back to article Vintage Ask toolbar is malware – and we'll kill Jeeves, says Microsoft

Older versions of the Ask toolbar, the bane of many a computer user over the years, has been declared persona non grata by Microsoft, and Redmond says its security software will now kill it on sight. In a June 11 update to its Malware Protection Center site, Microsoft states that older versions of the toolbar, which set itself …

  1. Sgt_Oddball

    so that's what happened...

    I wondered where evil Jeeves had gotten to.

  2. Charles Manning

    Woop, woop

    Bing rises to 5th place in search engine space!

    1. dogged
    2. Dazed and Confused

      Re: Woop, woop

      Now we just need to stop the default IE setting in W8.1 from thinking that anything you type into the URL bar is supposed to be a bing search. Type www.google.co.uk and you get Bing (OK, searching for Google, but it's still bing), if that isn't Malware I don't know what is.

      1. glussier

        Re: Woop, woop

        You can change the default ie11 search engine to Google search if you want. Nothing prevents you from doing this. So, I don't see what's the problem.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Woop, woop

          THE PROBLEM is that by typing the URL manually its already clear that you know exactly where you want to go. Now the browser instead chooses for you to send to somewhere else and pass all that lovely metadata to a search provider unrelated to where you were going. Whoops.

          You never wonder why the search providers are pretty much strutting around like kings of the Internet these days?

  3. poopypants

    strange...

    I have never understood why Oracle would continue for years to identify itself so blatantly as a sleazy corporation with this cheap, low rent association. I can't imagine that any revenue that it generates makes up for the millions of dollars worth of brand damage that results.

    They are the only major corporation I know that pulls this kind of stupid stunt.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: strange...

      How about Adobe? I'm sure that once upon a time I saw all sorts of shite offered with a Flash install?

      Or are Adobe not a major cororation in your eyes? If they continue with their subscription policies then they are soon to be an ex-supplier to me.

      1. James 51

        Re: strange...

        Every time I update flash it puts up a click through screen with install chrome and a toolbar set as a default. Ask aren't the only ones who will sink to pulling a stunt like that.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: strange...

          I think Java has now switched to trying to default your home page to yahoo.

          1. Ken Hagan Gold badge

            Re: strange...

            "I think Java has now switched to trying to default your home page to yahoo."

            Given that the Java run-time has no legitimate interest in your homepage and it is vanishingly unlikely that you will think "Oh, that's a good idea. I've been meaning to pick a better homepage for a while, but this is just the thing.", can we not conclude that this is just trying to trick you into doing something you wouldn't otherwise have done.

            So it (this installer) is malware. So why don't any of the AV packages quarantine it on sight? What's the point of an AV package if it doesn't detect one of the most widespread pieces of malware there is?

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: strange...

              What's the point of an AV package if it doesn't detect one of the most widespread pieces of malware there is?

              Even worse, last night an AVG update tried to pull the "install toolbar and change search engine" trick.

              Spybot S&D flagged it as a malware installation attempt.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: strange...

      Maybe because Larry pockets the cash directly?

      1. Boothy

        Re: strange...

        Ninite is your friend :-)

        https://ninite.com/

    3. Dazed and Confused

      Re: strange...

      Because they're evil?

  4. Ken Hagan Gold badge

    Java next?

    Logically, if Ask is malware then a willing delivery mechanism is malware too.

    Or does it depend on how many lawyers the "malware" merchant can afford? Or is this just a publicity stunt?

    1. Tom 13

      Re: Java next?

      The current toolbar does not exhibit malware like behavior, therefore ASK is not installing malware. The old toolbar exhibits behavior which is now considered malware, but was not considered malware at the time it was issued. ASK has configured their legitimate toolbar to update automatically. Therefore any toolbar which claims to be ASK and is exhibiting the malware behavior is malware.

      So sayeth the marketing drones and lawyers. So let it be done.

      You may now return your brain to normal logic mode.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    It's a useful metric

    When you see search toolbars on a punter's browser you immediately know it's going to be one of those days.

    1. Christopher Reeve's Horse

      Re: It's a useful metric

      Frankly, why stop with Ask?

      Any toolbar (for any browser) that insidiously re-installs and overwrites the homepage should be identified as malware, removed and destroyed. Full stop.

      I don't know why something like this wasn't implemented years ago. MS need to be doing everything they can to make everyone's experience with windows as good as possible.

      Another useful step would be a bloatware/crapware free certification system for nice clean new PC's... This would ideally also specify how the drive partitions and recovery options should be defined and set up, and also a windows accessory program that allows the user to create a bootable disk/memory stick with either a clean windows install or a re-installable backup of their current state.

      But now I'm wandering far off into a fantasy world... But seriously... what if!? How good would that be!!

      1. dogged

        Re: It's a useful metric

        You mean like this?

        1. Christopher Reeve's Horse

          Re: It's a useful metric

          Yes, just like that, but with improved re-installation options too.

          Is the Signature Edition only applicable to PC's that MS sell, what about other vendors? The customer expectation should be that every PC should be sold with the OS set up like this, unless requested otherwise.

      2. Ol' Grumpy
        Coat

        Re: It's a useful metric

        "Any toolbar (for any browser) that insidiously re-installs and overwrites the homepage should be identified as malware, removed and destroyed. Full stop."

        You aren't being tough enough! How about ....

        "Any developer of any toolbar (for any browser) that insidiously re-installs and overwrites the homepage should be identified as malware, removed and destroyed. Full stop."

        :)

        1. Christopher Reeve's Horse
          Thumb Up

          Re: It's a useful metric

          I like it. I like it a lot...

