everyone (well I can live in hope).

 

Cheers,

Paul

 

[Midge]

@smipx agreed, the root cause is likely to be the same. Screwfix tell me their IT folks are looking into this too. Might be one of those cases where neither party is at fault as such - just doing something that is a little out the ordinary with an unexpected consequence.  

[Guest]

I reported it to Screwfix about 9 months ago.  They never got back to me so I ditched them and used Toolstation instead :-)

 

[Midge]

@smipx  a defector 😮  lol 

Have to say I have a particular loyalty to Screwfix as I’ve been a customer for so many years and my local branch are fantastic, and have been even more so through the pandemic.  I’d have been a bit screwed without them at times!

I’ve certainly not had the problem for anything like that time (couple of months I reckon for me) as its such a fundamental bit of functionality, you notice immediately you try to use the site.   But I found using Edge worked OK (for me anyway!) very quickly, so looking into it just went on my list of things to do and has only just surfaced.  

 

[Midge]

Support case has now been picked up by an engineer and have just sent the trace/getsysinfo for the fault. 

[Midge]

@Flood and Flood's wife 

@smipx 

I was doing a bit more digging about yesterday with the browser developer console open to see if there were any interesting errors at the point the hang occurs.   In my case there is, and the errors are consistent with what I have already noted - I see the problem on Chrome and Firefox, but NOT Edge.  When I untick the inject script option in KIS, the error disappears on both Chrome and Firefox and all is well. 

There are two other syntax errors that occur on every page of the Screwfix site and are probably nothing to do with the fault. 

I know nothing about this sort of thing but when I Google the error, I’m getting loads of hits on data coming back in an unexpected format  (HTML instead of JSON?) - which makes me wonder if this script insertion KIS does is jumping into the middle of something a little unusual about the way the Screwfix site works.  (maybe that rotating thingy or something...).  That’s my simplistic view anyway!

@Flood and Flood's wife what I CAN’T understand is why unticking that option gives such a rock-solid positive result for me, and seems to have no effect for you.  Might be worth looking at your browser console to see if you at least see the same error.  KIS might be doing something else that causes it too. 

@smipx but at least I can see how the problem might affect Edge for you and not me, as the fault could simply be a matter of timing.  If you see the same error in Edge, I think that conclusion can be drawn. 

I’ve sent this info to Screwfix too in case it gives them a clue what might be happening at their end. 

Chrome:

 

 

Firefox:

 

 

 

Edge:  no error (other than the normal two syntax error) and you can see it goes to page 2 of the results. 
 

 

 

[Flood and Flood's wife]

Hello @Midge, 

Thank you for the update👌

We always work with the developer tools, however, if there’s nothing to report, there’s nothing to include. 

When you’re doing each of your tests, are you flushing the browser each time?  If not, you should be. 

Please keep us posted with any feedback you receive from the Technical Team? 

Thank you🙏

Flood🐳+🐋

[Midge]

@Flood and Flood's wife  yeah, cache gets cleared and makes no difference.  Nothing to report yet from tech support other than it seems to have been pushed further up the technical tree. 

[Flood and Flood's wife]

Hello @Midge, 

Thank you for the update👌

Clearing the cache was not expected to make a difference, it’s to give a clean test profile each time. 

Thank you🙏

Flood🐳+🐋

[Guest]

@Midge @smipx hello!
Try to add the URL of the site: https://www.screwfix.com

to SSL exclusions in product: Settings - Networks settings - Manage exclusions.

Then restart browser and retest the issue.

Tell about the results.

Thank you!

 

p.s. the issue should be fixed in MR3 version of product (release in ~ February-March).

[Midge]

@Anton Mefodys 

With the option to “inject script into web traffic” turned back on, adding the suggested exception has the same positive effect for me - but I notice that @Flood and Flood's wife  tried this with less conclusive results (see top of thread). 

Your post suggests this is a known error - but perhaps not to the dealing engineer who picked up my support case.  Could you share the error report details on here?

Thanks. 

[Midge]

@Anton Mefodys support have now come back to me and confirmed it is linked to bug #4598792. 

[Guest]

Hi,  Well done for getting to the bottom of it!  Did they give a link to the details of the bug.  I can’t seem to find it anywhere :-)

 

[Midge]

@smipx I did ask but tech support won’t share bug details apparently. 

[Guest]

Update:

I expect the issue should be resolved in 1-2 days globally via fix in databases.

 

p.s. the issue related to inject script option. But it is related to scanning SSL (the reason that excluding SSL for this URL helps).