Chrome update to raise alarms over deceptive download bundles Google is planning to roll out an update to the Safe Browsing feature of its Chrome web browser that will alert users to a new category of suspicious downloads: ones that look like they're installing helpful software but could also include additional, unexpected payloads. Safe Browsing already issues alerts to known malware …
Indeed. Bundling unrelated software that you do not want should be treated no different to attempting to install malware on your computer.
Lets hope it also stops Adobe flash-plugin which tries to install Mcafee. Was running a qucik install yesterday on a computer and must have missed the checkbox. Next thing I know I have McAfee AV on my desktop which I did not want.
You did read the editor's note, and did see the link to the article they wrote that goes into to the affair, right? Further, any software that has optional addons are clearly indicated and a note on how to avoid it is always mentioned. Point of fact is their downloads are either the tested one they host, or a direct link to the author's site, none of the dodgy 3rd party sites this el reg article is warning about.
Doing a web search of their safety will give you an idea what different security sites think of them, all extremely positive. In 10 years, I have never even heard a whisper of a problem with them, and I have no ownership position there...
1. Malware producer signs up for AdWord placement on trademarks they don't own
2. Google accepts the bogus ad.
3. Google serves bogus ad to unwitting customer
4. The advert is clicked, so Google gets the higher "clicked ad" payment from malware producer
5. The malware is requested from the producer's download site.
6. Google blocks the request to "protect the user".
All very clever, but I see a pruning optimisation before step 2.
Astonished that an update to a trusted program like Avast tried to thrust the Chrome browser onto my PC unasked.
Normally I wouldn't object as I have used and liked Chrome in the past but, with recent revelations about its memory footprint and battery thirst, not so welcome.
NEVER accept default installation options.
If offered, ALWAYS select 'customize' install, or Advanced install or similar. The screens shown when you select those options is where you'll usually find (if it exists) additional software installed and the option to disable it.
ALWAYS read the text on the installation wizard pages, as they'll often be different to the heading, e.g. the Heading and title on the page in the wizard might say "Chrome Installation", but there might be a license agreement (with the typical scrollbar to read a huge chunck of license text, this u can probably ignore like everyone else does) but then there might be other text just below the license agreement along the lines of "Click Next to accept the license for Ask Toolbar and install it" with 2 buttons, Cancel and Next, in this case you want the CANCEL button, as it's not the Chrome license or installation it's asking about, but the installation of Ask Toolbar. Clicking Cancel will cancel Ask, not Chrome, and it'll take you to another screen where you might be asked the same type of question for another piece of software, or might be the final cancel/next for installing chrome.
Well, since I don't want Google to know every URL I browse to, I turn the Safe Browsing feature off.
And people wonder how/why Google and whoever know their surfing history...well if you turn Safe Browsing on, every URL you ever visit is sent to Google. Whether you are browsing Facebook, your bank, ebay, pr0n, paypal, kmart, walmart or whoever, it'll get sent to Google if you leave Safe Browsing on. Every link you click, every URL that link loads, all sent to Google.
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