      3. eikelein

        Re: It's a useful metric

        @ CR's Horse:

        You're horse, okay.

        Anybody with common sense can clean their system and then make a re-install disk of said clean state. Since Windows 7 Microsoft supplies all the tools needed.

        Do it yourself, don't rely on others to do it for you.

        And then, you could have spent a couple hundred more and bought a Microsoft Signature machine.

  6. eJ2095

    Flash....

    Doesn't this crud ware try and install a useless version of Mcaffe onto your machine these...

    yes i have seen one of these case of CBA format reinstall and slap user. (Or in my case the mother in law)

    https://patrickspokemonpalace.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/ie8.png

    1. Wade Burchette

      Re: Flash....

      Yeah, that accursed McAfee security scan plus that wants to install after my daily Adobe Flash security update. And like all other McAfee products it is a useless, resource hogging piece of junk. It is almost like a competition at McAfee to see how much they can slow your computer down. It has actually become worse ever since Intel bought them.

      1. Justicesays

        Re: Flash....

        why would Intel buying them make it better?

        It's in Intels interest for your computer to become too slow to use after a few years, so you buy a shiny new one (with the latest Intel CPU).

  7. Terry 6 Silver badge

    Unwanted and unloved yet....

    ", but it's still reasonably profitable"

    WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Is the world truly mad?

    1. Joey M0usepad Silver badge

      Re: Unwanted and unloved yet....

      Ive just invented a new term : "Idiotware"

  8. adnim

    Microsoft Advisory:

    "Older versions of software can restrict or limit your control over your search provider. It can prevent you from disabling or modifying your search provider,"

    Fair enough...

    Now where's the advisory that tells how Windows 10 can restrict or limit your control over your search provider and can prevent make it technically difficult for you to disable or modify your search provider? Or indeed what where and how it searches?

    1. joed

      Re: Microsoft Advisory:

      not to mention that pulling the toolbar off was also accompanied in change of legit home page to ... BING

      Double standards?

      And what about this Windows 10 upgrade nag, forced telemetry/CEIP (all this despite me disabling tasks, removing "updates" etc)?

      BTW it was fun Monday when flood of ForeFront sh...t, I mean emails, signaled the end of world (at least for Ask;).

  9. Hans 1

    Anybody downloaded stuff from microsoft.com, lately ? It wants to install the Bing search engine and make msn your homepage - opt out - no, it is not bundled with the installer, however, it is just as sneaky.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      MSN? Is that even still around?

      I honestly thought it died a delightful death decades ago.

  10. This post has been deleted by its author

  11. adam payne

    "This software poses a high threat to your PC."

    I wouldn't go that far but you still have to be careful with installers though.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A little late, Microsoft

    You could have blocked this crap 10-20 years ago, but you prioritized your profitable partnerships with these scum instead. Now everyone thinks you're scum too. (Me, I always did..)

  13. robertcirca

    I do not really like LINUX yet

    I do not really like LINUX yet

    however, in the future it might be the only operating system left

    that can be configured the way you want it.

    so I do see a future for LINUX when it comes to people who care

    (mostly data center admins).

    average peope do not know how to read maps anymore. without a navigation system they are lost.

    SIRI users will not be able to type simple words anymore in less than a couple of years..

    Sitting in a cafe they will say "my account number is xxxx and my password is xxx". If you are sitting in a cafe all by yourself and noboby is within hearing distance this might work for a while.

    ... but not forever

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I do not really like LINUX yet

      Ahem. "Linux" is not an acronym, nor is it something to be all shouting about.

      And no its not the only OS that can be configured properly. All of its peers (the BSD family, and the Unices) are still very much around and still just as flexible and they all have been. Some more so than previously.

  14. Brian Allan 1

    Finally... Rid the world of ASK

    I don't know how many times this pain-in-the-as* toolbar bar has been installed on our computers. It is truly annoying. Good for Microsoft!

  15. saundby

    It's a good start...

    but I won't be satisfied until they send over folks from Corporate Security with crowbars, automatic weapons and flamethrowers to settle Ask's hash.

  16. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Agreed

    Re: Strange.. I agree. Not being a Windows user I have not had the enjoyment of Ask toolbars, but I'm also surprised that Oracle would continue to bundle Java with "extra offers" as it were.

    As an Ubuntu user (and Gentoo and slackware before that), I've never seen any sign of this thing, in packages or the download from Oracle. Do you think since they've added it to the OSX version that the Linux installer will get this sooner or later? (Technically, it wouldn't be difficult to install as a firefox extension or add-on.)

  17. JCitizen
    Coffee/keyboard

    Ask toolbar is malware - PERIOD!!

    I root out and destroy that nasty tool bar anytime I run into it!

  18. Unicornpiss
    Meh

    A little off track, but...

    When going to Microsoft's "choice" page for search engines, has anyone besides me noticed that people "rated" Google with only 2 stars? Somehow that doesn't seem accurate. Say what you will about Google, but when I have to use Google to find articles on MS Technet because MS's own search engine isn't up to snuff, that says a lot.

    Oh yeah, I also kill Ask toolbar and most others on sight. Typically the user is only peripherally aware it was even there and had "no idea how I got it".

  19. Jonathan 27

    I just disable IE's extension support for my older relatives, it solves a lot or problems.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ASK Bing?

    Are they any different? Let's kill off Bing as well. It's creepy how hard it is to turn it off.

  21. Anonymous Coward (and proud of it)

    ASK Bing

    Is there a difference? Kill off Bing while you're at it.

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