POGO BOWL

I am also having this same issue with trying to play pogo bowl. I get the same error message, says it's a trojan.

I am also getting this same exact warning from my Norton Antivirus program. Has anyone figured out what to do? I know many users are having the same issue with Pogo Bowl.

Ozarkhillbilly60​ Player_29r4ntop​ symba2012​ 

Hello! I came across this posting yesterday and I needed a bit of time to do research and also play Pogo Bowl to see what was coming up on my devices. Good News: I did not discover a Trojan Horse in Pogo Bowl, I ran 2 different scans on two different devices, looked at the browser console on both and nothing suspicious appeared on either device, nor did I get any alerts. 

However, regardless of what my scans and devices say, you can reach out to EA Security at any time if you believe you have found a potential security vulnerability on Pogo here > EA Security Reporting

Let's deep dive on why this may be happening and steps to double and triple check 🤓

cdn-h5marbles-prod. Pogospike.com = This is simply the address of Pogo's game delivery network, think of it like a warehouse that stores and delivers game files directly to your browser. Pogospike.com is a legitimate domain used by Pogo to serve game content. It is not a suspicious website.

JS:Downloader-GSN(Trj) =This is your antivirus program's label for what it thinks it found. Let's break it down:

The JS prefix means JavaScript

The Downloader part means it detected a script downloading files

The GSN portion is simply internal signature code used to categorize this specific detection pattern

The [Trj] suffix means AVG/Norton classified it as a potential Trojan

Here is the key thing to understand, browser-based games like Pogo Bowl are required to download game assets to run correctly in our browser. An antivirus program can see that download behavior and incorrectly flagging it as suspicious. This is called a "false positive." The antivirus sees downloading behavior and reacts defensively even when the source is completely legitimate.

This is not AVG or Norton doing something wrong — they are doing their job. They just need a little guidance from us to recognize that Pogo's game delivery network is a trusted safe source. *You can contact the antivirus vendor as well to check whether the detection is a false positive.

It is also worth noting that both AVG and Norton pushed definition updates within the last few days.

AVG ➝ Updated May 20, 2026 

Norton ➝ Updated May 21, 2026 

Keeping our antivirus definitions up to date is one of the most important things you can do for your device. Outdated definitions are more likely to incorrectly flag legitimate software as suspicious. Think of it like your antivirus wearing old glasses, it cannot see clearly enough to tell the difference between a real threat and a safe game file.

*You can verify these update dates with a simple web search! Just type "AVG antivirus update date" or "Norton antivirus update date" into a search engine and the most recent update information will appear.

What to do and how to verify this!

Step 1 — Check for Updates for your antivirus program first!

Before anything else, make sure your antivirus program is fully up to date. This includes both the program itself and its definition database. Think of the definition database like a dictionary your antivirus uses to identify threats — an outdated dictionary means it may not correctly recognize newer legitimate software and is more likely to produce false positives. Once updated, run a full system scan to see if a "trojan" is actually on your device.

Step 2 — Add an Exception in your antivirus.

Once you have confirmed everything is clean, the next step is to let your antivirus know that Pogo's game delivery network is a trusted and safe source. Here is how to do that in the most common programs:

For AVG users:

• Open AVG
• Go to Menu → Settings
• Select Exceptions
• Add pogospike.com as a trusted site
• Restart your browser and try again

For Norton users:

• Open Norton
• Go to Settings
• Select Web Protection
• Add pogospike.com to trusted sites
• Restart your browser and try again
• For all other antivirus programs:
• Look for "Exclusions" "Exceptions" or "Trusted Sites" in your settings
• Add pogospike.com
• Restart your browser and try again

Simply add this one exception. Your antivirus is still doing a very important job keeping you and your device safe! 💙

Step 3 — Clear your browser cache and restart!

After adding the exception, clear your browser cache and cookies, do a full restart of your browser and try loading Pogo Bowl again. This ensures your browser pulls a completely fresh copy of the game files without any previously blocked content interfering.

I want to reassure everyone in this thread that I personally played Pogo Bowl, ran scans on two different devices, checked the browser console on both and found absolutely nothing suspicious.  At times our antivirus programs being overly cautious about completely normal browser game behavior. However, it is always good idea to double check and notify anytime we see something suspicious. 

(Other usernames blocked per forum guidelines, rules and privacy)

If you have any questions or need any further help, please don't hesitate to reach out again. 

Ozarkhillbilly60, I am having the same problem with Pogo Bowl with AVG telling me the same thing what you explained. I posted on Pogo Forums and no response to it. I even have a badge for that game that I can't even Activate yet until this is resolved. I hope they fix this.

I am not able to play Pogo Bowl because it won't load and my AVG is reporting an issue as someone else said. Well I followed the following suggestions below and My AVG has pogospike added already and I am still having the same issue. It is a Pogo issue , not my computer. Please fix this because I have a badge for this game and I can't activate it until this is resolved. I am not the only person having this issue. Thanks for listening. 

 AVG users:

• Open AVG
• Go to Menu → Settings
• Select Exceptions
• Add pogospike.com as a trusted site
• Restart your browser and try again

Dolphingirl21990​ 

Hello 😊 I completely understand the frustration especially when you have a badge challenge waiting! 

You mentioned that you posted on Pogo Forums, and no one answered, sorry you didn't get a response there. Whenever we encounter an issue, we can contact EA Help directly to open a case, or you can post here for additional guidance. When you have a moment check out the Pogo Articles  and the Pogo Player Support   page found under the Community Button on the homepage of Pogo, it outlines exactly how to get help, so you don't have to wait.

I want to make sure I explain this as clearly as possible so readers now and, in the future, can benefit from this.

Quickest Fix - Always ensure Pogo is on your whitelist, if this doesn't work, contact your antivirus vendor directly.

Your antivirus company has a process specifically for this situation called a "false positive review." They will analyze it, investigate it and deploy a fix to all users typically within 24–48 hours, ensuring the problem is resolved for you and for every player with that antivirus. This only takes a few minutes. 🙂

AVG Users: False Positive File Form

Norton Users: Choose Your Sample Submission Type | Norton

Avast Users: Report False Positive

McAfee Users: How to submit false positives to McAfee | McAfee Support

Bitdefender: Incorrect Detection: Report a false positive or false negative to Bitdefender

Make sure to include any of the antivirus codes or messages and if you have the option to make comments to your report add:

 "I believe this is a legitimate game delivery domain used by the browser-based gaming site Pogo, which is owned and operated by Electronic Arts. I believe this is a false positive."

All companies will know Electronic Arts, they are as legendary as Disney or McDonalds in the gaming world. 

Backup Plan or Second option:  Contact EA Help and submit a case.

EA Help won't be able to correct the issue immediately because this is a third-party program outside of their control, however your report will be taken and documented. The more players who report this, the faster it gets escalated to the right teams who may or may not be able to address it being that this is a third party.

💞Just a friendly reminder that EA/Pogo have no control over the configuration of our personal devices. They cannot adjust, update, clean or modify any programs running on our devices — including antivirus software. Which is actually a good thing! It means your device stays completely in your control. This is also why troubleshooting is necessary at times.

I double checked Pogo Bowl today, and it is loading as expected - no errors or warnings (names of other players blocked for privacy)

I hope all this information gets you back to playing very soon! 🎳

My avast  anti virus will not let me open pogo bowl.  It  says it had  detected a  thr3eat and pogo.com is a dangerous  site,  I have been playing on pogo for many years a(especially bowling) and never had a problem before.  I can play every other pogo game that I have  tried  except for  bowling.  Can you please  fix  this  situation for me.  My subscription is due to renew  tomorrow and I want to be able to bowl  again.

My Avast anti virus  will not  allow me to  open Pogo bowl.  The screen says: We prevented  a  connection to  cdn-h5marbles-pro.pogospike.com  dangerous web page.  Threat  category: URL:Blacklist.  Can you help me resolve this issue.  Thank you

luckymarysue